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. 2.

 

 

 

 

 

                       EDINBURGH:

 

                                                     PRINTED FOR

                            DAVID BROWN, NO. 6. ST ANDREW'S STREET,

                     W. OLIPIIANT, AND F. PILLANS, EDINBURGH; M. OGLE,

                            GLASGOW; OGLE, DUNCAN & CO. AND

                                                J. NISBET, LONDON.

                                                                1821.

CHAP. XIX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 457

 

 

                   Proverbs 19

 

            Ver. 1. Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity,

than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.

            So depraved are the understandings of men, that the

rich are generally honoured for their wealth, although

their conversation shews them to be destitute of any

valuable quality; whilst the poor are despised, though

they are adorned with the beauties of religion. To

give an outward respect to the rich, according to the

innocent fashions of the place where we live, is not a

sin; for if providence make a distinction, we may do

it likewise, between the rich and the poor; but it is a

sign of great corruption in our minds, to value the rich

as if they were worthier men, and more deserving of

our esteem and affection than the poor, when grace

hath made a plain difference in favour of the poor, of a

kind infinitely more important than the outward gifts

of providence ever made. The bad effects of this un-

just preference are severely censured by James, in the

first half of the second chapter of his epistle.

            We ought undoubtedly to follow God, in the judg-

458                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XIX.

 

ment which he gives of things and persons, as far as

that judgment is revealed; and we find that he sets no

value upon riches. He bestows them oftentimes on

those whom he abhors, and denies them to his favour-

ites. But the upright, however poor, are his delight.

He glories in Job as a perfect and upright man, and

he still bestows higher commendations on him, af-

ter he was stripped of all his substance, because he had

given additional proof of his stedfast integrity *.

            When Christ was on earth, he was a poor man that

walked in his integrity, and surely the lovers of Christ

will never value a man the less, because he is as Christ

also was in the world. In short, the upright man, how-

ever poor and mean, is not only a man of better dispo-

sitions and behaviour than the rich sinner, but he is

also incomparably happier and richer, and shall be rich

as long as God himself is rich.

            Be satisfied and thankful, ye that are taught by the

Spirit of God, to walk in your integrity. You are rich

in faith, and heirs of the kingdom; and in this world

you have and shall have every thing that infinite wis-

dom and love sees fit for you †.

            Here the poor may see a certain method of being

rich, or of obtaining what is far better than riches.

Labour not to be rich in gold and silver, but seek after

that which Christ calls the true riches, and which he

will dispense unto those that seek them in his appoint-

ed way‡.

            Let not the rich man glory in his wealth: if he is

perverse in his lips, he is poor and miserable, and blind,

and naked; and the esteem of men will not counter-

balance the abhorrence of God ||. Go to Christ under

deep impressions of your poverty, and buy of him

gold tried in the fire, and you shall be truly rich.

 

*Job 1,2         † l Cor 3:21,22          ‡ John 6:27, Matt. 6:33

|| Ps. 10:4

CHAP. XIX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 459

 

            Ver. 2. Also that the soul be without knowledge, it is

not good; and he that hasteth with his feet, sinneth.

            The want of that knowledge which we need for our

direction through life, is very pernicious; for we are

in a dangerous world, full of pits and snares; and the

man that has not eyes in his head, must fall, sooner or

later, into destruction. When the blind are led by the

blind, they cannot well avoid falling into the ditch.

But blind sinners are led by a quick-sighted and crafty

devil, who will certainly land them in perdition *.

            Although we have knowledge in our heads, it will

not profit us, unless we have it also in our hearts.

Knowledge, when it is not loved and reduced into prac-

tice, will serve only to bear testimony for God against

the abuser of light, and to heighten his condemnation.

A man of much knowledge, and a bad practice, carries

about him, like Uriah, that which will prove his own

death.

            To want knowledge, is not good: to have know-

ledge, and not to use it as the directory of our life, can-

not be one jot better; and he that hasteth with his feet,

and takes no heed to his way, sinneth.

            It is no sin, but a duty, to run in the way of God's

commandments; and it was an evidence of David's

wisdom, that he made haste, and delayed not to run out

of the paths of sin, when he considered whither they

would lead him; but to run on, without consideration,

whithersoever our fancy or our passions lead us, expo-

ses us to much sin and danger; and therefore we are

commanded to walk circumspectly, keeping our eye

upon the ground we tread, that it may not be slippery,

and observing the rule of duty, that we may not trans-

gress it. Even in those businesses that are lawful, we

will be drawn into sin, without circumspection; for the

devil has snares spread for us everywhere in this evil

 

*Eph. 2:3

460                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XIX.

 

world, and he that makes haste to be rich, shall not be

innocent.

            Although we ought to run in the ways of the Lord,

and not faint, yet rashness in our religious course will be

attended with much sin. We must carry the lamp of

truth with us, otherwise, by running in the dark, we

will certainly stumble*.

            As rashness and inconsideration are sinful, so they

are the causes of a great deal of the sin that is in the

world. Men would not choose, or at least they would

not so resolutely keep the ways of iniquity, were it not

that they want knowledge and thought, as Isaiah clear-

ly shews in the case of idolaters †.

            Ver. 3. The foolishness of man perverteth his way, and

his heart fretteth against the Lord.

            Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempt-

ed by God:  God tempts no man, but every man is

tempted when he is seduced into evil by the blindness

of his own mind, and the perverseness of his own heart.

The world and the devil may indeed persuade us to

sin, but none of them can force us. When a man sins,

he does more mischief to himself than all the legions of

hell can do to him; and therefore, whenever our way

is perverted, we must chiefly blame ourselves. It would

be blasphemy to charge the most holy God with our

sins, and it is folly to transfer the fault unto our sedu-

cers; for if our enemy should persuade us to stab our-

selves to the heart, it is our own madness to comply.

            When our way is perverted, we soon feel the miser-

able consequences of our folly; for wretchedness, in

one form or other, follows sin, as the shadow follows

the body:  but we are so loath to blame ourselves for the

consequences of our own folly, that our hearts will ra-

ther fret against the Lord, as if he were the cause of

our ruin. Adam laid the blame of his fall upon the

woman, whom God gave to be with him, indirectly

 

*Chap. 4:12   † Isa. 44:19,20

CHAP. XIX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 461

 

transferring his own folly to his Maker; and it is na-

tural and common for men to follow the example of

their common parent. This corrupt disposition is not

entirely rooted out of the saints themselves. It was

David's fault that he did not cause the ark to be car-

ried in the proper manner from the house of Obed-

edom; and yet when God made a breach upon the peo-

ple on that account, David was displeased.

            Men are oftener guilty of this sin than they imagine.

Our hearts fret against the Lord, by fretting at the mi-

nisters and instruments of his providence; and there-

fore, when the people murmured against Moses in the

wilderness, he tells them that their murmuring was not

against him and his brother Aaron, but against the

Lord. David would not fret against Shimei, because

he looked upon him as an instrument employed by God

for his correction.

            Instead of fretting, it is our duty to accept of the

punishment of our iniquity, and to bless God that mat-

ters are not so bad with us as we deserve; for where-

fore should a living man complain, when the damned

have no just reason to do it?  If our troubles come up-

on us without any particular reason from our own con-

duct, yet reflections upon God would be very unjust.

Job's troubles were extremely grievous, and they came

upon him without cause in himself, as God testifies,

Job ii. yet he was made humbly to acknowledge his

great folly in reflecting upon God for his distresses, be-

fore his captivity was turned back.

            Ver. 4. Wealth maketh many friends, but the poor is

separated from his neighbour.

            God commands us to love our neighbours as our-

selves, whether rich or poor, and to shew a peculiar

tenderness to the poor on account of their destitute cir-

cumstances; but such is the depraved disposition of

462                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XIX.

 

men, that the rich have many friends, but the poor man

is not known by him that lives at the next door.

            The rich have many temptations to high-mindedness,

and this is one of them: that they meet with a great

deal of respect, and every person professes friendship

to them, and they naturally think that they are pos-

sessed of many good qualities, which draw to them the

esteem of mankind; but they ought to consider, that

money answers all things, and is one of the chief attrac-

tives of esteem in the world. Let them throw away

their money, and those that once made their court to

them will leave them, as quickly as the eagles leave a

field of battle when the carcases are all devoured. Job

was the most respected man in the east, when he was

the richest; but when he was spoiled of his wealth,

he that had been as the tabret of the people, became

their byeword. Jerusalem, in her prosperity, was the

princess among the provinces, but in the day of her

calamity all her friends dealt treacherously with her,

and became her enemies. A very ordinary virtue in an

ordinary man, is a shining virtue in a man of fortune;

but if he should become poor, all the lustre of his great

qualities is entirely gone.

            When the poor man is separated from his neighbour,

let him remember and imitate the apostle of the Gen-

tiles, who was often reduced to poverty and hunger.

Paul laid very little stress on good report or had report,

for he knew that none of these things, nor any thing

else, could separate him from the love of Christ *.

            Ver. 5. A false witness shall not be unpunished, and

he that speaketh lies shall not escape.

            A false witness does one of the greatest injuries to

his neighbour, and one of the greatest possible disho-

nours to God. He breaks at once the two great com-

mandments, of loving God, and loving his brother, and

 

*See chap. 14:20

CHAP. XIX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 463

 

therefore deserves severe punishment*. But if he

escape punishment from the magistrate, he shall be

punished by God with the loss of credit, and other mi-

series, in this life, or at least, with an eternal punish-

ment hereafter; for those that bear false witness against

their neighbours are an abomination to the Lord, and

how is it possible for them to escape†?

            Liars are here classed with them that bear false wit-

ness, for they are so much alike, that the ninth com-

mandment, which directly forbids the bearing of false

witness, does also, by good interpretation, forbid what-

soever is prejudicial to truth; and those that can allow

themselves to tell lies in common conversation, will, in

all probability, bear false witness, and confirm it by an

appeal to heaven, when they have a sufficient tempta-

tion. Some liars may expect to be safe, because their

lies are not of a mischievous kind, but when they do

evil that good may come, they expose themselves to

just condemnation. All liars, says our great judge,

shall have their part in the infernal lake‡.

            Ver. 6. Many will entreat the favour of the prince,

and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.

            It is, no doubt, a right thing to honour princes, and to

seek their favour when we need it, if God is not neg-

lected, from whom every man's judgment comes. The

Lord is the king of kings, and it is a plain evidence that

we forget God, when we are less anxious about his fa-

vour, than men are about the favour of our fellow

worms.

            Princes need not pride themselves in the homage

that is paid to them, for their favour is sought by men,

not so much out of regard to their persons, as from a

regard to their power. Kindness and liberality have

a greater influence for gaining the hearts of men, than

dignity of station. There are many that seek the ruler's

 

*Deut. 19:16-21       †Chap. 6:10   ‡Rev. 21:8

464                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XIX.

 

favour, but every man loves him that is generous. When

power and generosity meet in the same person, he be-

comes an object of universal esteem, like Marcus Anto-

ninus, who was lamented by every man when he was

dead, as if the glory of the Roman empire had died

with him.

            How inexcusable are we, if we do not love God with

all our hearts. His gifts to us are past number, and

all the gifts of men to us are the fruits of his bounty,

conveyed by the ministry of those whose hearts are dis-

posed by his providence to kindness.  "I have seen

thy face," said Jacob to Esau, "as the face of God."

His brother's favour he knew to be a fruit of the mercy

of him with whom he spoke and prevailed at Bethel.

            In our love to the rich and liberal, we exceed the

bounds of duty, if we reserve not a proper share of out

regard for the poor, who cannot give us any thing, but

have a title to receive from us. But the greatest part

of men are of a different mind from Christ Jesus, and

think it more blessed to receive than to give.

            Ver. 7. All the brethren of the poor do hate him, how

much more do his friends go far from him? he pur-

sueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him.

            The brethren of the poor hate him:  This is very

hard:  He might have expected that though all men

had forsaken him, yet his brethren would have shewed

compassion in the time of distress. A brother is born

for adversity, and he aught chiefly at such a season to

shew that he is a brother, and if he does not, he great-

ly aggravates the distress of such a near friend by his

unkindness*, and gives a fair pretence to those that

are not connected with the poor by such endearing ties,

to forsake them. We make ourselves guilty of other

men's sins, when we tempt them to sin by our exam-

ple, especially when our obligations to the opposite

duty are much stronger.

 

*Job 6:15

CHAP. XIX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 465

 

            This sin is very general, and almost universal among

men, although nature, as well as scripture, testifies against

it. The best of men have often complained in the time

of their afflictions, that they were forsaken and abhorred

by those whom they most loved, and those from whom

they had reason to expect the greatest kindness*.

            But how do they discover their hatred? by behaving

like aliens, and turning a deaf ear to their entreaties.

This is a sufficient evidence of hatred in the wise man's

view, and therefore we may justly conclude, that there

is more of this abominable sin in the world than those

that are chargeable with it will be willing to acknow-

ledge. The want of love is hatred, though in a lesser

degree than malice or spite, and therefore the apostle

John distinguishes the righteous from the wicked, by

this mark of loving or hating their brethren†. By

extending this observation into its native consequen-

ces, we might convict all wicked men of enmity against

God himself‡ for they do not love him, but despise

his laws, and have a reigning aversion to every mean of

fellowship with him.

            When poor men are real Christians, it is a double ini-

quity to despise them for their poverty, for they have

a double claim to our regard, and their Redeemer is a

severe avenger of their wrongs ||.

            To disregard the importunity of the poor when we

are able to help them, is a sign of a very hard heart, and

provokes God to disregard the prayers of such unmer-

ciful creatures, in the day of their own distress, and to

punish them without mercy §.

            When the poor are overlooked, let them remember

his text to their comfort. When God testifies against

this conduct of their friends, it is a clear evidence that

his ways are not as men's ways, nor his thoughts as

 

*Job 19, Ps. 31 & 88            † 1 John 2:10 etc.     ‡ Rom. 8:7

|| Job 19:28,29                       § James 2:13, Ezek. 16:50

466                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XIX.

 

their thoughts. When Job's friends scorned him, his

eyes poured out tears unto God. Christ was left in his

distress by all his disciples, but he was not alone, for

the Father was with him. But it is an encouragement

to our faith, that he had, in the days of his flesh, so large

experience of the sorrows of poverty, for in that he him-

self hath suffered, being tempted, he is able also to suc-

cour them that are tempted *.

            Ver. 8. He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul:

he that keepeth understanding shall find good.

            Spiritual wisdom is not natural to men, and the best

scholars, and greatest philosophers, live and die fools,

unless they get into their possession that wisdom which

cometh from above, and is taught in the holy Scrip-

tures.

            The way of getting this wisdom is to be sensible of

our need of it, to trust in him to whom all the treasures

of wisdom and knowledge belong, for the communica-

tion of it, and to be diligent in the use of the means

which he hath appointed, and will bless, for conveying

it to us.

            We must not only get, but keep this precious trea-

sure, retaining it in our hearts, shewing it forth in all

our behaviour, and refusing to part with it on any ac-

count†.

            Many think that those men who are so careful to seek

and retain wisdom, are great losers, buying it at too high

a price, and refusing to part with it at the risk of every

thing that is valuable in the eyes of men. But the Spi-

rit of God assures us in this place, that they are great

gainers, and never can be losers. They may hate their

wealth and ease, their friends and life, for the sake of

wisdom, but when they do so, they are lovers of their

souls, and millions of lives are not to be put in compe-

tition with an immortal soul. They may meet with

loss and disgrace, with persecution and death, but still

 

*Heb. 2:18     † Chap. 23:23

CHAP. XIX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 467

 

they find good, for they not only find those eternal ad-

vantages which infinitely outweigh every temporal

loss *, but even these losses themselves are good to

them that find wisdom, which, like the pretended phi-

losopher's stone, turns every thing into gold. That

is truly good to us, which does us good, and that does

us good which makes us good, or brings us nearer to

the possession of the chief good. The keeper of wis-

dom does not always find that which appears good to a

carnal eye, but he always finds that which appears good

in the eyes of God, and consequently in his own eyes.

Paul found much good in the things that appear the

most frightful objects in nature to the greatest part of

men.

            Ver. 9. A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he

that speaketh lies shall perish.

            These sins are very pernicious, and yet Solomon knew

and found them so common, that he publishes a double

warning against them, almost in the same breath, verse

5.

            Ver. 10. Delight is not seemly for a fool, much less

for servants to have rule over princes.

            Wisdom turns every thing to a man's advantage and

honour, but folly turns gain into loss, and makes a man

ridiculous and contemptible, when he is surrounded

with every thing that might make him happy, and pro-

cure him respect. Delight is a thing that all men wish

to enjoy, but when a fool is furnished with every mean

of pleasure, his folly is heightened into madness, and

he is found to be seventimes more a fool than he ap-

peared to be when he was in other circumstances. A

whip is proper for an ass, and a rod for the fool's back,

but delight and the means of procuring it are the same

thing to a fool, as a golden bridle to that lazy animal †.

 

*Rom. 8:13                † Chap. 14:24

468                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XIX.

 

            It is still more unseemly for servants to have rule over

princes, for although servants have as good blood in

their veins as princes, and are born with the same ra-

tional powers, yet their education and habits of life,

make them quite unfit for the arts of government. And

pride, that universal vice, has never a greater opportu-

nity of gaining full dominion in a man, than when he

is unexpectedly raised from the lowest to the highest

stations. But this proverb, like many others, is true

only in general, and not in every particular instance;

for Joseph was very justly raised, from slavery and im-

prisonment, to reign over princes, and Solomon himself

assures us, that a wise and poor child is worthy of much

more respect than an old and foolish king.

            Besides the instruction contained in this sentence, to

those that have the disposal of high offices in their

hands, it teaches us all to value wisdom above pleasure,

and all the means of pleasure. Wisdom can make a  

man happy without them, and wisdom alone can make

them means of happiness to us, and enable us to use

them without abusing them into means of our own dis-

honour.

            It teaches us also to be pleased with our own condi-

tion. How ridiculous would an illiterate rustic appear,

were he to be placed in a pulpit, or a man of low birth

if he were seated on a throne! It is God's office to

choose our stations, and ours to discharge with cheerful-

ness the duties of them.

            When God raised Joseph, and Saul, and David, to

power, and when he called fishermen to be apostles,

this proverb could not be applied to them, because God

gave them a spirit suited to their offices, and in like

manner, when he raises the meanest of the sons of men

to spiritual honours, he bestows upon them a suitable

disposition of soul. Those that are made kings and

priests unto God and the father of Christ, have the spi-

CHAP. XIX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 469

 

rit of sons, working in them those heavenly tempers

which become those who are exalted so highly by the

grace of God.

            Ver. 11. The discretion of a man deferreth his anger,

and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.

            Are you affronted by any person? Now is the time

for knowing whether you are a wise man or a fool. If

you are a fool, you will follow that maxim of fools, that

a man behaves honourably when he will not suffer any

man to give him the least shadow of affront, without

forcing him to repent it, if possible, or at least shewing

that it is rather the want of power than will, that hin-

ders him from taking revenge. If you are wise, then

you will not suffer passion to domineer in your breasts,

but when you find it raising insurrections, will force it

to yield to the dominion of reason and religion; and be-

fore you display it in your words and behaviour, you

will consider calmly whether you have reason to be

angry, or so much reason as passion would make you

believe; and if you have reason, yet another question

still remains, Dost thou well to be angry? or dost

thou well to be angry to such a degree?

            A wise man will not only defer his anger, but pass

over offences. Joab could suppress his anger at Abner

for killing Asahel, but he was not a wise man, for his

resentment broke forth at a fit opportunity, and insti-

gated him to shed the blood of war in the time of peace.

David was a man of a very different spirit. He not

only restrained Abishai from killing Shimei, when he

was fleeing from Jerusalem, but he pardoned that of-

fender when he was returning in triumph to his palace.

It was not revenge, but the love of peace, and a desire

of the public welfare, that made David charge Solo-

mon, on his death-bed, to keep his eye on that danger-

ous traitor.

            It is our duty and wisdom to pass by, not only slight

470                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XIX.

 

offences, but injuries of a deeper dye, such as may be

called transgressions; for we need sometimes the for-

giveness of such from men, and every day we are

obliged to supplicate the forgiveness of transgressions

from God, and we are bound to forgive men, even as

God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven us.

            It is the discretion of a man to be slow to anger and

ready to forgive; for as it is not the water that surrounds

a ship, but the water which soaks into it, that sinks it,

so it is not the injury done by another man that endan-

gers us so much as the impression it makes upon our-

selves. Our fretful and revengeful thoughts are the

torment of our hearts, and deprive us of the govern-

ment of our own souls, and it is a piece of folly, when

our neighbour does us an injury, to do a much greater

to ourselves, when we mean to be revenged on him.

            It is a greater glory for a man to govern himself, than

to take strong cities, and rule over mighty nations. It

is the wisdom and honour of sinning creatures, to be-

have to offenders as men that need pardon for them-

selves. It is the glory of Christians to learn meekness

and lowliness from Christ. It is the glory of pardoned

sinners to shew forth the virtues of him that called them,

to which they owe so much, not only in their praises

but in all their conversation.

            Ver. 12. The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion,

but his favour is as dew upon the grass.

            We must be loyal to the king for wrath, if we will

not be loyal for conscience sake; for here the Bible re-

quires it, and represents the great danger of disobe-

dience, to affright those that will not be governed by a

sense of duty. As the lion among the beasts of the

forest, so is a king among men, and as the roaring

of the lion is terrible to the beasts, so is the displea-

sure of the king to those that offend him. But his

CHAP. XIX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 471

 

favour is pleasant and refreshing like the dew upon

the grass.

            We must not wantonly provoke the displeasure, and

forfeit the favour, of one that can do us so much good or

evil; yet if conscience interfere with the king's com-

mands, we must obey God rather than man, for what

is the roaring of a lion, or the rage of a tyrant, to the

torments of a mind enraged with a sense of guilt; or

what is the dew on the grass, or the smiles of a mo-

narch, to that peace of God which passeth all under-

standing, and made the martyrs happier in their dun-

geons, and at stakes, than their tyrants were upon their

thrones *.

            Ver. 13. A foolish son is the calamity of his father,

and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.

            When children behave ill, they are a great cross to

their parents, but a peevish and contentious wife is a

much greater cross, for children may be turned out of

doors when they cannot be reclaimed, but death only, in

ordinary cases, can separate those that are joined in

marriage. As the rain that drops through an old house

rots the timber, and will, in time, wear away the very

stones, so the everlasting reflections and complaints of

a peevish woman prey upon the vitals of a man, and

consume his heart with unceasing anguish.

            Women were made to assist and comfort their hus-

bands, and therefore they ought to behave with a meek

and quiet spirit, for it will never be of advantage to a

woman to cross the end of her creation. Those who

make such a near friend unhappy, must bring a double

share of unhappiness on themselves.

            But husbands must not impute peevishness to their

wives, without good ground. We are all the sons of

Adam, and all women are the daughters of Eve, and it

would be very unjust to call a woman contentious, for

 

*Daniel 3

472                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XIX.

 

every instance of bad humour to which vexations may

provoke her.

            If a man has a froward wife, let him consider his own

behaviour. Few women have so little of the heart of

a woman, or a human creature, as to make those men

unhappy that treat them with discretion and tenderness,

or if women really deserve this character, gentle admo-

nitions, and kind usage are the best means of reclaim-

ing them.

            If a wife has so much of the spirit of a tiger, as still

to vex a good husband, his duty is to acknowledge God

in this providence, and to consider it as a just correc-

tion, or a necessary trial. This will dispose him to per-

form his duty to a wife that does not perform her duty

to him, and to become better by her means, if he can-

not make her better by all his endeavours and prayers.

When men that have good wives consider this text,

and the too frequent illustrations of it which the obser-

vation of the world gives us, it will teach them what

reason they have of thankfulness to God, for appointing

them a happier lot. It is not chance, nor our own dis-

cretion, but the providence of God that gives any of us

a prudent wife.

            Ver. 14. Houses and riches are the inheritance of fa-

thers, and a prudent wife is from the Lord.

            Houses and lands are given us by God, but he gives

them to us by means of our parents or progenitors, whose

industry acquired them. The providence of God shines

more remarkably in bestowing good wives on men, for

they cannot come by inheritance; and no man can guess

beforehand what wife shall fall to any man's lot.

            Prudence in a wife, includes not only skill in the ma-

nagement of domestic affairs, but likewise that good

sense that makes her an agreeable partner, and directs

her to that kind of behaviour which makes her husband

happy in this connexion. To these qualities, if piety

CHAP. XIX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 473

 

be added, it renders her a far greater blessing than any

possessions that parents can transmit.

            We are to thank God for every outward enjoyment,

but chiefly for those in which his favourable providence

appears most plainly. Houses and lands may tend, in a

great degree, to render life comfortable, but a virtuous

woman is an uncommon blessing, for her price is far

above rubies.

            He that findeth a wife has reason to thank God*.

He that findeth a good wife has many reasons to be

thankful. It was God that gave her prudence,

that brought him into acquaintance with her, that dis-

posed him to choose her for a wife, and determined her

mind to comply with his desires.

            When we receive a rich present from a friend, grati-

tude obliges us to use it according to his wishes. If a

wife is a rich present from God, her husband is bound

to shew her all that respect and kindness which God re-

quires. Whatever character a wife deserves, God com-

mands her husband to love her, but when a wife is pru-

dent, the husband would be inexcusable that did not

love her with the tenderest affection.

            If a man desires to have a wife, he must acknow-

ledge God by earnest supplications; for he alone knows

the hearts of men and women, and exercises a sove-

reign influence over their affections; but let him not

presume to affront God by pretending to seek a wife

from him, without seeking prudence in her, preferably

to houses or land; for God declares, that a prudent

wife is a far richer gift than those things which are so

much valued by the generality of men. When chil-

dren wish to enter into marriage, they cannot expect

the countenance of their parents, if they make a choice

directly opposite to the judgment of their parents; and

how can we expect that our heavenly Father should

 

*Chap. 18:22

474                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XIX.

 

give us his countenance in pursuits opposite to his de-  

dared will?

            Ver. 15. Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep, and an

idle soul shall suffer hunger.

            A man would make himself universally despised, if

he kept his bed all the time that other people are at

work; and yet a slothful man might as well be in his

bed, for whilst he is awake, he is sleeping, and when

he is at work, he is idle. Slothfulness is to the body

like rust to iron; it is a consumption to all the powers

of the mind, and by its stealing influence and stupify-

ing nature, it casts a man into a sleep, not of an ordi-

nary kind, but a deep sleep like that of death. When

a man does nothing as it ought to be done, he is like

one buried alive, and may be numbered with the inha-

bitants of the land of silence and rest.

            Would you avoid hunger and poverty, things so much

dreaded by mankind? Then avoid idleness, which

brings these miseries upon men, and deprives them of

that pity which waits upon virtue in distress. Idle-

ness brings hunger, and along with it temptations to

fraud and theft, by which means it has led many to a

gibbet.

            Ver. 16. He that keepeth the commandment, keepeth

his own soul; but he that despiseth his ways, shall die.

            As the word of God is called the Scripture, (or the

writing,) as if there were no other writings in the world,

because there are none that can bear a comparison with

it, so the precepts of the Bible may be called the com-

mandment, because, although there are men that have

a right to command, yet the precepts of God lay an

obligation upon us, of force infinitely superior to any

thing else in the world. The authority of parents and

kings is derived from God, and we are bound to obey

them, because God requires it, and when their com-

CHAP. XIX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 475

 

mandments interfere with the will of God, we are bound

to obey God, and not man.

            The commandment of God is to be observed and

obeyed by us in all things, and through the whole

course of our lives. We must keep it, not only as the

apple of our eye, but as our life and soul.

            He that keeps the commandment keeps his own soul

from those sins that would bring death and ruin upon

him, and from the temptations of the adversary, that

watches our halting, and seizes every opportunity he

can find to do us a mischief. But how can a man keep

his own soul? Is not the Lord our keeper? Certain-

ly; but in converting and keeping men, he deals with

them as rational creatures. We greatly abuse the doc-

trine of free grace, if we imagine that it supersedes the

necessity and advantage of obedience. Although the

glory of salvation belongs entirely to Jesus, yet

he condescends to give to faithful ministers the ho-

nour of being workers under him*.  And although

the glory of the strength of Christians stands in him,

yet when he communicates the influences of his grace,

he makes themselves instrumental, under his agency,

in their own preservation from the snares of the des-

troyer. He that is born of God keepeth himself, and

the wicked one toucheth him not.

            Care and thought are absolutely necessary in those

that resolve to keep the commandment; for he that

despiseth his ways, shall die. The saint must not only

endeavour to understand and remember the rule of the

law, but likewise to observe his own way, that he may

direct his steps, and form his course of behaviour in an

agreeableness to it. The travellers that have their

faces towards the better country, must have their eyes

in their head, for there is no going to heaven by guess,

and those that live at random must die. This truth is

clearly taught by the apostle Paul in language suffi-

 

*1 Tim. 4:16

476                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XIX.

 

cient to alarm the stoutest sinner, if any thing could

alarm him. "If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die,"

&c.*

            Ver. 17. He that hath pity upon the poor, lendeth unto

the Lord, and that which he hath given, will he repay him

again.

            Without the pity of the heart, the bounty of the hand

is unacceptable to the Searcher of hearts; and profess

sions of pity are mere hypocrisy, without the fruit of

bounty, if it is in the power of our hands to shew it†,

            How great is the mercy of the Lord to the poor!

He hath appointed them to be the receivers of a part

of his revenue, and what is given to them he accounts

to be lent to himself. This mercy is not confined to

the poor of his own people; although he interests

those especially in our bounty‡ yet he would not

have us to restrict the fruits of our compassion to them.

Our Lord dispensed his cures to the ungrateful, al-

though he knew what was in man, and God causes his

sun to rise, and his rain to descend, upon the evil and

the good, and requires us to give a portion to seven,

and also to eight, dispersing the fruits of our liberality,

as the husbandman scatters his grain, although he does

not certainly know whether shall prosper, either this

or that ||.

            “He that giveth to the poor, lendeth to the Lord.”

This is an argument for charity of wonderful force.

No Pagan moralist could ever produce a motive for

any social duty, equal to this. It is sufficient to open

the closest fist, and to enlarge the most selfish heart.

Does God shew so much regard to the poor, and shall

we be indifferent to their happiness? Can we lose any

thing by lending it to the Lord? Men refuse to give

when they do not expect to receive, and they expect

 

*Rom. 8:13    †John 3:17     ‡ Gal. 6:10     || Eccl. 11:4.6

CHAP. XIX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 477

 

no return from the poor. If the rich were desirous to

borrow from us, we would think our money safe in

their hands, and esteem their bonds as good as money

in our purses. But all the earth belongs unto the

Lord, and shall we not trust our money in his hands,

by giving to the poor? Here is his bond, and it must

be a good one, if the Scripture is the word of God.

The richest man in the world may, for ought we know,

be poor to-morrow, or he may prove unfaithful to his

word. But the Lord is the everlasting possessor of

heaven and earth, and he cannot lie, nor deceive any

one that trusts in him. Had we lived in the days of

Christ's humiliation, when he had the goodness to live

on the contributions of pious women, it is natural for

us to think that we would cheerfully have given to him

all our living, and thought ourselves greatly indebted

to him for accepting it. We have not now Jesus with

us, but the poor we have always with us; and when

we have them to receive the fruits of our bounty, it is

the same thing as if we had Christ himself.

            God will be sure to repay what is given, to the poor

at his command, with great increase. The greatest

usurer on earth cannot make so much of his money, as

the man that gives to the poor.  "Thou shalt be re-

compensed," says Christ, "at the resurrection of the

just." Is that a long time to wait for it? Then you

are assured, by the same faithful witness, that you shall

have an hundred fold, even in this life, for every thing

you part with on his account, Luke xiv. Matt. xix.

Men that may be safely trusted with our money, are

not always ready with their payments. A poor man

cannot have his money from them when he needs it,

but God repays what is given to the poor at the best

time; and if he does not return it in money, he pays

it in what is incomparably better*.

 

*Ps. 40:1, 2

478                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XIX.

 

            Ver. 18. Chasten thy son whilst there is hope, and let

not thy soul spare for his crying.

            If you mean to do good to your children by correc-

tion, begin in due time. For if he be left to grow up

under the government of self-will, it is to be feared that

he will become like a horse or mule that were never

taught to obey the rider; and when these animals come

to a full age, without being forced to obey the rein,

you may sooner break their necks than break them to

obedience.

            But your heart melts, and your bowels yearn to hear

the cries of your poor child, and you cannot give him

another harsh word. Let him alone then, and leave

him to the government of his own passions, unless you

think that it would be still more grievous to have your

grey hairs brought with sorrow to the grave, and to

hear him curse you at the left hand of your Judge, for

suffering him to destroy himself, than to hear his groans

for a few moments.

            After all, parents ought neither to inflict unneces-

sary chastisement on their children, nor suffer their

angry passions to mingle themselves with the duty here

recommended. Those parents that make an angry use

of the rod, need a rod to their own backs. ("Chasten

thy son, so shall he be hopeful; but be not raised in

thy wrath to insult him.")

            An offending child must not be spared for his cry-

ing, and far less must he be spared for his anger. If

his wrath procures his deliverance, he will soon learn

the way of escaping all chastisement; and if thou de-

liverest him once, thou must deliver him again and

again, till he is past all hope of amendment. This

seems to be at least a part of the meaning of the next

verse.

            Ver. 19. A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment;

for if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again.

            When Peter asked our Lord how often he should

CHAP. XIX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 479

 

forgive his offending brother, he received a very sur-

prizing answer: Not until seven times, but until se-

venty times seven. But will not this give great en-

couragement to men to offend their brethren, and to

give every indulgence to their angry passions? No,

for it does not imply that an outrageous person shall

escape from punishment. It was once said to a man

that was killing his adversary, let him alone, and he

will die of his own accord. So may it be said to a man

that thirsts for revenge upon his passionate antagonist,

let him alone, and he will take revenge upon himself.

Although you spare him at this time, he will soon expose

himself again to punishment, and it cannot be supposed

that he will always escape. You ought rather to pity him,

than rage like him, for he is his own irreconcileable

enemy, and will be sure to plunge himself into mis-

chief.

            Anger is said to be a short madness, but the passion-

ate man is always mad till he gains the victory over

the tyrants that domineer in his soul. He has sober

fits, but he so frequently relapses, that you cannot say

he ever possesses the use of reason. Any man that

wishes evil to him may deprive him of the use of his

understanding, by a single word, or even by a look.

Are your souls subject to those storms of passion?

Turn your anger upon itself. You are displeased with

other men, because you take them for enemies; but

your worst enemies are the passions of your own heart.

Do you not hate that monster, Vitellius, who said that

the carcase of a slain enemy was a pleasant sight, but

the carcase of a slain citizen more pleasant? Why then

don't you hate the violent tyrants of your own breast,

that would wreak their fury upon the names and bo-

dies of your neighbours, but discover it most of all in

tearing your own souls? You are every day torturing

yourselves, and exposing yourselves to a severe retalia-

480                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XIX.

 

tion from those whom you insult, and to a more severe

vengeance still, from your Judge, who will call you to

account for every angry thought and every passionate

word.

            Ver. 20. Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that

thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.

            A friend that can give us good counsel is a precious

treasure, and nothing but folly and self-conceit can

keep us from valuing his good advice as more than

fine gold.

            If the counsels of our friends deserve respect, the

counsels of the word of God are infinitely more useful.

The testimonies of the Lord were David's counsellors

in all his difficulties, and they made him wiser than the

ancients.

            Every name of our Redeemer is dear to the true

Christian, and one of them is Wonderful Counsellor.

He gives us counsel by his word and Spirit. Our

ears and souls are his, and shall we not employ them

in hearing and treasuring up his counsels, that we may

direct all our actions by their light?

            Instruction is very much needed by us, for we are

naturally ignorant and foolish. When God gives us

instruction, either by his word and ordinances, or by

the rebukes of his providence, we must receive it with

submission and meekness. Instruction, either by words

or blows, would be welcome to us, if we had a due

sense of our own stupidity, and of the value of our souls.

But what will we gain by hearing counsel, and re-

ceiving instruction?  It will make us wise;  "for the

entrance of God's word giveth light, it giveth under-

standing unto the simple."  The rod and reproof give

wisdom, and wisdom is far more precious than gold

and rubies. Without counsel and instruction, we must

be fools for ever, and if we refuse wisdom, when it is

presented to us in those means of God's appointment,

CHAP. XIX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 481

 

our folly is desperate and stubborn, and admits of no

excuse.

            But we have used these means, you will say, and

have acquired but very little wisdom from them. But

a little wisdom is a very great attainment, and if you

think that you have got none at all, yet you must still

continue to use the means, and so you shall be wise

at your latter end. A man will spend several years in

learning a business that will enable him to live comfort-

ably through the remainder of life, and we have no rea-

son to grudge a whole lifetime employed in receiving

instruction, if it make us wise at our latter end.

            At our latter end it will be seen whether we have

been fools or wise men. If our days are spent in the

pursuit of perishing things, to the neglect of our eternal

interests, we shall be forced to leave these vanities to

which we sacrificed our souls, and at our end we

shall be fools. When the men that choose the world

for their portion come to the close of life, and their

former conduct presents itself to their eyes, how will

they curse and tear themselves in their rage, at their

own blindness and madness!  Even whilst they are

eager in the pursuit of vanity, and flattering themselves

with the delusive hopes of many days of pleasure before

them, they cannot forbear from wishing, like the co-

vetous soothsayer, that they may die the death of the

righteous, and that their last end may be like his.

            But mark the follower of wisdom, and behold him

that hearkens to the counsels of the Almighty. His

latter end is peace and happiness. Those who hated

his holiness, and despised his condition, are now obliged

to acknowledge that his life was spent in wisdom, and

that his last hour is blessed.

            Do you think that you have already gained enough

 

*Jer. 17

482                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XIX.

 

of wisdom?  You are quite mistaken. You are yet a

child, and speak as a child, that thinks himself a scholar

if he can repeat the letters of the alphabet. A Chris-

tian must live and die learning*.

            Ver. 21. There are many devices in a man's heart;

nevertheless, the counsel of the Lord that shall stand.

            Men's hearts are perpetually filled with projects, and

they seldom consider whether these projects are agree-

able to the mind of God or not. But the counsel of the

Lord revealed in his word, shall stand good after all the

plans they can form. It is the way of happiness to hear

his counsel and receive his instruction; for the world

passeth away, and the lusts thereof, but he that loth

the will of God abideth for ever, and must prosper

whilst he acts by the direction of these unerring coun-

sellors, the testimonies of the Lord†.

            But the counsel of God is generally used in Scrip-

ture to signify the purpose of God concerning the

events that shall come to pass; and this counsel com-

prehends every thing that has come or shall come to pass

in the world, either by the immediate agency of God, or

by means of any creature; for the worst of men, and devils

themselves, are employed by the providence of God in

executing his decrees. Men and devils act in an agree-

ableness to their own wills as far as their power reaches,

but they are still under the absolute dominion of the

Lord; and whether they are able or not able to execute

their own devices, they are executing his decrees. How

strange is the wisdom of divine Providence!  Millions

of creatures know nothing of the true God, millions of

them are his constant enemies, and are incessantly em-

ployed in devising and executing those purposes which

have for their objects the gratification of selfish and cor-

rupt affections, that are filled with enmity against God,

 

*Phil. 3:14     † Verse 20. Ps. 1:4

CHAP. XIX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 483

 

and yet they all concur in fulfilling his secret will. His

counsels leave them to their own free will; and their

free will, however corrupt, is managed by his holy pro-

vidence to serve his own glorious designs, and where

it would lead men beyond the line of his decrees, he

powerfully and invisibly controuls it.

            It is vain for men to form any purpose, and to think

of carrying it into execution, without acknowledging

the providence of God. The Apostle James warns us

in strong language against this piece of practical

atheism*.

            When we meet with hardships from the cruelty of

men, let us consider this truth, and behave meekly and

humbly. They do nothing without the observation and

permission of God. Christ submitted quietly to those

sufferings which he underwent from the hands of bar-

barous men, because it was necessary that the Scrip-

tures should be fulfilled, and the determinations of

God's hand and counsel performed. What David did

pleased all the people, and shall not we be pleased with

what the King of Heaven does?

            Let the people of God rejoice. The counsels of God

concerning them are glorious in wisdom and grace, and

though hand join in hand, they shall not be unaccom-

plished. The counsels of their enemies are dangerous,

but no weapon formed against Zion shall prosper. All

the counsels of the wicked shall be executed or frus-

trated according to the good pleasure of God, whose

eyes run to and fro through the whole earth, to shew

himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is

perfect towards him †.

            Let sinners tremble, for their counsels and works are

in the hand of God. He may suffer them to prosper

for a time in mischief, and to bring some of their wick-

 

*James 4:13-17        † Mic. 4:10-13

484                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XIX.

 

ed devices to pass, but their mischiefs shall rebound

upon themselves, and their nets shall entangle their own

feet. God may use them for a time to accomplish his

gracious though awful designs upon his people, but he

will in a short time call them to account, and punish

them for all the evils they have done, and for the

greater evils they have imagined *.

            Ver. 22. The desire of a man is his kindness, and a

poor man is better than a liar.

            A man's benevolence is not in proportion to the good

deeds he performs, but to the real desires he has to do

good, if it were in his power.

            A man may perform many acts of kindness, and yet

not perform all that he ought. When a rich man be-

stows a few of his superfluities, they may amount to a

considerable sum, and yet in the balance of the sanc-

tuary they will not equal in weight the little pittance

that a poor man gives, when he stretches himself to the

utmost of his ability, or even beyond it †. A rich man

may even give more than a man could reasonably desire

him to give, for the purposes of charity or public ser-

vice, and yet be entirely destitute of charity and public

spirit, seeking only the praise of men, whilst he pro-

fesses, like the old Pharisees, much better things.

            On the other side, a man may give only two mites,

or nothing at all, and yet possess a generous soul, like

that of Job, who never ate his morsel without sharing

it with the poor. As God only knows the heart, the

day of judgment will be the grand discoverer of the

real characters of men. In the meantime, we must not

love those only who bestow much kindness on us, nor

confine our esteem to those who signalise themselves

by their extensive liberalities; for the virtues, as well

as the vices of men, are often concealed under rags, and

 

*Ps. 21:11, Isa. 10:12          † 2 Cor. 6:3

CHAP. XIX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 485

 

pinched by poverty, so that they cannot display their

blossoms, or produce their proper fruits.

            The poor man that cannot give, and is obliged to re-

ceive, is a much better man than the liar who professes

kindness, and yet does nothing to verify his professions

by works. Good words are good things in their proper

place, and do well become the mouth of the Christian,

but good words instead of good deeds are mere hypo-

crisy; of so gross a kind, that even men often discern it,

and despise the pitiful wretch who endeavours to shel-

ter the baseness and selfishness of his spirit under empty

professions. Do you say to your poor brother, be thou

warmed and clothed, whilst thou givest him nothing to

shelter him from the pinching cold, or to fill his crav-

ing appetite, although thou art well able to do it? Thou

jolliest hypocrisy and lies to the want of charity, and a

poor man that lives upon the bounty of the parish is a

more respectable man than thou.

            Let us learn to value men by their hearts, as far as

they lie open to the judgment of candour and charity,

rather than their professions and appearances, which are

so frequently delusive. Thus shall we be enabled to

choose our friends, and to put a proper value on their

kindness; and by this means we shall be preserved

from that injustice so frequently condemned by the wise

man, of despising the poor, and paying an undue re-

spect to the rich.

            This proverb also teaches us to examine our own

hearts, that we may know how far we are under the in-

fluence of a kind and charitable spirit. God will not

accept of all the substance of our houses, instead of the

charity of the heart. At the same time, desires are not

real, nor are they genuine marks of goodness, if they

are not followed by suitable performances, when the

providence of God puts it in our power*.

 

*Philemon 6

486                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XIX.

 

            Ver. 23. The fear of the Lord tendeth to life, and he

that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited

with evil.

            Religion is the soul of happiness, it makes the pre-

sent life long and happy, as far as a long and happy

life is really for our advantage, and it is the beginning

of eternal life in the soul. He that is governed by the

fear of the Lord enjoys heart-felt satisfaction, and the

joys that spring from it are not like the short-lived joys

of the world, that die away into sadness and misery;

they last through life, they are vigorous in old age,

when the pleasures of sense have lost their relish, and

they triumph over death and all its terrors. Christians

are indeed exposed to heaviness through manifold temp-

tations, but the fear of the Lord, and the faith of Christ,  

has often produced joy unspeakable and full of glory

in such seasons; and the disquiets which the people of

God often feel, are owing for the most part, to the im-

perfections of their religious dispositions, and are bless-

ed by God as means of improving their grace, and in-

troducing sweeter joys into their souls. Christians have

unfailing grounds of satisfaction, for they have health

in their souls, they know that all their affairs are ma-

naged by a wise and gracious Providence, and they

have the sure promises of the life to come.  If God

himself can give satisfaction to the souls which he has

made, they have it, or shall have it in due time, for he

manages all things for their good, and his eternal ex-

cellencies are their portion.

            The saint of God is entirely delivered from the mi-

series of fallen state, as far as it can consist with

the plan of his recovery which divine wisdom has eon-

trived.  The calamities which he suffers are unstinged

to him through the Redeemer's cross, which, like the

tree that Moses cast into the waters of Marah, makes

bitter things sweet. He is not visited with any unne-

CHAP. XIX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 487

 

cessary evil, and those evils that visit him are made

good on the whole by the tendency which they have

to do him good, and make him good. Reproaches and

tribulations, sicknesses and deaths, are the common lot

of men, and they are very evil things to those who are

strangers to God, but they are good to them that love

God, for they are appointed and useful means to make

them partakers of God's holiness, and prepare them

for that blessed world where sins and sorrows are no

more*.

            Ver. 24. A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom,

and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again †.

            Solomon was a mortal enemy to sloth, as every wise

man will be. He has often told us of the mischievous

effects of this vice, and here he holds up the sluggard

as an object of contempt and laughter, to make him

ashamed, if possible, of his laziness, and to awaken us

to diligence in the duties of our calling and religion.

            It is a mark, of a sluggard to make a great business

of a little affair, and to make much ado about nothing

at all. It is a business to the sluggard to take his

hand out of his bosom, and it is a grievous affair for

him to put it to his mouth to feed himself. Were it

not for shame, he would desire to be fed like an infant,

and he will at length be tempted to grudge that men.

cannot live like trees, on which their proper nourish-

ment falls down from the clouds.

            A man that employs his hands with diligence, is

able not only to support himself and his family, but to

give something likewise to him that needs‡; and he

finds less trouble in his work, and enjoys more content-

ment than a sluggard would do, if you should bring

every thing to him that is needful for his support, with-

 

*Chap. 4:26, 27, 3:7, 8, John 8:52

† The word bosom ought to have been dish.           ‡ Eph. 4:28

488                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XIX.

 

out any labour of his own hands, because the things

that no man can do for him are oppressions to his slug-

gish soul. It is a greater burden to a sleepy man to

strip himself and go to bed, than for another man to

perform some laborious service.

            Awake, thou sluggard, out of thy deep sleep, unless

thou desirest to be miserable through life; for life itself

is an intolerable slavery when every piece of work is a

burden.

            Beware of spiritual sloth, which makes every duty

of religion a toil. God loves a cheerful servant, that

rejoices and works righteousness, but he will accept of

no drowsy and spiritless services, which are a dishonour

to him and to his ways. To the slothful Christian it

seems a burden to pray, and to believe in Christ, al-

though by these duties we only ask, and receive, and

eat our spiritual food. The lively Christian admires

the grace of God, which hath made these holy exercises

our duty; but the sluggard grudges that he cannot

have heaven in a morning dream.

            Ver. 25. Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware;

and reprove one that hath understanding, and he will un-

derstand knowledge.

            The wise man has already told us that it is needless

to reprove a scorner, because his pride will make re-

proofs useless to him. What, then, is to be done with

him? Shall he be suffered to proceed in his wicked

courses, and to corrupt others by his example?  No;

he ought to be smitten, at least when he lays himself

open to the vengeance of the laws; and although there

is little hope of reclaiming one that is so much harden-

ed in wickedness, yet his punishment will be useful to

other men, who will hear, find fear, and do no more so

wickedly. The simple and thoughtless will be made

to see how dangerous it is to follow the example of

one that has suffered unto imprisonment, or whipping,

CHAP. XIX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 489

 

or death, for his vices, and those who would not be

restrained from evil by the fear of God, and the

thoughts of an eternal world, will be checked by the

fear of men, and the terror of present punishment. It

is a necessary thing in a land to punish gross offences;

for without the execution of justice on the wicked,

iniquity would overflow all its banks, and men would

not live with safety among their fellow-creatures. We

have, therefore, reason to bless God for the institution

of magistracy and should concur in our stations to

assist in the execution of the just laws against vice.

            But a wise man needs not be smitten for his faults,

which are generally of a much less atrocious nature

than those of the scorner. He is not, however, to be

connived at, or left to his own wisdom, to inform him

of his miscarriages. Men are commonly too dim-sight-

ed to discern their own miscarriages in a proper light,

and reproofs are means appointed and blessed by God

for bringing wise men themselves to the exercise of a

lively sorrow and repentance.

            Are you afraid to reprove a wise man, lest he should

take it amiss? You need not fear this, if he is really

a wise man. He will love thee for reproving him, and

will understand knowledge. A fool is displeased when

he is supposed capable of falling into a fault; but a

wise man is meek and lowly, sensible of his imperfec-

tion and frailty, and when he goes out of the road of

duty, is glad and thankful to be set right.

            This proverb teaches us, how vain it is for men,

through the pride of character, to cavil at admonitions,

and endeavour to justify themselves in opposition to

plain fact. Instead of serving our character by this

behaviour, we greatly hurt it. When we receive re-

proof with gratitude, we shew ourselves wise men.

 

*Rom. 13

490                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XIX.

 

When we are displeased with it, we shew that we are

fools, or at least that our wisdom is mingled with much

folly. To affect the character of perfect men, is a plain

evidence that we know not ourselves, and do not re-

member the present state of human nature.

            Ver. 26. He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away

his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth re-

proach.

            Some children are so graceless, as to think it no sin

to steal from their parents, and to take at their own

hands that portion of the goods which they think be-

longs to them. Others abuse the fondness of their pa-

rents, and ungratefully make use of it as a mean of

robbing them by their own consent. Both these kinds

of wicked children may be said to waste their parents.

There is another kind of children who have some re-

verence for their father, because their interest depends

on his will; but they have so little regard for their

mothers, that they chase them away from their houses,

by rendering their life uncomfortable, or by wasting

that portion of goods which pertains to them. Esau,

profane as he was, had some regard for his father, and

sought his blessing with many tears; but he valued

not his mother, and resolved to kill her dearest son, as

soon as her husband's head was laid in the dust. On

the other side, dutiful children will at all times endea-

vour to make their mothers happy, especially when

they are reduced to the affliction of a widowed condition.

            Those sons that behave so undutifully to their pa-

rents bring a reproach on themselves, which spreads to

the whole family. They are monsters of mankind, who

are entirely destitute of natural affection, and feel no

gratitude for the highest obligations which one human

person can receive from another. They barbarously

disappoint and counteract the most reasonable hopes

that can be formed by men, and prove the torment and

CHAP. XIX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 491

 

disgrace of those who had the best reason to expect

comfort at their hand. They violate the strongest

obligations to duty, and make themselves unworthy of

the least confidence from men. They greatly provoke

the author of their being, by their base conduct to-

wards the instruments of it. God hath placed in his

law the duties we owe to our parents next to those we

owe to himself, and will severely avenge the neglect of

them. How, then, can they escape punishment, who

do not only neglect, but scandalously counteract these

duties! If the injuries done to strangers, or inferiors,

expose men to the displeasure of the Most High, what

punishments hang over those that wound, in the ten-

derest part, the persons to whom under God they

owe themselves?

            Is God so careful to enforce the rights of parents

upon their children, how careful should parents be to

inculcate on their children their duty to God, the sense

of which, in the minds of their children, is their own

best security for that regard which is due to themselves.

            If God be the father of the human race, and of

Christians in particular, what fear is due to him? What

monsters of undutifulness are they that provoke him to

anger continually?

            Ver. 27. Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that

causeth to err from the words of knowledge.

            There are many deceivers in the world, who make it

their business to clothe error with the appearance of

truth, and to weaken the motives to holiness which are

set before us in the word of God. And the exhorta-

tion in this verse speaks to us as children, warning us

to beware of their artifices and insinuations.

            Error may be rendered very plausible, for the Devil

himself came to men with Scripture in his mouth*; and

 

*Matt. 4

492                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XIX.

 

no wonder if his ministers can presume to plead both

Scripture and reason in behalf of their pernicious doc-

trines: but a quagmire is not the less dangerous, be-

cause it is covered with beautiful verdure, and has the

appearance of solid ground; nor is poison the less per-

nicious, because it is covered with honey. Error is

error after all that can be said for it, and all the shapes

which it can be made to assume.

            It is, no doubt, our duty to prove all things, and to

take nothing upon the mere testimony of men that

concerns our precious souls, and it is the property of

a sincere soul, like Nathaniel's, to be open to convic-  

tion, where there is danger of a mistake. But this does

not imply that we are to be ever learning, without

coming to the knowledge and assurance of the truth.

The truth may be known, because it is plainly reveal-

ed in the Bible; and when we have found that which

is good, we ought to hold it fast, that no man take our

crown—to contend earnestly for it against all opposi-

tion, and to shut our ears against those instructions

that would shake our regard to those things which are

most surely believed amongst us.

            It is dangerous for men to lend a ready ear to those

that would exalt the dignity of human nature, to the

dishonour of the righteousness and grace of Christ, or

loosen the obligations of men to obey every law of God,

because the corruption of our natures gives countenance

to every thing that favours pride or carelessness; so

that, when we think we are well fortified against the

delusions of seducing spirits and false teachers, and

rashly venture to hear what they can say for them-

selves, we are in great danger of being perverted, and

filling from our fancied stedfastness.

            The apostle John tells us, that it is a great and dan-

gerous sin, when a man comes to teach false doctrine,

to receive him into our houses, or to bid him God

CHAP. XIX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 493

 

speed; and Christ tells us, that his true sheep hear and

know his voice, and follow him, but will not follow a

stranger.

            Perhaps you have already given too much ear to the

teachers of corrupt doctrine. The exhortation is chief-

ly addressed to you, by him that knows your danger.

Cease to hear such instruction. The time past is suf-

ficient to have listened to it. Examine carefully how

far your judgment or practice have been perverted, by

comparing them with the Scriptures. Adjust your

profession and practice to that unerring standard. En-

deavour to know the present truth, and to be establish-

ed in it. Learn by the word of God, and prayer, to

distinguish between truth and error. Hear those teach-

ers that are of God, and preach sound doctrine; and

beware of itching ears, which would tempt you to

drink poison into your ears and hearts, instead of the

sincere milk of the word*.

            Ver. 28. An ungodly witness scorneth judgment, and

the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity.

            This is not the first nor second time that Solomon

has informed us about the wickedness of false witnes-

ses. It would be a great injustice to admit the tes-

timony of a profligate wretch, against the life or for-

tune of his neighbour; for he neither regards man, nor

fears God. He scorneth judgment, and has no rever-

ence for the most sacred and venerable objects. He

bids defiance to eternal justice, and swallows down the

most enormous iniquities as if they were sweet wine;

for his conscience is become hardened in iniquity, till a

trifle will be a sufficient temptation to him to swear

against innocent blood.

            It is greatly the interest of a nation to take order that

a sense of religion be preserved amongst the members

 

*1 John 4:1-6, Matt. 7:15, 2 John 9

494                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XIX.

 

of it. When men generally lose their reverence for

an oath, the bonds of society are broken, honesty be-

comes a prey, and ruin advances with hasty steps.

            Let all men beware of those sins that are counted

little, for they are like little thieves that get in at the

window, and then open the door for bigger villains to

get in. When men learn to lie without scruple, be-

cause they hurt none but themselves, they will next

learn to bear false witness, when they are tempted by

love or fear, and from thence they will proceed to great-

er degrees of wickedness, till at length they will scarce

put the devil to the trouble of tempting them to any

sin, but drink iniquity like water. Every sin tends to

harden the conscience, and a conscience long hardened

in sin, will in time be seared as with a hot iron.

            However stupid the consciences of ungodly men are,

and whatever flatteries they use for deceiving them-  

selves, their iniquity will in the end be found hateful.

            Ver. 29. Judgments are prepared for scorners, and

stripes for the back of fools.

            Scorners, in the pride of their hearts, think them-

selves secure from the vengeance of the law, and are

sometimes so profane as to laugh at the threatenings of

the Almighty. But the day is coming when their

laughter shall be turned into heaviness. The God

whom they despise, is the judge of all the earth, and it

is his glory to exercise his high office in righteousness.

He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but

if they will not turn and live, they must die, and their

blood shall be on their own head, and the Lord shall be

known by the judgment which he executeth. The

judgments that shall be inflicted on scorners, are already

prepared, and determined for them. It is the triumph

of lively Christians that they can look back to the days

of eternity, and rejoice in the contemplation of a king-  

dom prepared for them before the foundation of the

CHAP. XIX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 495

 

world. But sinners have great reason to tremble with

astonishment, when they reflect upon the immutable de-

crees of God, for an everlasting hell was designed in

them for every unrepenting transgressor *. As kings

have their officers of justice, and instruments of ven-

geance ready to terrify profligate subjects into obedi-

ence to the laws, so the Everlasting King has every

instrument of vengeance reserved among his treasures,

to terrify men from sin, or to destroy them if they go

on in their trespasses. Their punishment shall be dis-

graceful to the last degree, for stripes are prepared for

the backs of fools. They shall suffer ignominious

wounds as the basest of criminals, and their reproach

shall never be wiped away.

            Because sinners feel not the strokes of judgment, they

foolishly think that they shall for ever escape. But did

the old world of the ungodly escape, although they

were spared an hundred and twenty years? Christ

himself, the beloved Son of God, when he was bearing

iniquity not his own, was not spared. Justice and

judgment took hold of our blessed Surety, and he gave

his back to the smiters, and his cheeks to them that

plucked off the hair. If God spared not his own Son,

will he spare stubborn transgressors?

            Perhaps you imagine, sinners, that vengeance will

be long delayed, and that your sufferings are reserved

to another world. Perhaps it may, and for ought you

know, it may not be so. But, allowing that you should

enjoy all the prosperity that your hearts can wish till

you die, are you sure that you shall live another year,

or another day? Your life depends absolutely on him

whom you treat as an enemy; and when his much

abused patience is at an end, where, O where are you!

 

*Matt. 25:41

496                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XX.

 

 

                     Proverbs 20

 

            Ver. 1. Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging, and

whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

            WINE and strong drink are creatures of God, which

are very useful to men when they are seasonably and

moderately used, but by abusing them we sin against

the goodness and law of God, and against our own souls

and bodies.

            Wine deceives and mocks those that use it to excess,

and punishes those that abuse it as an instrument of

dishonour to him that gave it to men to cheer their

hearts. It promises refreshment, but it steals away

men's senses, till it makes them the objects of scorn to

the sober. It made the venerable patriarch Noah a

laughing-stock to his own son. It deprives men of

their reason, and gives the government of the mind to

the passions; and then those that were men of good

behaviour in their sober moments, become insolent and

outrageous. When the king of Israel was made drunk

with bottles of wine, he forgot his dignity, and stretch-

ed out his hand with scorners *.

            Wine has been the beginning of many quarrels that

have ended in wounds and blood; for it rouses the

passions, it turns suspicions into certainties in the eye

of the drunkard, and thus inflames resentments into ir-

reconcileable animosities. It gives full range to all the

hidden vices of the soul, and produces new vices of a

dangerous kind. It destroys the power of reason, and

infuses into the soul all the fury of a wild beast.

 

*Hos. 7:5

CHAP. XX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 497

 

            He that suffers himself to be deceived by it is not

wise, for he wastes his memory and understanding, as

well as his money; he wounds his conscience, he en-

slaves himself to a tyrant, and enters upon a course

which, when it becomes habitual, will render him use-

less and miserable upon earth, and exclude him from

the kingdom of heaven. When wine and strong drink

are greedily swallowed down, they swallow the drunk-

ard, and turn him into an unclean beast *.

            Wine had the honour of being used in the service of

God under the law, and is still used in it under the

gospel, and why should we use it in the service of Sa-

tan? It is not allowed by God but with moderation,

to the greatest men on the greatest occasions. Neither

birth days of kings, nor happy meetings of friends, nor

the transacting of the most important businesses, will

justify men in excess of wine †.

            We should remember, that the day of Christ is ap-

proaching, and take care that our hearts be not over-

charged with surfeiting and drunkenness; we must

remember from whom we receive the refreshments of

life, and endeavour to glorify him in the use of them.

We are called to the hope of drinking of the rivers of

God's pleasures, and shall we fill ourselves with wine,

wherein there is excess ‡?

            Ver. 2. The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion;

whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own

soul.

            Solomon had probably seen too much evidence of a

seditious disposition in that people over which he reign-

ed, and therefore warns them again and again of the

sin and danger of provoking kings to anger. Men

have such a degree of self-will and pride, that they can

scarcely be prevailed upon to submit to the necessary

 

*Isaiah 28:7, 8           † Hos. 7:5      ‡ 1 Cor. 10:31, Eph. 5:8, Ps. 36:8

498                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XX.

 

restraints of their liberty. Liberty is a valuable thing,

but licentiousness is the ruin of nations.

            If the fear occasioned by the displeasure of a king is

so intolerable, what must it be to encounter the wrath

of Him whose voice is not only like the roaring of a

lion, but like the sound of many thunders. His voice

shakes the heaven and the earth, and neither men nor

devils shall be able to endure the terrors of it. To in

against Christ is to sin not only against our lives, but

against our immortal souls*.

            Ver. 3. It is an honour for a man to cease from strife,

but every fool will be meddling.

            It is an honour for a man to leave off strife before it

be meddled with, and to overlook these things that

might stir up anger†. But when a man is engaged in

contention, is it an honour for him to give it up? Will

not the world say that we have a bad cause, cr weak

arguments, or a mean spirit, if we have not the last

word?

            No matter what the world says, if the Spirit of God

says other things. It is here declared to be honour-

able for a man to give up a debate for the sake of peace

and quietness. By so doing we testify our humility

and meekness, our obedience to God, and our aversion

to sin. Christ did not strive, nor cry, nor cause his

voice to be heard in the street, and surely it is a man's

honour to imitate, as far as our weakness will allow,

the meekness and gentleness of Christ. It was wise in

Paul to make an acknowledgment of his error in speak.

ing disrespectfully of the high priest, although that par-

tial judge well deserved the sharpest reproof for his

partiality and tyranny; and it would have been wise

in Job's friends to have yielded to the force of his con-

vincing arguments, rather than, by endeavouring to

 

*Rev. 1:10-20           † Chap. 17:14, 19:11

CHAP. XX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 499

 

maintain their errors, to expose themselves to the dis-

pleasure of God, and to the just mortification of being

obliged to have recourse to the intercessions of that

good man whom they had so deeply injured.

            But every fool will be meddling; for a fool is so self.-

conceited, that he can bear no contradiction; so imper-

tinent, that he will have a hand in every other man's

business; so proud, that he cannot bear to be found in

the wrong; and so stubborn, that he will have the last

word, although his lips should prove his destruction.

Amaziah was fairly warned of the danger of meddling

with the king of Israel, but he would not hear reason,

nor cease from strife, till he was brought with his king-

dom to the verge of ruin. Zedekiah, the son of Che-

naanah, entered into contention with the good prophet

Micaiah, and had the insolence to strike that faithful

servant of the Lord, but was soon after compelled to

flee to an inner chamber to hide himself.

            This is one difference between wise men and fools:

The former are for peace, the latter are ordinarily keen

for battle *. This may be illustrated from the differ-,

ence between the behaviour of Nabal and David; Nabal

had a very bad tongue, for as Nabal was his name, so

folly was with him. He gave a very provoking answer

to a very civil message from. David, and thereby expos-

ed himself and his family to ruin; David had human

nature, and his passions were too fierce, but it was his

honour that he was easily pacified, and although he did

not leave off contention, as he should have done, before

it was meddled with, yet he left it off before it came to

a fatal extremity.

            Ver. 4. The sluggard will rot plow by reason of the

cold, therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.

            It is one plain evidence of sloth for a man to be dex-

 

*Ps. 120:7

500                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XX.

 

trous in finding excuses to shift of necessary work. If

a small inconveniency be allowed as an apology for idle-

ness, excuses will never be wanting.

            The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold,

and he will not sow because the ground is not in good

order, and he will not weed his field because of the

heat of summer, and he will not reap in harvest because

he cannot endure to bend his back, and is afraid of an

headache. But is there any other useful business that

can suit him, since husbandry is so disagreeable?  No,

one business would oblige him to a sedentary life, an-

other is attended with too much fatigue, a third is too

mean for a gentleman, a fourth requires a man to rise

early in the morning. He will sleep or lean on his

elbow, or he will divert himself with any kind of sport,

or he will talk till you are tired with him, or he will

play at cards, for although he abhors business, he loves

busy idleness. He will either do nothing, or what

is worse than nothing.

            But he that will not work must beg, and this is sure-

ly a mean employment for a man that is able to work;

but although he can conquer shame sufficiently to be.

take himself to it, his misery is, that nobody will give

him any thing, for why should drones eat the labour

of the bees? Even in harvest, when plenty smiles all

around, and when the hearts of men are enlarged with

joy, and bestow liberal quantities of food upon their

beasts, the wretched sluggard finds that every man's

bowels are shut against him. The industrious and

disabled poor have then a good time, for the law of

God requires the gleanings and leavings of the fields

to be allowed them; but the same law requires that

he who will not work should not eat.

            Spiritual sloth is discovered by this mark, and at-

tended with the like misery. The careless Christian

will not attend the house of God, by reason of the cold

of winter, or the heat of summer; he will not keep up

 

CHAP. XX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 501

 

the worship of God in his family because he is encum-

bered with worldly business; or if shame and love of

character oblige him to perform those services which

the eyes of men behold, there is so much attention of

spirit necessary for the duties of the closet, that he can-

not find in his heart to perform them at all, or to per-

form them to any good purpose. What will become of

such sluggards at the end of the world? Our Lord tells

us, they will beg and have nothing*.

            Ver. 5. Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water,

but a man of understanding will draw it out.

            The heart of man is a great deep, and there are

thoughts and devices in it as much past numbering as

the creeping things and fishes in the sea. God alone

searches the heart, and tries the reins of the children of

men. By one glance of his eye he pierces into the bot-

tom of our souls, and knows our thoughts infinitely

better than we ourselves.

            But although a man cannot go to the bottom of a

deep well, he may draw out some of its water for use

by means of a bucket, and although a man cannot pe-

netrate into the bottom of another man's heart, he may

find out some of his thoughts and contrivances, his

purposes and designs, or form such conjectures about

them as are necessary to regulate his own motions. A

man of understanding, without the gift of prophecy may

know many things that are useful to be known about

the counsels of those that are most desirous to conceal

them. David discovered, and represented before his

God the secret projects of his enemies against him,

when both the inward thought and the heart of every

one of them was deep; and Job saw clearly what his

friends aimed at by all their flaming discourses about

the misery of the wicked, before they named himself

as the object of that vengeance which they described.†

 

*Matt. 25:1-11          †Job 21:27,28

502                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XX.

 

            A man of sagacity has a knowledge of human nature,

which assists him in finding out the contrivances and

designs of particular men. He can avail himself of

their gestures, their general course of behaviour, their

behaviour in particular instances, and on sudden emer-

gencies, their silence, their words, even when they are

disguising their thoughts, their connections and corn.

pany, their interests and humours, to form our judgment

of their thoughts and designs, and by this means he is

often enabled to guard himself and his good name from

the snares of the wicked. Wisdom is profitable, you

see, not only for the life to come, but likewise for the

present life; but hypocrisy and dissimulation profiteth

little. It is often detected by men, it is always known

to God; and the day is coming in which he will make

manifest the secrets of all hearts.

            Ver. 6. Most men will proclaim every one his own

goodness, but a faithful man who can find.

            It is very natural for men to have an high opinion

of themselves, and there are few men who have not a

better opinion of their own worth than any other man

has, but a man of consideration will discern the folly of

self conceit, and will be cautious of publishing his own

imagined virtues to the world.

            There are few who have the good sense to consider

these facts, and therefore it is very common in conver-

sation to hear men proclaiming their own praises either

directly, or by plain insinuations., If they are asham-

ed to talk of their own generosity and charity in an

avowed manner, they catch at the good opinion, and

applause of other men, by a variety of methods, some-

times commending virtue and goodness with a design

of shewing their own love to it, at other times running

down their neighbours, for the want of these virtues,

imagining that the depression of other men will be

their own exaltation. Sometimes they insist upon par-

ticular instances of goodness, which they think, from

 

CHAP. XX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 503

 

some known pieces of their behaviour, will be a mean of

leading persons to think of themselves, and on other

occasions, they will take occasion, from what others in

the company are saying, to hale into the conversation

some of their own good deeds, as if they had been led

to mention them without any previous design.

But a faithful man can rarely be found. A man is

not a proper witness in his own cause, for he is ready

to form, from the influence of self love, too good an opi-

nion of himself. If the love of our wives or children

covers their faults, and magnifies their virtues, self love

must have a still greater influence in bribing our judg-

ments, so that an honest man's testimony of his own

goodness can scarcely be taken. But among boasters,

you will scarcely find a man so honest as not to exceed,

in his own praise, the bounds of what he himself knows

to be fact.

The Scripture declares, that a truly good man is rarely

to be found, and yet if men's own word could be taken,

there is scarcely a bad man to be found. We have

therefore great need to be cautious in forming our judg-

ment of ourselves, lest we deceive our own souls, and

pass a sentence upon ourselves, opposite to that which

our great judge will pass upon us at the last day.

Nor must we be rash in trusting men, and choosing

friends. He is one among a thousand, who possesses

such kindness and integrity, as will entitle him to the

character of a faithful friend.

We learn, in the last place, from this proverb, to let

strangers praise us, rather than our own lips, except

when evident necessity obliges us ; for self praise will

make an hundred to conceive a bad opinion, sooner

than one wise man to entertain a good opinion of us.

Ver. 7. The just man walketh in his integrity, his

children are blessed after him.

The just man lives by the faith of the Son of God,

504                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XX.

 

for, like his father Abraham, he believes in the Redeem-

er, and his faith is counted to him for righteousness;

but although he is pronounced by God a righteous

person, for the sake of a righteousness not wrought by

himself, yet he is not the less earnest in endeavouring

to be holy in all manner of conversation, for he knows

that those men deceive themselves who turn the grace

of God into lasciviousness, and that he who doth right-

teousness is righteous, even as God is righteous.

            The just man is a man of integrity, for he follows

after perfection, although he knows that he cannot

reach it and live, He does not think that a good and

kind behaviour towards men, will compensate for the

neglect of his duty to God, any more than a social be-

haviour will atone for disloyalty to his prince, and

therefore he makes it his daily practice to walk in all

good conscience before God, and to testify the utmost

gratitude to him that loved us and died for us. At the

same time, he feels the force of that saying of Scripture,

which is sufficient to strike an alarm into the most hard-

ened consciences of those that neglect morality whilst

they profess religion, “If a man say I love God, and

hateth his brother, he is a liar *. The integrity of the

just man, is not like the pretended integrity of the mo-

ralist, for it includes piety, justice, sobriety, and a

conscientious regard, to every precept of God, without

excluding those that appear to vain men to be of small

importance, or those that most directly oppose the pre-

vailing disposition of the mind.

            The just man walketh in his integrity, for his right-

eousness is not like the morning cloud, but like the

light of the sun, which shineth more and more unto

the perfect day. God tries him, the devil and the world,

and the flesh, solicit him to sin, but he will not turn

 

*1 John 4:20

CHAP. XX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 505

 

aside into the ways of iniquity, or if he should, he

will not continue to walk in them, but returns with

bitter regret to that good and straight way, which

leadeth unto life, and continues in that path till the end

of his life, for his heart is set upon it, and upon that

heavenly city to which it leads. As for such as turn

aside unto their crooked ways, it is plain from Scripture

that they never really knew the way of life*.

Blessed is the man that fears the Lord. He is bles-

sed in the day of prosperity, and in the day of adversity;

he is blessed in life and death; he is blessed after

death, for he rests in his bed, and enters into peace.

His soul is blessed in heaven, and he leaves blessings

to his children upon earth. If the children of Jehu,

who never took heed to walk in the law of the Lord,

were blessed with outward prosperity, to the fourth

generation, how much more may the truly godly ex-

pect a blessing to their seed? It is said of the wicked

man, that God layeth up iniquity for his children, he

rewardeth him, and he shall know it; and will the God

who delights in mercy, exercise less kindness to his

own people, than severity to the wicked? Far from it†.

Whilst the rich man rejoices that he has much trea-

sure laid up in his house, to be enjoyed by his family

after him, the godly man has much more reason to be-

lieve that God has a treasure of blessings laid up for

his children.

Are you children of the godly? know ye the God

of your fathers, and plead this promise at his throne of

mercy.‡

Ver. 8. A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment

scattereth away all evil with his eyes.

Kings have majesty in their countenances, and when

 

*1 John 2:19  †Exod. 20:5,6            ‡1 Chron. 28:9, 2 Chron. 6:42

 

506                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XX.

 

they preserve their dignity of character, their eyes are

terrible to the breakers of the law. This awe of roy-

alty is impressed by God upon the minds of men, for

the peace and benefit of human society, and kings are

obliged to use that authority with which the Most High

has dignified them as his ministers, for the encourage-

ment of virtue and the suppression of vice. Kings in our

days don't sit on the throne of judgment in their own

persons, but by delegates, but both they and those who

are employed by them as judges, are bound to observe

this rule. Kings are accountable for the choice they

make of persons to be employed under them for the

administration of justice, and those that serve them

must account also to the King of all the earth.

            How tremendous is that Eternal King, whose eyes

are like a flame of fire, and how shall sinners be able to

stand before him, at whose presence the heaven and the

earth flee away, and no place is found for them! How

can men presume that the Judge of all the earth will

suffer sin to go unpunished, when he will not permit

his vicegerents on earth, to leave open wickedness to

go unpunished. But earthly kings can punish only

the outward enormities of men's lives. The universal

Judge brings every work into judgment, with every se-

cret thing. Earthly kings reach only the body, but

the King of heaven can destroy both soul and body in

hell fire.

            Ver. 9. Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I

am pure from my sin?

            It we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,

for we were conceived and shapen in iniquity, and un-

less our hearts are made clean, we must remain for ever

abominable in the sight of the most holy God. The

depravity of the human race is not here expressly as-

serted, but it is taken for granted, as an incontest-

able truth.

CHAP. XX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 507

 

The call of God to sinners is, Wash ye, make you

clean: Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, purify your

hearts, ye double minded. But neither our righteous-

ness nor our strength lies in ourselves. Except Christ

wash us, we have no part in him, and remain under

the reigning power of sin. But even those that are

washed by his blood and spirit, cannot say that they

have made their hearts so clean, that they are entirely

pure from their sin. They are daily employed in cleans-

ing themselves from all pollutions, and yet the leprosy

of sin will cleave to their earthly tabernacles, till they

are pulled down by death.

If sin dwells in the best of us, our dependence must

be on the grace of the Redeemer, by whose blood our

sins are expiated, and by whose powerful agency we

crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts. Purity

of heart ought to be our constant study, for so far as our

hearts are cleansed, we are pure from our sin; and un-

der all the imperfections of our holiness, we have rea-

son to join thanksgiving with our sorrows, for although

no man on earth can lay claim to perfect purity, yet

every believer in Jesus has abundant encouragement

to hope that he shall be presented in due time, without

spot or blemish, before the throne of God.

Ver. 10. Divers weights and divers measures, both of

them are alike abomination to the Lord.

Once hath God spoken, yea twice have we heard this,

that unjust weights are detested by God*; and it is

plain that unfair measures come under the same con-

demnation. But here they are expressly mentioned, so

that no man can pretend to observe the letter of the

law, whilst he transgresses the spirit of it. If a man

keeps one measure or weight for selling, and another

for buying, or if he keeps one for selling to people

 

*Chap. 11:1, 16:11

508                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XX.

 

that have too much skill to be cheated, and another for

selling to the ignorant and unwary, he exposes himself

to the hot anger and severe vengeance of God, who

hates all unrighteousness, especially that which lies in

perverting the means of justice *.

            If the perversion of the instruments of just trade is

detestable to God, how much does he abhor the per-

version of law and justice, and every kind of partiality

in those whom he entrusts with the adminstration of

government, in church or state. Injustice in merchants

is very bad, but unrighteousness in those that bear the

sword for God, or rule in the name of Christ, is a great

deal more dishonourable to God, and offensive to the

eyes of his glory.

            Ver. 11. Even a child is known by his doings, whether

his work be pure and whether it be right.

            Except ye be converted, says our Lord, and become

as little children, ye cannot enter into the kingdom of

God. Sincerity is one of those qualities wherein we

ought to resemble children, for they cannot disguise

their inclinations, but a little attention to their childish

talk and behaviour will enable a person to discover

their present dispositions, and to form a probable con-

jecture concerning their future behaviour.

One thing appears in the behaviour of children with

too much evidence, that they are the descendants of

Adam. The selfishness, vanity, and revengeful spi-

rit, that appears in all of them, are lineaments of the

image of the first transgressor. But there is a very great

difference among them in their temper, which may be

justly considered as an indication of a greater differ-

ence in the manner of their conduct, when they arrive

at manly years. Some are kind and obliging, and easily

managed, others are intractable, sullen, and spiteful;

 

*Micah 6

CHAP. XX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 509

 

and it is the duty of parents to improve and cherish

the good dispositions which they discover, and to

check every appearance of vice, before it is matured

by time into settled habits. Parents generally consider

the genius and inclinations of their children, to direct

them in the choice of a profession, but they ought to

be no less careful to consider their turn of mind in

their earliest years, to direct themselves in their religi-

ous education. Herein several parents discover their

partial fondness for their children, regarding with ap-

plause every appearance of goodness as a happy pre-

sage, but considering every instance of perverse beha-

viour as an instance of childish ignorance, which time

will reform of course; but Solomon tells us, that their

bad, as well as their good behaviour, when they shall

become men, may be conjectured from their childish

doings.

Children of a pleasant disposition may disappoint

the expectations that have been formed of them, but in

that case parents may generally thank themselves for

neglecting to avail themselves of their good dispositions,

to graft on them religious instructions, or for permit-

ting them to fall into the dangerous society of those

that not only live in sin, but, like Jeroboam, make Is-

rael to sin.

When bad dispositions appear in children, it is ne-

cessary for parents to use betimes those means which

God has appointed for reclaiming them. The rod and

reproof give wisdom; and when these, and the like

means, are neglected, or not accompanied with fervent

prayer, parents have great reason to reflect on them-

selves with shame, if their children prove thorns in their

eyes, when their vices have attained the vigour of riper

years, and confirmed custom.

There is an old proverb that says, a young saint

makes an old devil, but Solomon was not the author

of it.

510                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XX.

 

            Ver. 12. The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the

Lord hath made even both of them.

            And did he not make every other part of our bodies,

as well as the eye and the ear ? No doubt, but we ought

not to rest in general truths, when we contemplate the

wonderful works of God. It is highly proper for us,

to survey with attention the particulars of what the

Lord hath done for us, and we shall find abundant ma-

terials for gratitude and praise, in every member of our

body, in every faculty of our soul, and in every event

of our life,

            It is said that the famous physician Galen learned

the absurdity of atheism from the consideration of the

human eye. The structure of it clearly displays the

amazing wisdom of God, and his goodness shines with

no less brightness in the pleasures and advantages de-

rived from the ministry of this admirable organ. The

ear is that sense by which we enjoy the pleasures of so-

ciety and friendship, by which we learn the most inte-

resting and entertaining truths, and by which we re-

ceive the instructions of life.

            It is by the kind agency of our Maker that our eyes

see, and our ears hear, for in him we live and move.

When he pleases to withhold his influence, we see, and

do not perceive, like Hagar at Beer-lahai-roi. We hear

a voice, and know not what it says, like the companions

of Saul in his journey to Damascus.

            To use these instruments of sense as inlets to temp-

tation and sin, is as unnatural as for infants to rend

that breast which gives them suck. How shocking is

it to deserve the reproof that the prophet gave to Bel-

shazzar!  "The God in whose hand thy breath is, and

all thy ways, hast thou not glorified." We are God's

creatures. Our senses are his; our souls are his; all

our enjoyments are from his bounty, and our activity

depends upon his all-governing providence. Whether,

CHAP. XX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 511

 

therefore, we see, or hear, or think on those objects

which we are acquainted with, by means of our bodily

senses, or the exercise of our rational powers, let us

mind above every thing, the glory of God.

Ver. 13. Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty,

open Mine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.

Sleep, must, be taken, but not loved. Sleep, as well

as food, is necessary for refreshing our frail bodies, but

neither food nor sleep must be used for their own sakes,

nor must we be intemperate in either of them. Sleep

taken in a moderate degree, is the nurse of nature, it re-

cruits our animal powers, and prepares us for the la-

bours of life; but excess of sleep enervates the body,

and stupifies our souls, and is loved only by sluggards.

We have received time and talents from God, to be

used according to his direction, and to waste the one,

and bury the other, is a very great sin; and yet by

immoderate sleep, we do both in some degree, for all

the time that we sleep beyond what is needful for us,

our talents are unemployed, and the time of our life is

running on in vain, Long life is universally desired,

and death set at as great a distance as possible, but the

lover of sleep voluntarily gives up a considerable part of

his life, and during all the time that he wastes in needless

sleep, he might as well be in the state of death, for any

thing he does, or enjoys. I remember Dr. Doddridge gives

this reason for his being able to write so many books,

notwithstanding all the weighty employments that were

constantly lying on him, that he found a great differ-

ence between rising at five, and rising at eight in the

morning, the one making several years more in the

course of a life than the other.

Poverty and hunger, in the course of things, accord-

ing to the righteous appointment of providence, are the

ordinary consequences of too much sleep; plenty and sa-

tisfaction, the consequences of early rising. Open thine

512                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XX.

 

eyes, rise and go to work, for he that gets out of bed,

and sits idle at the fire-side, is still sleeping, even when

he is awake. But he that rises to his employment, shall

have bread for himself and his family. It is not said, he

shall have every thing that an unbridled appetite might

crave, but he shall have, by the blessing of God, bread

to eat, and raiment to put on. These things would

have satisfied Jacob, although he was brought up in a

very rich family, and these things will generally satis-

fy a man diligent in his business, for his work makes

both sleep and food pleasant to him.

If persons that love their work, should prove unsuc-

cessful in business, or be disabled from working, they

will meet with pity and relief; whilst starving sluggards,

are hated and despised.

Ver. 14. It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer,

but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.

Solomon was a teacher to men of all ranks, for he

was acquainted with the life and manners of men in

every profession, and writes instructive proverbs for

merchants as well as kings. There is one piece of

fraud censured in this verse, which is very common

with the lower sort of dealers, and is scarcely reckoned

a piece of unrighteousness. It is the art of buyers to

get a good bargain, by depreciating the commodity

which they mean to purchase. The inspired moralist,

that he might come home to men's bosoms, gives us

their very words, "it is naught, it'is naught." What is

the ill of saying this? Why, if it be not true, it must

certainly be a lie, and no lie is of the truth, nor any ly-

ing habit consistent with the character of an honest

man. Men may, if they please, form to themselves rules

of morality from the general practice of the world, but

these are not the rules by which they must be judged

at the last day. If we were heathens, we could not be ex-

cused in using little tricks that come not within the corn-

CHAP. XX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 513

 

pass of the criminal law, but we are Christians, and our

bibles testify against them, and threaten punishment

to those that go beyond and defraud their brother. In-

deed, very little is to be made by such poor artifices

but guilt, for they are so common that almost every

man sees through them.

            The people that use these pitiful tricks in making a

bargain, don't think there is much evil in them, for

they boast of their art and good fortune. But men's

shutting their eyes will not alter the nature of things.

Ephraim became a merchant, the balances of deceit

were in his hand, he loved to oppress, and yet he would

not have it said, that any iniquity was to be found in

him that were sin; there was either no sin in his con-

duct, or if there was any, it was very venial*. Men

bless and applaud themselves in their dexterity to im-

pose upon their neighbours, but what says the spirit

of God about them?  "Woe to them that call evil good,

and good evil." Whilst they boast of the goodness of

the commodities which they formerly called naught,

they denounce this woe against themselves.

            The spirit of this proverb includes in it, a condem-

nation of the like methods that sellers use to get bad

commodities disposed of. When a man commends his

wares above their value, or gives a false account of the

price which they cost him, or of the price that he was

offered for them, or when he uses deceitful means to

conceal their bad properties, he is dealing unrighteous-

ly, and seeking the gain of extortion, by which he is

not so likely to fill his purse as to wound his character,

and bring the curse of God upon his substance.

            Ver. 15. There is gold, and a multitude of rubies, but

the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

It is a great deal easier to spread riches than wisdom

 

*Hos. 12

 

 514                 EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XX.

 

through a nation. In the days of the wisest of kings,

silver was plenteous as the stones, but wisdom was still

a rare commodity*. Yet Solomon never ceased to in-

culcate the superior value of wisdom, but such is the

depravity of man's understanding, that the gifts of for-

tune are generally preferred to those of the mind, and

you will find many that learn the art of being rich, for

one that acquires the lips of knowledge.

The wisest and richest of kings, inspired by the Au-

thor of wisdom and riches, frequently reminds us, that

the lips directed by true knowledge, are a more pre-

cious jewel than any that can be found in the mines of

the east; and a deep impression of this truth would be

of very great advantage to our souls. When a man va-

lues gold and rubies above wisdom, he lies exposed to

a thousand temptations of a very dangerous kind, for

he is like a blind man that knows not whither he goes,

and will leap into a pit, if he imagines that money is at

the bottom of it, because he sees not how deep it is,

and how impossible it will be to get out. But he that

prefers the lips of knowledge to riches, has his eyes in

his head, and steadily observes the ways of religion and

happiness.

Did we really believe this truth we would not grudge

time, and expense, and labour, in obtaining wisdom for

our own benefit and the use of others, and would ac-

count a wise and faithful friend, one of the most pre-

cious treasures. The word of God would be valued as

it deserves, and the world would lose its tempting in-

fluence.

Ver. 16. Take his garment that is surety for a stran-

ger, and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.

We lately heard that the love of sleep will soon re-

duce a man to poverty and hunger. It is not, however,

 

*Eccl. 7:28

 

CHAP. XX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 515

 

the speediest method of becoming poor, for nothing will

so soon ruin a man's estate and credit, as rash surety-

sbip. If you see a man that engages in cautionry for

one that is a stranger to him, and especially for a strange

woman, trust him not if he should swear, and offer you

the surest bonds for payment; he will in a very short

time become a bankrupt, and therefore lend him no-

thing, and if you sell him any thing without ready mo-

ney, be sure to have a sufficient pledge. You may even

take his garment without any breach of charity, for the

law about restoring the garment taken by way of pledge,

was made for the benefit of the poor and unfortunate, and

not for those that are running to ruin by their own wil-

ful folly. If a man, by an excess of generosity, hurts

himself by engaging in suretyship for his friends, he

plays the fool, and yet he may be pitied; but how can

that man expect pity, who squanders away his substance

for the sake of people with whom he has no connexion,

or of bad women, with whom it is infamous to have any

dealings?

            Ver. 17. Bread of deceit is sweet to a man, but af-

terwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.

            There is some kind of pleasure in sin, by which the

devil draws men into his snares, and keeps them entang-

led. There are indeed some sins in which we cannot

discover any pleasure, but those who practise them

appear to love the devil's service so well, that they will

do his work without any wages; such are profane swear-

ers, and the agents for infidelity; but sinners in general

must have some present enjoyment from their sins, to

compensate for the guilt and danger of them.

            A man would not do a piece of injustice without the

prospect of some gain and satisfaction from it, and

when he has gained what he expected, he feels some

pleasure from it, and applauds himself for his wit and

516             EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XX.

 

success; for his present advantage drowns for a time the

thoughts of what shall come to pass hereafter.

But men should always remember, that the time now

present, was some years ago far distant, and yet is now

come, and our feelings of pain and anguish are as live-

ly as ever, and the time to come will one day be pre-

sent, and bring its sensations of happiness and misery

along with it. He is rather a brute than a rational

creature, who would rather be happy for a day, and mi-

serable for the rest of his life, than deny himself the

present pleasures which are sure to bring lasting misery

in their train. Such are the gains of dishonesty; they

are like pleasant bread in the mouth of the covetous

man, but his teeth are afterwards tormented with gra-

vel, and his belly is racked with pains more grievous

than those of the fiercest diseases that ever preyed on

the human constitution. Providence usually crosses and

disappoints unrighteous men, and makes them to vomit

up the riches which they have swallowed down, and

they produce a worm in the conscience, that gnaws

the soul with teeth more poisonous than those of the

viper.

Zophar uses every terrible image to illustrate the

miseries of the unjust man, and yet all are insufficient

to describe the terrors of that vengeance, which the

wrath of God inflicts on those who have the presump-

tion to think, that any advantage can be gained by sin-

ning against God, and wronging their fellow creatures.

Ver. 18. Every purpose is established by counsel, and

with good advice make war.

Wisdom lies, in the first place, in forming right pur-

poses, and secondly, in devising, and executing proper

plans for bringing these good purposes to pass. However

good our designs are, yet rashness and inconsideration

will be sure to render them abortive; and, besides our

own wisdom, it is necessary for us, in all matters of im-

CHAP. XX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 517

 

portance, to take the advice of the wise and upright.

If we have such a high opinion of our own wisdom,

that we think we have no need of counsel from other

men, we prove ourselves fools of the worst kind, for

there is more hope of any other kind of fools, than of

those that are wise in their own conceit. Do we re-

strain wisdom to ourselves? are we wiser than Solo-

mon, who had too much sense to think himself above

the need of a privy council of the wisest men in the

nation*?

            Above all things, war is to be made with good ad-

vice, for the want of which, many nations have been

brought to desolation. It is one of the greatest judg-

ments to a land, when the wise counsellors of it are re-

moved, or infatuated, or when the sovereigns of it are

so unwise as not to make use of their counsels. Re-

hoboam, foolish as he was, had the sense to make use

of his father's instruction in this point, although he had

neglected it a little before, in another affair of no less

consequence. By his neglect of it, he lost ten tribes,

but his observing it afterwards, was the mean of pre-

serving his authority in the other two.

            We have need of good advice in our spiritual warfare,

for our enemies are incomparably superior to us in

strength and skill. We may receive great benefit from

the counsels of some of our fellow soldiers, but the word

and Spirit of God are infinitely the best counsellors in this,

and in every other point. They only shall overcome, who

are strong in the Lord, and use those divine weapons

that God has prepared for our defence, and cry for God's

help against the enemy. These are the counsels given

us by the Spirit of God, and as our success entirely de-

pends upon his help, we must comply with his instruc-

tions.

 

*1 Kings 12

518                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XX.

 

Ver. 19. He that goeth about as a tale-bearer revealeth

secrets, therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with

his lips.

Flatterers are generally tale-bearers. They sooth and

caress a man to fish his secrets out of him, and they tell

the secrets which they have got by these base means,

to the next companion they meet, and perhaps make

very considerable additions to them, for they take the

liberty to add conjectures of their own to what they

have heard. By spreading their stories, they sow the

seeds of contention among neighbours, and their words

are as wounds which go down into the innermost parts

of the belly.

Beware, then, of those flatterers, that cajole you with

good words, and fair speeches. Self love makes us flat-

terers of ourselves, and disposes us to be well pleased

with those that comply with all our humours, assent to

all our opinions, and approve of all our actions. But

those who speak us fair are not our friends, but for the

most part the most dangerous enemies we have. If

we give them our company, we are very likely to hear

stories about ourselves that will vex us; if we tell them

any of our secrets, we may be sure of having them

divulged, and represented to our disadvantage. When

they tell us stories about other people, we may judge

how they will behave to us, for when they were in the

company of these persons, they flattered them as much

as they now flatter us, and by their pretences of friend-

ship, they made a shift to pick up these tales with

which we are now entertained.

It is an excess of self love, that makes the company

of a flatterer tolerable. It is the want of loveto our neigh-

bours that makes us bear with tale bearers, but if we

will not discountenance them for the sake of our neigh-

bours, let us do it for our own, for they will mete out

CHAP. XX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 519

 

the same measure to us, that they have already meted

out to other men *.

            Ver. 20. Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his

lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.

            For a man not to honour his father and his mother, is

a violation of one of the ten commandments in the letter

of it. A curse was pronounced from mount Ebal upon

him that setteth light by his father or his mother The

miserable condition of the Africans, and the negroes

in America, is a monument to this day of God's judge

ments upon a man, who lived 4000 years ago, for

discovering his father's shame. But is it possible

that any man can rise to such a pitch of impiety, as to

curse his father or his mother? It seems it is. But wo

to them who are chargeable with it. Had they lived

under the Mosaic law, they must have died without

mercy†. But if they live in our times, their sin is not

the less, and although they should escape punishment

from men, they shall not escape the vengeance of the

Father and King of the universe.

            When those crimes that deserve death are unpunish.

ed by men, the perpetrators of them are not always so

safe as they expect; God often permits them to fall in-

to other crimes, that bring them to the gallows, as we

may learn from the confessions and last speeches of

many malefactors who have lamented their disobedience

to their parents, as the first step to their ruin, or ac-

knowledged other crimes worthy of death, besides these

for which they suffer. But if those who treat the in-

struments of their being with insult and outrage, should

escape every visible testimony of vengeance in this life,

their lamp shall be extinguished in the blackness of

darkness. The punishment prepared for all impeni-

tent sinners, is described in Scripture by this gloomy

 

*Prov. 13:11              †Lev. 20:9

520                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XX.

 

image; but surely there are regions of thicker darkness

than the rest in hell itself, for those who are guilty of

crimes that would shock the ordinary run of sinners.

Ver. 21. An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the

beginning, but the end thereof shall not be blessed.

We have been often told, that no profit can be made

by the wages of unrighteousness; but experience seems

to contradict this truth, for we have seen or heard of

several that have amassed great treasures by fraud

and extortion.

This does not, however, militate against any thing

which the inspired moralist has said, for he never

meant to deny that treasures may be obtained by wick-

edness. They that will be rich may get riches by

cheating and lying, by fraud and oppression, by grind-

ing the faces of the poor, and by toiling their poor ser-

vants till they groan under their hard bondage. These

and a thousand other ways of getting, and saving un-

justly, may put money in their pockets, but the fact is

that it is of no use to them, when they have got it.

Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, for a very

plain reason, because they are not attended with the

blessing of God, and it is only this blessing that pre-

serves riches and makes them a comfort to men. It is

far better to have nothing, than to have the riches of

kingdoms without the blessing of God, for those that

want it, will find every thing they have a curse.

But you will say, how do they succeed in getting an

estate without the blessing of God? wait a little, and

it will be seen that there is no blessing in what they

have got. If they have been heaping up mountains of

gold, they will be found only mountains of snow,

which the curse of God will soon melt. He shall not

be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither

shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the earth;

what he gets unjustly shall not only be blasted, but it

CHAP. XX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 521

 

shall blast every thing that he had got by fair means.

Ahab lost not only the garden of Naboth, but his life,

and kingdom, and family, by his wickedness.

            Beware of anxiety about wealth, for covetousness

disappoints itself. It leads men to poverty, by pushing

them on to unfair methods of gaining money. Stronger

arguments might be advanced, and will be found in

this book, against this sin, but this argument will have

a deeper impression upon the minds of some persons,

than any other. It is addressed to the only ear by

which the covetous man can hear, for he is deaf to

every thing but what concerns the mammon of un-

righteousness. If he believes any thing that God says,

he must see that he is taking a very foolish course,

when he endeavours to enrich himself by those very

means that are declared in Scripture to be the surest

methods of bringing poverty and ruin.

            Ver. 22. Say not thou, I will recompense evil, but wait

on the Lord, and he shall save thee.

            If private revenge were allowed, it would soon fill

the land with confusion and blood; for whilst men's

passions are kindled by the smart of a fresh injury,

they cloud the judgment, and hurry on those who are

under their power, to the most dangerous irregulari-

ties. By indulging them, we would be driven on to

make very disproportionable returns for the wrongs

done to us; we might wreck our vengeance on the

blameless, as David would have done, if Abigail had

not disarmed his fury; we might bring upon ourselves

the guilt of the bloodiest crimes, and make ourselves

miserable through all the remainder of our days. Most

wisely, therefore, and graciously we are forbidden to

avenge ourselves, or so much as to say that we will do

it. It is a bad thing to have any thought of revenge,

but if we say, or swear, that we will take satisfaction

at our own hand from him that has offended us, we are

522                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XX.

 

entangled in a dangerous snare by the devil, who will

endeavour to persuade us that our honour is doubly

engaged by the provocation received, and by our

word to take revenge.

To say that we will recompense evil, is the same

thing with saying, that we will step into the throne of

God, and wrest his thunderbolts out of his hand, to

hurl them against all that we judge to be our enemies;

for vengeance is mine, saith the Lord, and I will re-

pay it.

But our corrupt hearts are dexterous in mustering

up objections against our duty, and the inspired writ-

ers are equally dexterous in answering them. If I suf-

fer the wrongs done to my credit and estate to pass

unrevenged, says one, I expose myself to every shaft

of malice, and may expect still greater injuries than

those I have already received. There is no fear of

that, says Solomon, wait on the Lord, and he shall

save thee. Art thou defrauded in thy interests? Wait

on the Lord who gives and takes away at his pleasure,

and he will make up, if he sees it good for thee, all

thy loss. Amaziah, king of Judah, was none of the

best of men, arid yet at the persuasion of a prophet of

the Lord, he could part with an army that cost him an

hundred talents, because the Lord could easily give

him much more than that. Art thou wronged in thy

credit? Trust in the Lord, and he shall bring forth

thy righteousness to the light, as you find he did in

the cases of Job, and David, and Mephibosheth. What-

ever injury you have felt, or fear, commit thyself to

God with a calm and forgiving spirit, and he will either

prevent your fears, or make a rich amends for the ma-

lice of your enemies; only you must give him his own

time for doing it, for he that believeth does not make

haste, but waits God's leisure, as it well becomes us to

do when it is God whom we trust.

CHAP. XX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 523

 

We must not wait on the Lord for destruction to our

enemies. David was blessed with divine inspiration,

and had directions for praying against some of his

spiteful enemies, but herein we are not to consider him

as a pattern for us. We have the noble example of our

Lord Jesus Christ, who rendered not railing for rail-

ing, but prayed for his persecutors, leaving us an ex-

ample that we should follow his steps. Wait on the

Lord, and whatever way he deals with thine enemies,

he shall save thee, and that is all thou canst reasonably

desire.

Will you will insist that it is better to secure your-

self against new injuries, by revenging the old? The

question is clearly this: Is your safety and protection

best lodged in God's hand or your own? By indul-

ging your revengeful spirit, you do yourself a greater

hurt than your greatest enemy can do you, for you

gratify his ill-nature, when you suffer it to make a deep

impression OM your spirit, without which it could do

you little or no hurt; but by committing your cause to

God, you turn his ill will to your great advantage,

making it an occasion for the exercise of the noblest

graces, which are attended with the sweetest fruits,

and with the rich blessing of God.

Ver. 23. Divers weights are an abomination to the

Lord, and a false balance is not good.

Injustice is a poisonous weed, that springs up very

plenteously in the heart of men, and it needs great

pains to pluck it up, and the inspired writer does not

grudge his pains for this purpose. When he might

have been dazzling us with new discoveries of surpris-

ing truths in every sentence, he repeats the same warn-

ings over and over, to reclaim men from every instance

of dishonesty. How inexcusable will the unjust trader

be, if he continues unreformed, after all that the Spirit

524                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XX.

 

of God has inculcated so frequently for his conviction

and amendment*.

Ver. 21. Man's goings are of the Lord, how can a

man then understand his own way?

The steps of all men are ordered by the Lord. Bad

men are under the dominion of his providence, as well

as good men who rejoice in his sovereignty, and he has

a righteous hand in the most unrighteous actions of

men. They sit deliberating and contriving, but they

are under the eye of God, who laughs at their impious

imaginations, and without suspending the freedom of

their wills, determines them to concur in the execution

of his holy and immutable purposes. They know not,

when they are consulting, how they will determine;

and when they have determined, whether they shall be

steady in their purpose; and when they are fixed in

their minds, whether they shall be able to perform

what they intend; and if they perform it, whether it

shall answer their intention, or some purpose entirely

opposite to what they designed. But known unto God

are all the thoughts that come or shall come into the

minds of men, and how far their measures shall pros-

per, and what shall be the event and consequences of

them. All the affairs of particular persons, and all the

weighty businesses of states and kingdoms are in his

hand like the potter's clay, to be moulded into any

shape he pleases. And he will manage every thing

wisely for his own glory, justly towards men, and gra-

ciously towards his own people.

Go to now, ye that say we will do this or the other

thing, without any impression of God's sovereignty, or

dependence on his providence. It is presumption in you

to dream that your motions are under your own sove-

reign direction. Are you sure that you will be in the

 

*Verse 10

CHAP. XX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 525

 

same mind an hour hence, that you are in at present?

Alexander the Great went to Jerusalem with an inten-

tion to wreak the fury of his revenge upon the people

of God, and when he arrived, he shewed them greater

favour than he ever did to another conquered nation.

But if your resolutions should continue the same, do

you live and move in yourselves, that you can be sure

of the continuance of your life, and ability for doing

what you propose? The kings and princes of the

world sought to destroy our holy religion in its infancy,

but the emperors who ruled the world were driven

from their thrones, or chased out of the world, and of

the kingdom of our Redeemer there shall be no end;

for he that sits in heaven, saw from his dwelling place

all their foolish contrivances, and baffled all their efforts,

and said, "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill

of Zion." If you should be able to accomplish your de-

signs, are you sure that they will have the effects you

propose. The rulers of the Jews crucified Christ to

gratify their spite, and to secure their place and nation

from the Romans, but Christ conquered every enemy

by his cross, and the Almighty executed the most tre-

mendous vengeance by the hands of the Romans on the

murderers of his beloved Son.

A conviction of this truth would make us to acknow-

ledge the Lord in all our ways, and to endeavour to

walk before him unto all pleasing. It would raise us

above those strong temptations which have all their

force from the fear of men's displeasure, or the hope of

their favour. It would make the believer in Christ

cheerful under every cross, whilst he could say, my

heavenly Father rules all, and mine enemies can do

nothing without his providence. It would raise us

above all earthly confidences, being persuaded that the

kindest and most powerful friends can do nothing for

us, but as God pleases to incline and enable them. This

526                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XX.

 

truth has also a mighty influence to destroy our con-

fidence in our own strength and wisdom. The children

of Israel made great promises to God at mount Sinai,

but they soon broke them, for the Lord had not given

them eyes to see, nor ears to hear, nor hearts to under-

stand. Peter was very sincere in promising to cleave

to Christ, although all men should forsake him, but by

his self-confidence, provoked God to withhold the suc-

cours of his grace, and was left to behave, not like a

rock, but like the slender twig which bends before the

gentlest blast.

Ver, 25. It is a snare to the man who devoureth that

which is holy, and after vows to make inquiry.

Stealing and robbery are crimes so detestable and

pernicious to men, that they are every where severely

punished. But God is greater than men, and to rob

God is a greater and more dangerous crime than those

by which our fellow men are wronged in their sub-

stance. But will a man rob God? Can any man be so

bold as to try it, or so mighty as to accomplish it?

Malachi complains that this crime was very common

in his time, and there are too many instances of it, even

in these latter days. He that gives to the poor lends un-

to the Lord, and that which is appropriated to the ser-

vice of the Gospel and the support of the ministry, be-

longs unto God, and should be given to his servants

as the receivers of his revenues, and therefore, when

the poor are cheated of their dues, or those that labour

in the gospel are deprived of their hire, or any thing

alienated that was justly devoted to the service of God,

a robbery is attempted, and, in some sense, executed,

upon God himself, who cannot be pleased with so base

and ungrateful conduct towards him, from whom we re-

ceive every thing that we possess.

 

*Deut. 29

CHAP. XX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 527

 

The man who applies to his own use, and devours

that which is holy, is greatly mistaken if he thinks

himself a gainer. He is just in the same degree a

gainer by his dishonest conduct, as the silly bird, when

it snatches at the bait which the fowler has placed for

it to draw it into his snare. The people of Judah in

Haggai's time, were crossed and disappointed in all

the labours of their hands, because they bestowed their

money upon building houses to themselves, rather than

in building the temple of the Lord; and in Malachi's

time, the whole nation was cursed with a curse for rob-

bing God in tithes and in offerings.

It is no less a snare for a man, after vows, to make

inquiry, in order to evade the obligation of his solemn

engagements. Some men are much more forward in

making, than in paying vows. Their religion lies in

transient flows of affection, not in solid piety. When

their affections are roused by some remarkable provi-

dence, or allured by some pleasant; or roused by some

alarming sermon, they are ready with their promises-

to the Most High, like Israel in the wilderness, but when

their affections return to their usual temper, they env-

deavour to find out some shift, to free their consciences

from their obligations, which they voluntarily took up.

on themselves. Their conduct draws them into the

snares of the devil, who will suggest an hundred pre-

tences to excuse the breach of them. We must there-

fore be leisurely and considerate in making vows, and

speedy in performing them.

If we are Christians, we have engaged ourselves to

be the Lord's. Justice and truth and gratitude rev

quire us to pay our vows, and every transgression

against Christ, derives the great aggravation of treach-

cry from our sacred promises. If our promises to men

must be kept inviolate, bow much more our promise

to Goa. If it is sinful to make inquiry after vows.

528                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XX.

 

who can express the guilt that arises out of downright

violations of them!

Ver. 26. A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bring-

eth the wheel over then.

Such a king was David* and his son Solomon, and

above all others the king that sits upon the throne of

David for ever, who breaks in pieces the wicked

like a potter's vessel.

The wicked in the nation are like the chaff among

the wheat, and in those ancient times, the husbandman

used to bring the wheel over the grain to separate from

it the chaff. In like manner, the king who does not

loll in his palace to indulge his pride and leisure, but

sits upon the throne of judgment, will treat the wick-

e-d of the nation, breaking and dispersing them, that

they may not prove a nuisance to society, an infectious

plague to the country, and provocations of the wrath

of God, against the whole nation.

Kings have but a limited power for this purpose, and

must confine their punishments within the bounds of

law. But the king of Zion, will thoroughly purge his

floor by the fan in his hand, and will scatter all the im-

penitent sinners in his dominions, like the chaff before

the wind.†

Ver. 27. The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord,

searching all the inward parts of the belly.

The Father of our spirits, has bestowed on us a glori-

ous distinction from the fowls of the air, and the beasts

of the field. Our bodies were framed by his powerful

agency, but our spirits were created by him within

us‡. In our animal bodies we have some resemblance

of the brutes, but our intellectual faculty raises us to

some degrees of likeness to the angels of God, for

 

*Ps. 101:1     †Matt. 3:11    ‡Zech. 12:1

CHAP. XX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 529

 

they are candles lighted within us, by him that breathed

into man's nostrils the breath of life, and made him a

living soul.

By the light of reason, especially when it is bright-

ened by divine revelation, we are enabled to survey

many of the wonderful works of God, and to discern

the evidences of his eternal power and Godhead. By

this candle we can take a view of the wonderful struc-

ture of our own bodies, which are fearfully and won-

derfully made. But the most necessary kind of know-

ledge which it gives us, next to the knowledge of God,

is that of our own spirits. Deep as the hearts of men

are, yet this candle of the Lord searches all the in-

ward parts of the belly.

A king that was perfectly acquainted with the con-

stitution, laws, and history of every country but his

own, would be only an intelligent fool; and the man is

equally void of true judgment, who is thoroughly vers-

ed in every art and science, in all histories, and every

branch of commerce and law, and yet is unacquainted

with his own heart, where his main business lies. Hea-

thens themselves were so deeply impressed with the

importance of self knowledge, that it was a general opi-

nion among some wise nations that the celebrated max-

im "Know thyself" came down from heaven.

Reason rightly employed, will make us acquainted

with the excellent nature and uses of our faculties, with

our personal dispositions and talents, with our defects

and constitutional faults, with our prejudices, and the

temptations by which we are most ready to be over-

come, with our state and frame in relation to God. The

mention of these different branches of self knowledge,

is enough to show the value and necessity of it. We

are commanded to keep our own hearts with all dili-

gence, and how can we keep them without some know-

ledge of their most important concerns?

530                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XX.

 

But we do not know ourselves unto perfection; and

therefore we ought to search deeper and deeper into our

own hearts, to keep an eye upon the movements of our

own minds, and the frame of our hearts under prospe-

rous and adverse providences, and under injuries from

men, or whilst we are employed in the performance of

our duty to God, that we may improve in self-acquaint-

ance. Above all, we ought to compare our hearts with

the word of God, and to pray earnestly that God may

discover us to ourselves, and preserve us from those

self flatteries by which multitudes are deceived into

eternal ruin. It is God alone that searches and knows

infallibly the heart of man, and without the help of his

Spirit, the candle within us will mislead us like wild

fire, till we fall into the ditch of perdition.

Ver. 28. Mercy and truth preserve the king, and his

throne is upholden by mercy.

A king must scatter and crush the wicked, but he

will prove a tyrant unless he temper his severity with

clemency and goodness. Severity to criminals is exer-

cised by a wise king, from a principle of mercy to the

community at large, and he will spare where he can

spare without betraying his trust. Such behaviour

secures the affections of his subjects; and is attended

with the blessing of providence, by which thrones are

established. But unmerciful severity has often over-

turned the mighty from their seat. The Emperor Au-

relian was called an excellent physician to the state, ex-

cept in taking too much blood. His rigour drew upon

him the hatred and fear of some of his own servants,

who deprived him of his life after he had performed

many signal services to the empire.

Truth must be joined with mercy in the administra-

tion of a good prince. Dissimulation may serve a sin-

gle turn, but faithfulness and uprightness, in conjunc-

tion with clemency, are the sure and lasting pillars of

CHAP. XX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 531

 

the throne. If truth were banished from all the world

beside, said Lewis IX. of France, it should be found in

the breasts of kings.

How glorious is the Prince of the kings of the earth!

Mercy and truth go before his face, his throne is a

throne of grace, and faithfulness is the girdle of his

reins.

Ver. 29. The glory of young men is their strength, and

the beantyof old men is the grey head.

Equality of age and dispositions naturally produces

affection and friendship, but difference of age and ta-

lents tends too much to produce mutual alienation. To

remedy this, the wise man puts the old and the young

in mind that each of them have their different endow-

ments, which should endear them to one another.

Old men should not despise the young for their want

of experience and gravity, for God has honoured them

with vigour of body, which qualifies them for active

service to God and their generation. How could old

men defend their lives and properties, or how could

they subsist, if they were not assisted by the strength

of the young?

Far less should the young despise the old for their

infirmities, or for that fretfulness of temper which old

age too often produces. For God hath favoured them

with length of days, and crowned them with grey hairs,

the badge of their experience, and, it is to be hoped, of

their wisdom. If the hoary head is the beauty of old

men, it should draw respect from the young, who are

commanded by God to rise up before the hoary head,

and to honour the face of the old man.

It was a saying of Lewis XI. of France, when he was

old, that if he had possessed in his youth that wisdom

he had now acquired, or if he were still in possession

of the vigour of youth, he could conquer all the world.

It was better, it seems, for mankind that he did not pos-

532                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XX.

 

sess both these qualities at once. God is wise and good

in distributing his gifts amongst men of all ranks and

ages, that none, by having every good quality, might be-

come an idol to himself and others, and none, by want-

ing every thing valuable, might become an object of

contempt.

Let young men beware of debasing their glory, by

abusing their strength to the service of sin. Let old

men endeavour to make their grey hairs venerable by

wisdom and piety, by cheerfulness, and the command

of their temper. Finally, let old men remember that

they were once young, and young men remember that

they would be glad to be one day old.

Ver. 30. The blueness of a wound cleansetli away evil,

so do stripes the inward parts of the belly.

We are naturally very averse to chastisement and

pain, and Solomon often represents a due regard to

chastisement as a sign of wisdom, and here he tells us

the great advantage of it to overcome our aversion. Cor-

rection and affliction for the present, seem to be not joy-

ous, but grievous; but there is a far worse evil from

which they are a means of reclaiming us. Sin is infi-

nitely worse than affliction, and affliction is really turn-

ed into a blessing to those that rightly improve it, fir

those wounds that leave a blue mark behind them

cleanse away evil, and stripes are instrumental, not on-

ly in reforming the life but in cleansing the heart.

Parents ought not, therefore, to spare the rod through

foolish pity; at the same time they ought to join in-

struction and prayer with it, for still it must be remem-

bered that the blessing of God alone can make it useful

for cleansing the inward parts of the belly. Children

ought to welcome the rod of chastisement, as a neces-

sary means for their spiritual advantage.

The chastisements inflicted by magistrates upon ma-

lefactors that deserve not death, may have the same

CHAP. XX]          BOOK OF PROVERBS                 533

 

happy effect, a:ad therefore mercy ought to mingle itself

with the punishments inflicted upon them. According

to the law, when a man deserved stripes he was not to re-

ceive more than forty, and the reason given was, "lest thy

brother should seem vile unto thee." He was to be con-

sidered as a brother that might be reclaimed, and was

not to be treated contemptuously, lest, by despair of re-

covering his character, he should be hardened in sin.

The like tenderness is to be used in the administration

of church discipline, that offending brethren may be

gained.

Corrections from God are gracious and merciful, even

when they are most severe, for his design in them is to

make us partakers of his holiness, and to purge away

sin. They are a tried medicine which God has often

blessed for curing that vanity and earthliness of mind,

that lukewarmness in prayer, that pride and thought-

lessness about eternal things, which are so common and

dangerous distempers among men. Many that once

groaned and cried out bitterly because of their afflic-

tions, are now praising God for them among the choirs

of angels, and many have seen great cause to be thank-

ful on their account, before they left the valley of tears.

Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, said the much

afflicted king when he reviewed the providences of God

towards him*.

 

*Ps. 119:65, 71

534                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XXI.

 

 

Proverbs 21

 

Verse 1. The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord,

as the rivers of water : he turneth it whithersoever he will.

It is men's ordinary way to court the favour of

princes and great men, as if their happiness depended

on the smiles of kings, whilst they make little scruple

of forfeiting the favour of God, by bending their con-

sciences into a compliance with the humours of those

for whom they entertain such undue respect. The like

compliances are too often made, to avoid the displeasure

of those that have power to hurt or kill the body.

Solomon directs us not to forfeit the favour of princes,

or incur their displeasure, by any needless or wanton

instances of disrespect. At the same time, he instructs

us in the first, place, to seek the favour of God, which

is infinitely more necessary for us, than the friendship

of the greatest men, and to avoid every thing that may

displease him, if we should offend the mightiest tyrant

in the world; for the favour of God is all in all to us,

and his wrath is tremendous beyond all conception,

whilst kings are entirely dependent on the King of kings,

and have their hearts governed by him, in such a power-

ful, though invisible manner, that they must, whether

they design it or not, execute his unchangeable counsels,

The currents of water may be directed into any

channel that is cut out for them by the hands of men;

even the mighty river Euphrates had its course chang-

ed by Cyrus, at the siege of Babylon. The waters still

retained their nature and properties, and yet the power

of that great prince managed their natural tendency

to descend, in such a manner as to gain his purpose,

and to take that great city, whereof they were reckoned

CHAP. XXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 535

 

the sure defence. The like influence has God upon the

hearts of kings. He destroys not their natural facul-

ties, nor takes from them the freedom of their wills;

and, what is still more wonderful, he leaves them for the

most part under the power of those natural corruptions

which dispose them to exalt themselves above God, and

to oppose his will. Yet still he makes them the instru-

ments of his pleasure, and the ministers of his provi-

dence. Nebuchadnezzar thought himself almost a god*,

and laid waste the Lord's land, and burnt his temple,

and yet God calls him his servant, and used him to ac-

complish his work upon his people, as really as that

noble king of Persia, whom he called his shepherd and

anointed, and employed in doing his pleasure upon Ba-

bylon, and delivering his captives.

Those that walk before God unto all pleasing, may

behold the stern countenances of tyrants without trem.

bling, for God can easily turn their hearts to favour

those whom they hated. The history of the three

heroes in Babylon is a noble encouragement to all that

are called to the like encounter for conscience sake.

The fury of the king was raised to madness, his coun-

tenance was like a flame, and his fiery furnace burnt

with a fierce rage; but all on a sudden the king com-

manded them out of the furnace, and he almost adored

those whom, a few moments before, he could have torn

like a wild beast with his own teeth.

It is certain that God has often suffered kings to

wade in the blood of his people. This is a strange pro-

vidence, but we can understand the consistency of it,

with the truth delivered in the text; Daniel and John

account for it to our satisfaction†.

If the heart of kings is in the hand of the Lord, why

does he suffer them to use their power so frequently in

 

*Isa. 14           †Dan. 11:33-35, Rev. 6:9-17

536                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XXI.

 

opposition to the interests of his kingdom? This is a

piece of the mystery of providence, which will be clear-

ed up in due time, but appears dark to us at present.

Meanwhile, we must believe that God is righteous and

holy in all that he does, and suffers men to do; he has

brought a rich revenue of praise to himself, out of the

dark administrations of providence in former ages, and

will in the end pour such light upon his ways, that he

shall appear in all things to be wonderful in counsel,

and excellent in working*.

Ver. 2. Every way of man is right in his own eyes,

but the Lord pondereth the hearts.

This is the same useful instruction which the wise

man already gave us†, and no admonition is more ne-

cessary to be inculcated than this: that men are too

often flatterers of themselves, and ought to remember

that they have a judge who will not be mocked nor im-

posed on, but searches the spirits, to give to every man

according to his ways, and the inward disposition of his

spirit. The inspired writers of both testaments insist

greatly on this point, and our Lord in his sermons fre-

quently warned men against the dangerous influence

of self-deceit.‡

Ver. 3. To do justice and judgment is more accept-

able to the Lord than sacrifice.

It was a very common fault among the people of the

Jews, to lay too great a stress upon the performance of

sacrifice, as if that could atone for their sins, and give

them a title to transgress the moral law; and the wise

man warns them against that piece of self deceit, in

this verse. Solomon was far from undervaluing sacri-

fice as an institution of God, and a means of faith. No

man ever offered a greater number of beasts to God, or

 

*Rom. 11:33, Rev. 10:7, 19:1,2      †Chap. 16:2   ‡Deut. 5:28,

Ps. 36:2, Isa. 1:11, Jer. 2:35, Matt. 3:9, Ga1,6:7, Matt. 7:22, 13:25

CHAP. XXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 537

 

did so much to encourage men in the observation of the

ceremonial law, unless we may except the lawgiver

himself; and perhaps the glory of the temple which he

built, and the splendour of the temple service, might

dazzle the eyes of men in his days, and occasion them

to entertain too high an esteem of the ordinances that

belonged to it. If any man had reason to say, the tem-

ple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, Solomon had

much more, but he learned otherwise from the Spirit

who instructed him.

Sacrifices were appointed by God, they typified Christ,

they were acceptable to God, as expressions of faith and

obedience; but they were detestable to him when they

were valued on their own account, as if they had been

instituted for their own sake, or to give men opportu-

nity of pleasing God so much, as to procure an allowance

for the neglect of more important service. Sacrifices were

appointed for a single nation; judgment and justice

are required from every nation, and from every man

under heaven. Sacrifices were required by a positive

law, that depended on the pure will, not on the nature

of God, and the observation of them was dispensed with

on many occasions; but the love of justice is founded

in the nature of God, obliges all men at all times, and

can never be dispensed with. The law of sacrifices is

long ago abolished, but the law of righteousness is an

eternal statute. Sacrifices had no goodness in their

own nature; and when men rested on them, they were

abominable to God. Judgment and justice are a part of

the image of God in man, and have an everlasting ex-

cellency in their nature. Sacrifices typified Christ, and

were set aside in consequence of his great oblation; but

is the law of justice abolished by the faith of Christ?

nay, it is established, and shall continue when heaven

and earth are no more.

If we would shew ourselves to be Abraham's seed,

538                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XXI.

 

we must keep the way of the Lord, to do judgment

and justice. It is a gross hypocrisy, it is a grievous dis-

honour to Christianity, and a ruin to the souls of men,

to pretend religion, and observe the forms of divine

service, and yet live in the neglect of those duties which

we owe to our fellow men*.

Ver. 4. An high look, and a proud heart, and the

plowing of the wicked, is sin.

The state of wicked men is miserable beyond expres-

sion, for they are every day and every hour adding to

those treasures of guilt which are already more than suf-

ficient to sink them into the bottomless pit. They are

unclean before God in all the labours of their hand, and

those works which are accepted at the hands of others,

as instances of obedience to God, are reckoned to the

wicked in the number of their sins.

That an high look is abominable to God, is no sur-

prise to us, for it is abominable even to men, and must

be infinitely more abhorred by God. We do not won-

der to hear that the pride of the heart is hateful to him,

for he is the Searcher of hearts, and is jealous of his

own honour, and cannot bear that men should exalt

themselves into a rivalship with him; but how the plow-

ing of the wicked should be sin is not so plain, because

they are commanded to plow, and severely reproved

for the neglect of that work by which they ought to

support themselves and their families. If they are

plowing when they should be praying, or on Sabbath

days, every man will see that they are sinning; but how

can their ordinary plowing be sin, when we are told

that plowing is a duty?

Whether we eat or drink, or whatsoever we do, we are

required to do all to the glory of God. But the wick-

ed man neither eats nor drinks, nor plows, nor sows, to

 

*Isa. 1:11

 

CHAP. XXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 539

 

the glory of God, and therefore he lives in a course of

sin, even when he is employed in those actions that are

most innocent or necessary. His soul is infected deep-

ly with the venom of sin, which spreads itself over all

his conversation; for to the unbelieving and impure

there is nothing clean. They are corrupt trees, and no

fruit that grows upon them can be good. Their hands

are defiled with sin, and their fingers with iniquity, and,

therefore, every thing they touch must be defiled by

their impurity*.

What then must the wicked do? Must they let alone

all work lest they should sin in doing it? By no means.

Idleness would bring upon them far more guilt than

the labour of their callings, for that is sinful in itself;

whereas plowing is sinful only by means of their own

impurity communicated to it. Their business is to

get free of that plague of sin that spreads infection to

every thing they meddle with. Let them have recourse,

like the leper, to Christ, that he may make them clean,

and then being pure, every thing will become pure to

them.

Some render these words thus: "The lamp or pros-

perity of the wicked is sin." Their prosperity is turned

into a snare, and an occasion of sin to them by their

wicked dispositions, which use it as an incentive to pride

and impiety. Because their candle shines with bright.

ness, they think it will never be put out, and think they

stand in no need of the Sun of Righteousness to

nate their souls. Wickedness is a most unhappy thing,

for it perverts the objects that are most desirable in

themselves to means of sin and ruin.

Ver. 5. The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plen-

teousness, but of every one that is hasty only to want.

Is not the hasty man a diligent man? He is often bu-

 

*Hag. 2:24, Tit. 1:15

540                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XXI.

 

sier than those who think before they act; and one

would think that he must carry the prize of industry.

Yet Solomon will not allow him a share of the praise

that he bestows upon the diligent, because his activity

is not under proper direction, and therefore cannot

serve any good purpose. True diligence lies between

laziness and too much speed, and is directed to its end

by prudence and consideration. We must remember

that we are rational creatures, and act as such both in

our religious and civil affairs, and not suffer ourselves

to be hurried hither and thither, by the impulse of hu-

mour and passion, or to be pushed on in any enterprise,

however commendable, without thinking of the means

proper for obtaining success.

Saul was in too great haste to make an end of the

Philistines, and, therefore, he laid the people that were

fighting with him under a curse, if they should eat any

meat till the sun went down, by which step the victory

was hindered from being complete. In common life,

we see multitudes of persons that make too much haste

to be rich, and so make themselves poor, by plunging

into a multiplicity of business, and bringing confusion

and embarrassment into their affairs. A man, by running

himself out of breath, weakens his strength, and is later

in arriving at the end of his journey, than another man,

who walks at leisure, and puts himself under no neces-

sity of stopping; and a man that minds his business, and

carries it on with a prudent activity, is in a fair way of

being rich, when another man, that drives on post haste

to get an estate, becomes a bankrupt.

Although lukewarmness in religion is a very detest-

able disposition, yet rashness is no less dangerous. No

business of life requires so much thought and prudence.

Many, under the impulse of a rash zeal, have run brisk-

ly, and soon stopped and turned aside; and young con-

verts, when their passions were more deeply tinctured

CHAP. XXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 541

 

with religion than their judgments, have too often hurt

their own comfort, and the cause of religion itself, by

their indiscreet forwardness in displaying their attach-

ment to it. Christ would not have any person to em-

brace his cause without considering the cost of it*.

Ver. 6. The getting of treasures by a lying tongue, is

a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death.

A lying tongue is an abomination to the Lord, and

yet some will venture upon his displeasure, if they can

make any profit by it; and it must be confessed that

some present gain may be made by lying†, but then it

answers no good purpose. Who would part with his sin-

cerity, and the pleasure of a good conscience, for a little

smoke, or for a handful of chaff and all the treasures

that can be made by a lying tongue, however great, are

no better. They are vanities and lies that deceive the

possessor, making him to believe that he is rich when

he is miserably poor. They are a vanity tossed to and

fro, like chaff or smoke in the wind, which will soon be

out of sight; for riches gotten by vanity are soon con-

sumed into nothing.‡

But this is not the worst of the matter; for the per-

sons that use such methods of obtaining riches seek

death. Although they abhor the thoughts of death,

yet in the judgment of God they love and seek it, for

they take a sure method of bringing eternal death upon

themselves, if riot a miserable death in this world. Whilst

others are walking towards the region of destruction,

they are running to it post haste. They make haste to

be rich, but greater haste to be damned, for neither their

dishonesty nor their lies, will suffer them to be admitted

into the kingdom of God.

Ver. 7. The robbery of the wicked shall destroy

them; because they refuse to do judgment.

 

*Luke 14:25-33        †Chap. 12:19    ‡Chap. 13:11

542                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XXI.

 

It is impossible that the unrighteous should escape

punishment, for they bring it upon themselves by the

work of their own hands. Although there should be

no magistrates to pass sentence upon them, or execu-

tioners to execute the sentence, yet their own robbery

should destroy them. Their sin is the seed of misery,

and it cannot fail of producing its proper fruit. They

have none but themselves to blame for the vengeance to

be poured out upon them. Their punishment cometh

forth from the Lord of hosts, but the cause is in them-

selves.

Is their sin then unpardonable?  No. The blood of

Jesus can cleanse from all sin. Zaccheus the publican

was probably an extortioner, but salvation came to his

house. His sin was pardoned, and he was made to ab-

hor it as much as ever he had loved it; and if he had

taken any thing from any man by iniquitous means, he

resolved to restore fourfold; but this was a rare miracle

of grace. When men have entered upon a course of

injustice, they are seldom brought to repentance, for

they are entangled in the snare of the devil, in such a

manner that they seldom get out. Repentance brings

with it restitution of what is gained by unrighteousness;

and when men restore, they are obliged to confess to

their shame, their former acts of unrighteousness, and

sometimes to impoverish themselves and their families.

These are terrible inconveniencies, to which men, in

general, will not submit; but the very thought of them

is often sufficient to stifle all motions of their spirits to-

wards any thing that is good. They will rather run

the risk of God's wrath, than think of exposing them-

selves to disgrace and poverty in this world. Thus

they go on in sin, and violently suppress the remon-

strances of conscience whilst they live; and when they

die, they envy those grosser offenders who were con-

demned to the gallows, because the shame and punish-

CHAP. XXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 543

 

ment to which they were doomed, were effectual means

of removing those peculiar obstacles which hinder the

reformation of the unjust.

Beware of entering into this snare of the devil, if

your hands are yet untainted by the pollution of filthy

lucre, for there are mighty impediments to repentance

for this sin. If you are entangled in these snares, re-

member that shame and poverty at present, are but

painted misery in comparison of hell fire. Fly to the

blood of atonement, which purged away the sins of the

great transgressors at Corinth*. Repent, restore, shake

your hands free of unrighteous gains; for whilst you

hold them fast, you are exposed to the destruction

threatened in the word of God, because your hands re-

fuse to do judgment.

Ver. 8. The way of man is froward and strange : but

as for the pure his work is right.

The way of man is froward. Is the way of every

man froward? or is it consistent with the dignity of

human nature to contrast the way of man in general

with the right work of the pure? Are not men justly

distinguished into the froward and the pure; why then

does Solomon speak as if all men were froward? There

is certainly truth in the division of men into the pure

and impure; but this distinction is the work of grace

and not of nature, for men are all sprung from the first

transgressor, and have derived a corrupt disposition

from him, and till they are renewed by the grace of

God, their way is froward and strange. They are all

together become corrupt, and have done abominable

things, if we may believe the testimony of the omni-

scient God himself†.

In our state of innocency our way was straight and

even, whilst the glory of God was our great end, and

 

*1 Cor. 6:9,10           †Ps. 14, Rom. 3:10-18

544                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XXI.

 

the will of God the rule of our practice; but in our fallen

state we walk in a crooked and perverse way, following

the bent of our own evil inclinations, and seeking after

happiness in creatures, which are like broken cisterns

that can hold no water. Our course of life is directly the

reverse of what it ought to be, for instead of making

the will of our Creator the rule of our behaviour, we

make it our business to provoke him to anger continu-

ally, by trampling upon his authority and despising

his laws. Our way is a strange way, being a course

of estrangement from the God that made us for his

glory, and framed our natures to a capacity of enjoy-

ing him, and receiving happiness only in him. Till

we are restored to communion with God through the

mediation of Christ, we are aliens to the commonwealth

of Israel, and our conversation is a continued proof of

alienation from the life of God.

But as for the pure, he is raised above other men,

and his work is very different. He is purified by the

Spirit of Christ, and created in him unto good works.

His work is regulated by an unerring rule, and direct-

ed to the noblest end, for his constant endeavour is to

cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to the

word of God, and to walk in the world as Christ walk-

ed; and he lives not to himself, but unto the Lord.

It is too natural for us to think that, if we are no

worse than the generality of our neighbours, we are

safe. But Solomon and Paul teach us, that, to walk as

men, is not to walk like saints*. Whilst we are fol-

lowing the course of this world, we are walking in the

broad road that leadeth to destruction, and not in the

narrow way that leadeth unto life†.

Let every man prove his own work; but it must not

be tried by the maxims or example of the world, but

 

*1 Cor. 3:3    †Eph. 2:1-3, Matt. 7:13,14

CHAP. XXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 545

 

by the word of God, by which God will judge us at

the last day*.

Ver. 9. It is better to dwell in a corner of the house

top, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.

A man might dwell on a house top, if it were flat

like the houses of the ancient Israelites; but it would

be a very uncomfortable place of dwelling, because it

is exposed to rain and wind, to frost, and snow, and

lightning; but as the least of two evils is to be chosen,

a wise man would rather choose to dwell on a house

top, arid be confined to a single corner of it, than to

have his ears dunned, and his spirits crushed, with the

endless brawls of a peevish and fretfol wife. A man

on a house top would have at least some intervals of

comfortable weather, but a brawling woman will never

want something to make her uneasy to herself, and a

torment to those who have the misfortune to be con-

nected with her. She is perpetually vexing her chit.

dren and servants, but her husband is most to be piti-

ed, because she is of one flesh with him. She may be a

scourge in the side of others in the family, but she is

rottenness in her husband's bones. She is the greatest

plague to him to whom she is bound by every obliga-

tion to be the greatest pleasure. She is one flesh with

him, and yet she is a constant grief to his spirit. She

torments herself most of all, and, next to herself, all

others in proportion to the obligation she lies under to

behave in the very opposite manner.

God said, it is not good for man to be alone, and

therefore made woman to be an help meet for him, and

yet the contentious woman is such a perverse creature,

that she perverts the design of our Creator, and proves

a scourge instead of an help. She makes it better for

a man to be in the most solitary circumstances imagi-

nable than with her.

 

*Gal. 6:4, 2 Cor. 10:12

546                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XXI.

 

Those who choose a wife for the goodness of her por-

tion, rather than the sweetness of her temper, are not

Solomon's disciples. He declares that the married life

is better than the single*. But he likewise tells us in

this place, that it is much better to live alone in the

deepest poverty, than to enjoy affluence with a clamo-

rous and peevish woman.

Ver. 10. The soul of the wicked desireth evil: his

neighbour findeth no favour in his eyes.

The difference between evil and good men does not

lie in complete freedom from what is evil on the side

of good men. Paul was one of the best men that ever

lived, and yet he confesses that he had not obtained

perfection in goodness, but found evil present with

him, when he was most inclined to do good. But

herein lies that goodness which the saints attain in this

life, that they love what is good with an ardent affect-

tion, and hate that which is evil with their whole soul,

although they cannot do all that good they wish to do,

and too often do that evil which they hate†. On the

contrary, bad men are not only doers of iniquity, but

their souls are fully inclined to it. With their souls

they desire evil; and although their consciences fre-

quently remonstrate against sin, and are a strong bridle

upon the lusts of most unregenerate persons, yet sin

dwells as a king in their inner man, and is not resisted

with hatred like a tyrant, but is suffered to possess the

throne of the heart.

This is a miserable disposition, for sin is the worst

of all evils. No man expressly and directly desires

misery, and yet all that love sin desire the worst of

misery in reality, for sin is the sickness, the death, the

ruin of the soul.

The desire of all unrenewed men is towards evil, and

 

*Chap. 18:22      †Rom. 7:15-21

CHAP. XXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 547

 

not one of them would think himself happy if he were

not suffered to enjoy the pleasures of some sin: yet

their relishes for these cursed pleasures are very differ-

ent, and the desires of evil in some are stronger than

in others. There are many that have soine regard to

the voice of conscience, and the great principles of mo-

rality, and many others that push on in their pur-

suit of the pleasures that suit their vitiated taste, in

spite of their own consciences, and their neighbours

and friends find no favour in their eyes. Saul perse-

cuted David, although he had been the champion of

Israel, and was his son-in-law; for his corruptions had

gained the victory over his conscience and feelings, and

he pursued the gratification of his malice with unre-

lenting fury.

This is the tendency of sin; to sink a man deep in

the abominable gulf of self-love, and to harden his

spirit against those whom he ought to love most ten.

derly. Let us therefore choose our friends from the

number of those who love God; for their hearts are

enlarged with charity, and in their eyes their neigh.

bours find favour. Those are bad persons who are so

entirely swallowed up by a selfish spirit, that they will

scarcely perform an office of charity, or good neigh-

bourhood, without the expectation of a return. If we

are good men, let us spew it by doing good. Our

neighbours and friends have a special title to expect

good at our hands.

Ver. 11. When the scorner is punished, the simple is

made wise; and when the wise is instructed, he receiveth

knowledge.

It is a bad thing in a family, or church, or nation,

when scorners are not duly corrected or punished.

It was a sign that the inhabitants of Laish were a ready

prey for any invader, when there was no magistrate in

the land to put them to shame. Those that are too

548                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XXI.

 

unwise to see the evil of sin, have sense enough to see

the evil of shame and pain; and when they behold these

disagreeable consequences following sin, their disposi-

tions to wickedness receive a check, to their own great

advantage, as well as the good of the society to which

they belong. If the fear of censure or punishment does

not make men holy, it will make them sober; and this

is a good thing in itself, and puts men in a fair way to

become still better, by leading men to the means where-

by holiness is ordinarily produced.

The wise that do not expose themselves to punish-

ment, are not beyond the need of instruction, and

sometimes of admonition and rebuke. David was one

of the best of men, but he was not faultless in his be-

haviour, and we find what happy effect instruction and

rebuke had upon his soul. He improved in knowledge

and grace by the ministrations of the sanctuary, and

the rebukes of the prophets*. A rebuke entereth more

into a wise man, than an hundred stripes into a fool.

Even the simple man receives knowledge from the

instructions and rebukes that are given to the wise.

He is so foolish that an attempt to instruct himself

awakens his jealousy and anger. He thinks you know

him, or take him for a fool, when you begin to instruct

or admonish him; but when he sees that the wise are

instructed, and are thankful for it, he is forced to see

his own stupidity, and his conscience tells him, If the

men that are so much wiser and better than I can pre-

tend to be, are so thankful for instruction, surely I

have much greater need of it. The rebukes that are

administered to them ought to enter ten times deeper

into my heart, who deserve them so much better. The

simple begins to learn wisdom, when he applies to his

own case that which is said or done to other men.†

 

*Ps. 27:4, 2 Sam. 12:24       †Chap. 19:25, 1:5

CHAP. XXI.]            BOOK OF PROVERBS                 549

 

Ver. 12. The righteous man wisely considereth the

house of the wicked; but God overthroweth the wicked for

their wickedness.

We have a clear illustration of this truth in the con-

versations between Job and his three friends, all of

whom had considered the house of the wicked, and

God's providence in overthrowing it, but with very dif-

ferent degrees of wisdom.

Eliphaz had considered the sudden overthrow of the

wicked man, and the unhappy end of his prosperity,

and from thence inferred the justice of God, the danger

of sin, and the necessity of repentance to sinners. His

two friends joined with him in opinion; and we have no

reason to doubt that they had received great benefit

from the observations which they made upon the pro-

vidence of God, to the wicked in their own days, as

well as in ancient times; for they had taken advantage

of the wisdom of the ancients, and of the histories

which had been handed down to them, to increase their

own stock of knowledge*.

Job had considered the house of the wicked with

more wisdom, and learned much instruction from the

providence of God concerning it. He had observed so

many instances of the downfal of prosperous trangres-

sors, that he saw wickedness to be a very dangerous

thing, however prosperous it might be for a time, and

therefore he abhorred the counsel of the wicked†. At

the same time he observed, and understood from the

reports of travellers, that some wicked men lived and

died in affluence, and were buried with great pomp, and

had stately monuments erected for them; from thence

he justly inferred that the wicked were reserved to a fu-

ture day of wrath, and defended his own character against

 

*Job 5:3,4, 8:8, 20:4,5, 22:16         †Job 21:16,17

550                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XXI.

 

his friends, with solid arguments drawn from the une-

qual distributions of providence in this world*.

It is a great point of wisdom to learn instruction

from the calamities that befal the wicked, or have be.

fallen them in former times. By this means we may

render all the histories of past ages very beneficial to

ourselves. We find that the destruction of the old

world by the flood, and the burning of Sodom and Go-

morrah, were means of impressing the mind of Eliphaz

with an abhorrence of sin†, and the prophet Ezekiel

severely censures the Jews in his time, because they

had not taken warning by the fate of Sodom and

Israel.‡

It is not safe for us to pronounce men wicked merely

because they are overthrown; but when God makes his

judgments upon sinners manifest, it is our duty to ob-

serve it, and to glorify and fear God §. And although

we have no reason to think that those who meet with

signal calamities are worse than other men, unless we

have good evidence of it, yet their calamities are loud

warnings, and calls to repentance.||

Ver. 13. Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the

poor, he also shall cry himself, and shall no be heard.

There may be a very good excuse for not giving to

the poor; but insensibility to their extreme distress is

an unnatural and a crying iniquity. Our eyes and ears

are organs fitted by nature for working upon the heart,

and exciting bowels of compassion in us; and if we re-

gard not the cry of the poor with sympathy, we put a

force upon nature by stopping our ears. When Eliphaz

meant to convince Job that his trangression was infinite,

he charges this among other horrid crimes upon him,

 

*Job 21:27-34, 24    †Job 22:18     ‡Ezek. 16:56, 23:11

§Rev. 15:4, Ps. 64:10,11      ||Luke 13:1-5

CHAP. XXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 551

 

that he had not given water to the weary to drink, and

had withholden bread from the hungry; but Job was

innocent, and could with a good conscience declare that

he never withheld the poor from their desire, nor caused

the eye of the widow to fail*.

Those that are hard-hearted to the distressed, should

remember that they cannot make a covenant with

death, nor hinder the scourge of distress from reaching

themselves. They also shall cry, for the days of dis-

tress will come upon them; and whilst they shew no

pity to the poor, they harden the spirits of men against

pity to themselves, and provoke God to leave them to

fall without succour.

If we should never fall into distress that needs relief

at the hand of our fellow creatures, it is certain that

we need help from God to our souls, and although we

feel not our need of his pity at present, the day is com-

ing when we shall feel it at our hearts, and cry out for

mercy. Our poor fellow creatures need a few pence

from us, but we need talents at the hand of God; and

when we disobey his voice, and refuse to shew mercy

unto men, we have just reason to fear that we shall

have judgthent without mercy to ourselves. God is a

most gracious God. He delights in the voice of prayer,

and continually answers those requests that believers

present unto him in the name of his Son; but he has

not bound himself to hear those cries which necessity

extorts from the wicked. This is a part of the extreme

misery of those who refuse to hear the cries of wisdom,

that they shall cry out in their time of calamity, and he

will not hear them, and the same punishment is here

threatened to those who will not hear the cries of the

poor.

What extreme wretchedness is this, to cry and not

 

*Job 22:7, 31:6

552                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XXI.

 

be heard by a most merciful God! How provoking is

the sin which is so severely threatened! When David's

enemies cried unto the Lord, and were not heard, it

was plain that they were doomed to irremediable mi-

sery. Job could not imprecate severer vengeance upon

himself, on supposition he was guilty of the crimes

charged upon him, than this, Let my cry have no place.

This is the height of the misery of the damned, that

their cries are not regarded with pity by God. This

truth need not however discourage us from presenting

the prayers of faith to the throne of grace; for the pray-

ers here spoken of, are only the cries of strong distress

extorted from men that have not the love of God, or

the love of Christ in them. It is rather an encourage-

ment to pray; for it shews us that the refusing of pray-

er is God's strange work, and a piece of his severity to

great sinners who are destitute of compassion to their

fellow men.

When we have reason to complain that we cry and

shout, but God shutteth out our prayer, let us consider

our ways ; perhaps we have shut our ears on some oc-

casions against the cries of the poor. This was one

reason why God accepted not the prayers and fasts of

those people whom Isaiah speaks of in the 50th chap-

ter of his book.

The poor may see in this threatening, great encour-

agement to themselves to apply to his throne of mercy.

He that condemns uncharitableness so much in others,

is full of love and pity, and listens with a gracious ear

to the sighs and groans of the poor and destitute*.

Ver. 14. A gift in secret pacifieth anger, and a reward

in the bosom strong wrath.

Anger is a very outrageous passion, and strong wrath

makes a man like a savage beast, which attacks in its

 

*Ps. 102:17

CHAP. XXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 553

 

fury any creature that comes in its way. Yet such is

the power of money and presents, that the fiercest rage

is assuaged by them; and therefore when a good con-

science allows, it is often a piece of prudence to disarm

an enemy by gifts, rather than to fight with him. By

such means' did Jacob and Abigail secure themselves

from those enemies that threatened them with destruc-

tion. But to give, or to receive bribes, is a very sinful

thing, because it is a perversion of justice. For minis-

ters to receive gifts to soften their severity in censuring

offenders (if such unfaithful ministers can be found)

is one of the worst instances of corruption.

Although men are generally fond of receiving, yet

they are as generally unwilling to be reckoned fond

of gifts, and therefore those who have the art of giving

will do it in secret, and avoid every appearance of os-

tentation in themselves, and every thing that might

cause a blush in the receivers of their gifts.

If the love of gifts is so universal and so powerful in

the hearts of men, we ought to try our own hearts, how

far we are influenced by it, or whether we believe our

Saviour's words, that it is more blessed to give than to

receive. Take heed, says our Lord, and beware of co-

vetousness. We must keep a double guard against this

sin, because it is so natural to us, and yet so dangerous.

Those who receive gifts should take heed to themselves

lest they receive a bribe under the colour of a gratuity.

What is given in such a manner as to shun the light, de-

serves to be at least suspected*.

Have gifts such a powerful influence to disarm re-

sentment? Then let no man plead, in apology for the

fury of his passions, that he is not able to conquer

them. If money can conquer them, shall reason, and

the fear of God, and the command of Christ, be too

 

*Chap. 17:8, 18:16

554                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XXI.

 

weak to bridle them? Surely the commandments of

our God and Saviour have too little authority with us,

if they have less influence upon our spirits than gold

and jewels have upon the spirits of almost all men.

            Ver. 15. It is joy to the just to do judgment, but des-

traction shall be to the workers of iniquity.

            Men that are utterly unacquainted with the spirit of

religion, and view it only at a distance, form very false

notions to its prejudice, and are affrighted from it with

much the same reason that children are afraid to walk

in the dark. They fancy that religion is a dull and

melancholy thing, and that it affords and allows no

pleasure to saints, at least whilst their present life con-

tinues; but the wise man here tells us, that the very

doing of what is right is a part of its own reward,

bringing with it an heart-felt satisfaction. Love is the

soul of our obedience; and a well-regulated love is a

delightful passion, communicating pleasure to all the

toils and dangers that are endured for its sake. Jacob

endured the sultry heats, and chilling frosts, for seven

years, with great pleasure, for the love he had to Ra-

chel, and the holy love of Christians will dispose them

with greater joy to encounter the assaults of the temp.

ter, to mortify the deeds of the body, to strive against

sin, and to continue resolute in piety, notwithstanding

of all the discouragements which often attend it.

            The joy of the saints in doing judgment is not com-  

plete in this world, because the flesh which remains in

them lusts against the spirit; yet it vastly exceeds in pu-

rity and vigour the highest joys of sinners. The Chris-

tian is unspeakably more happy in resisting and van-

quishing the lusts of the flesh, than the worldly man

is in gratifying them.

            This sentence is a mark by which we ought to try

ourselves. Many do judgment without taking plea-  

sure in it; their consciences will not suffer them to do

 

 

 

CHAP. XXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 555

 

otherwise, but their hearts are on the side of sin; or

they will do many good things with pleasure, because

their constitutional and beloved sins are not affected by

them; but there are other things at which, like King

Herod, they stop short, because they will rather risk

damnation than part unreservedly with the pleasures of

sin. But the just man takes pleasure in the way of

God's testimonies, without any exception to particular

steps of it, as far as it is known to him. He lifts up

his hands to the commandments of God which he loves,

and in his measure he resembles Christ, whose meat

and drink it was to do his Father's will: nor is his love

of the commandments confined to the first table of the

law: it is as much his joy to pay his debtor, as to re-

ceive payment of what is owing to himself, and to be

stow charity on the poor, as to receive a present from

some rich friend.

The wicked have an aversion to judgment. Perhaps

they are not immoral in their conduct, but it is no plea-

sure to them to render unto God his due; and they say

of his service, Oh! what a weariness is it! Their re-

ligion is but a dull lifeless form; but there is some ini-

quity which is relished as honey by them, and drunk

greedily as water. But that sin which is sweet in their

mouth is bitter in their belly, and shall be found more

deadly than poison; for destruction shall be to the

workers of iniquity*.

Ver. 16. The man that wandereth out of the way of

understanding, shall remain in the congregation of the

dedf †.

The way of holiness is the way of understanding;

for a good understanding have all they that do God's

commandments, and all besides are fools. Whilst men

 

*Chap. 10:29

†Shall remain in the congregation of the giants (who perished by

the flood.)

556                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XXI.

 

wander in the forbidden paths of sin, they are dead

whilst they live, and are sinking themselves deeper and

deeper into the dungeon of misery.

But of all the wanderers in the ways of sin, those are

in the most dangerous condition who were once to ap-

pearance walking in the ways of understanding, and

have now turned aside into the ways of darkness. It

had been better for them never to have known the ways

of righteousness, for they bring great reproach upon

the ways of God, and behave as if they had found ini-

quity in the Holy One. They sin against convictions

and vows; they prejudice multitudes against the way

of truth; and bring the blood of many souls upon their

own heads. They harden their spirits against God,

and if their consciences are ever again awakened, they

are in danger of sinking into the hideous gulph of des-

pair. Although apostacy is not in itself an unpardon-

able sin, yet it is sometimes an introduction to it, and

never fails to render repentance extremely difficult, and

almost impracticable*.

These unhappy wanderers once ranked themselves,

and were ranked by their neighbours, among the living

in Jerusalem, but they were no better than stalking

ghosts ; they belong to the congregation of the dead,

and, without astonishing exertions of omnipotent grace,

must for ever remain amongst that wretched crew.

Those that walk in the light must die, but their death

is an entrance into a better life; for it cannot dissolve

their blessed connexion with the Lord of life: but those

that wander out of the way of understanding, are twice

dead, they are like trees plucked up by the roots; death

will be the king of terrors to them, because it opens

their passage into the lake of fire and brimstone, which

is the second death.

 

*Heb. 6:4-6

CHAP. XXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 557

 

Consider, ye revolting sinners, the greatness of your

guilt and danger*; be thankful that your situation is

not yet altogether desperate. There is hope even for

you, in the all-sufficient Saviour, but fly to him without

delay, before the decree bring forth, before the fierce

anger of the Lord come upon you, till there be no

remedy†.

Ver. 17. He that loveth pleasure, shall be a poor man,

he that loveth wine and oil, shall not be rich.

Love not the world, nor the things of the world, for

if any man love the world, or the lusts of the flesh, or

other things in it, the love of the Father is not in him.

Must pleasure then be renounced, and every earthly

satisfaction given up? Who will enter into the ways of

wisdom, if she insists on this? Pleasure is not to be

absolutely renounced. The truly religious man finds

more pleasure, even in his earthly enjoyments, than

the happiest sensualist; but pleasure must not be loved

as our chief happiness. Our hearts, must be given to

God, and nothing earthly must be suffered to usurp

his throne in our souls.

It is no hardship imposed on us, to be forbidden the

love of pleasure, for the sensualist by his love to, the

delights of the flesh, undoes every thing that is dear to

him. He not only wounds his soul, but prejudices his

health, and wastes his estate: if he is rich, he makes

himself poor; if he is poor, he reduces himself to beg-

gary, and perhaps to a prison. Even in the land of

Canaan, where vines and olives abounded, poverty was

the ordinary consequence of dissipation and revelling:

and how can a man escape poverty, who lives in a

country, where the climate concurs with the scripture,

to forbid extravagance, and to threaten poverty as its

present recompense?

 

*Jer. 25          †Jer. 3:12,14

558                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XXI.

 

We see every day instances of the truth of this pro-

verb, in men who have reduced themselves to hunger

and want, by gratifying the love of pleasure. Gluttons,

and drunkards, and revellers, are fools for this world,

as well as the world to come; they exhaust, by their

intemperance, the very source of their pleasures, and

after contracting by habit an unconquerable desire after

wine, and other objects of a sensual taste, they are re-

duced to a want, not only of the luxuries, but even of

the necessaries of life.

Let us therefore, if we wish to be happy, follow the

Apostle's rule: The time is short; let those that rejoice,

be as if they rejoiced not, and they that use this world,

as not abusing it. Feasting is not unlawful, but when

men feast without fear, their jovialty leads them to re-

belling, which is expressly condemned in Scripture.

Let us make no provision for the lusts of the flesh, but

put on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ver. 18. The wicked shall be a ransom for the right-

eous, and the transgressor for the upright.

"I gave Egypt for thy ransom," says God to his peo-

ple, " Ethiopia and Seba for thee." When Jerusalem ap-

peared to be on the point of ruin, God gave a diversion

to the Assyrian forces, by means of Tirhakah king of

Ethiopia. In like manner, Achan was a ransom for the

people of Israel in the days of Joshua, and the seven

men of Saul's sons in the days of David. In these, and

in many other instances, the righteous were delivered

out of trouble, and the wicked came in their stead.

When the wicked flourish, and the righteous meet

with humbling providences, we must not take offence

at the providence of God, or the way of holiness. The

proud are not happy, and those that tempt God are not

delivered: God tries the faith and patience of his peo-

 

*Chap. 11:8

CHAP. XXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 559

 

ple, and will in due time make it to appear, that they

are gold and jewels in his eyes, and that he puts away

the wicked of the earth like dross.

God's people need not despair when they are in trou-

ble and see no likely way of getting out of it: God

can see methods of relief, when they cannot see them,

and he can perform wonders for their relief. Israel in

Egypt was brought very low, and their oppressors were

too mighty for them; it seemed impossible for them to

escape out of the land of bondage, or if they could get

out of it, to be safe from the pursuit of their enemies.

But their Redeemer was wise and mighty, and gave

Egypt for them. By the plagues of Egypt, their re-

lease was accomplished, and by the drowning of Pha-

raoh and his army, they were preserved from their

pursuers.

But God's people must walk uprightly, if they wish

to enjoy the benefit of this special favour. If they step

out of the path of integrity, God may spew that he

is no respecter of persons, to their cost. Jonah for his

flight from, the presence of the Lord, was made a ran-

som for the heathen sailors that were with him in the

ship. Those that shall not be condemned with the

world, may expect to be chastened, although others

should escape.

Ver. 19. It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than

with a contentious and angry woman.

Contention and anger commonly go together, and

they kindle a flame that can scarcely be extinguished.

The wise man has already told us, that it is better to

dwell in an ill-thatched house, or even on a corner of

the house top, without any covering from the storm,

than with a contentious woman ; but here he goes fare

Cher, and says that it is better to dwell in the wilder-

ness, than with a contentious and angry woman. The

wilderness would make a very bad habitation, because

560                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XXI.

 

there are the lions' dens, and the habitation of dragons,

so that a dweller in the desert would be not only desti-

tute of every conveniency, but exposed to constant pe-

rils of his life. Yet it would be a more desirable habi-

tation, than a wide house with the company of a wo-

man that was tormenting her husband with everlasting

brawls. The contentious woman is a greater monster

than the tiger of the desert, and her tongue is more

noisome than the tongue of the viper.

A contentious woman is not worse than a tyranniz-

ing husband. A man may more easily make his escape

from the presence of a scold, than a woman from the

face of a brutal tyrant; and the delicacy of her mind

makes her more susceptible of melancholy impressions

from bad usage, than persons of the other sex ordina-

rily are.

When a husband and wife find the marriage yoke

sweetened by love and peace, they should bless God for

the happiness they find in each other's society. Their

pleasures are the most delightful which this world can

afford, and they are indebted for them to that kind

providence which has made them one flesh and one

soul.

Ver. 20. There is a treasure to be desired, and oil in

the dwellings of the wise, but a foolish man spendeth it

up.

Works of charity are requisite, but don't imagine that

they will make you poor. Christ commands us not to

lay up treasures on earth, but to lay up treasures that

never decay, nor become a prey to thieves. But he

does not require us to give every thing away to the

poor; on the contrary, he insinuates that a prudent

householder has in his treasure things new and old. We

must give alms of all that we possess, but we are not

called to give all that we possess in alms; that would

be at once to drain up the fountain of beneficence, and

CHAP. XXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 561

 

preclude ourselves from doing good, as we see occasion,

through the remaining part of our lives.

Solomon directs us to be liberal in charitable distri-

butions, and yet he tells us in this place, that the wise

have a desirable treasure, not only of the necessaries,

but likewise of the comforts and conveniencies of life.

Charity dispensed with wisdom, will not hurt but im-

prove a man's estate. Was there ever a more liberal

man than Job, and yet he was the richest of all the men

in the east. Abraham abounded in hospitality, and he

abounded no less in flocks and herds. It seems a riddle,

and yet it is a certain truth, that expenses and losses on

God's account are real gains.

Poverty is often the lot of the wise and religious, but

it is not the native consequence of piety. Industry,

and temperance, and frugality, are recommended by re-

ligion, and these are natural means of plenty. Above

all, godliness has the promise of the life that now is,

and therefore it must be a great error to imagine that

worldly prosperity is inconsistent with the grace of

God; for God delighteth in the prosperity of his ser-

vants; and if he does not smile upon their outward es-

tate, it is because his love is directed by infinite know-

ledge, which sees a different condition to be, for the

present, more conducive to their best interests.

But if the good man has not a treasure of the good

things of this world in his house, he possesses a large

treasure for himself and his family in the promises of

God*. A man is not poor, although he wants ready

money, if he has plenty of good bills. The Christian

may want every thing that glitters in the eye of flesh,

but he has rich treasures laid up in heaven, and the

written word of God is his security.

But a foolish man spends and devours the substance

 

*Ps. 37

562                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XXI.

 

of his family. His wealth is consumed by idleness or

extravagance, or by the blasting curse of God; or if

he is still rich in possession, he does not hold it by a

sure tenure. Sin is often the destruction of men's es-

tates, as well as their souls, and brings present misery

as well as eternal ruin. But, however the wicked may

flourish, or the righteous decline in the world, (for this

world is not the place of full recompenses,) the righte-

ous man when he is poorest is immensely rich, and the

richest of sinners is miserably poor.

Ver. 21. He that followeth after righteousness and

mercy, findeth life, righteousness, and honour.

This world is not the place of perfection. The best

Christians must confess their daily failings, but their

desires of holiness are sincere, and accompanied with

vigorous endeavours. Slothful professors have some

cold desires after it, and sometimes their desires are ac-

companied with endeavours, but these are weak and

ineffectual, or however ardent they may appear to be,

yet they soon spend their force, and all their goodness

is like the morning cloud and the early dew. Chris-

tians that deserve the name, are, like Caleb and Joshua,

of another spirit, for their endeavour is to follow the

Lord fully. They are followers of the Lamb whither-

soever he goes, and whatever it may cost them.

The grace of the gospel teaches us, not only to live

godly, but to follow righteousness and mercy, and these

two virtues cannot be separated in practice. To be

righteous, is to render unto every man his due. Now

love is a debt we owe to every man, and mercy is due

to the unhappy. The great rule of righteousness is to

do to others, as we would wish to be dealt with, if we

were in their circumstances, and certainly we all wish

to enjoy kindness and pity from our neighbours, as cir-

cumstances require. The righteous, says David, shew-

CHAP. XXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 563

 

eth mercy, and giveth*. And in another place he says

that the righteousness of the merciful man endureth

for ever.

It is in the strength of Christ that we must follow

after righteousness and mercy. As his righteousness

is the ground of our hopes, his grace is the fountain of

our supplies. He is the vine, and unless we are branch-

es ingrafted into this vine, our fruits will not be good.

Love and fidelity are mentioned among the fruits of his

Spirit†, and those that have not his Spirit are sensual

and selfish, and bring forth fruit only to themselves.

Men think they will be losers, by following righte-

ousness and mercy with too much eagerness, but the

Scripture assures us that they shall be great gainers.

They may suffer present loss, but their gains will be

infinitely greater. They shall find life, and life is the

foundation of every enjoyment. What is sweeter than

life? and yet the life of most men is but a vain

shadow and an empty dream; but that life which comes

from the special favour of God, and is secured by pro-

mise, must be a pleasant and happy life. Some have

lost their life for the sake of righteousness, but Christ

assures us that their loss was unspeakable gain. They

shall find righteousness; for as those that love cursing,

shall have cursing poured into them like water, and

like oil into their bones, so those that love righteous-

ness shall meet with righteous dealing from men‡,

and the righteous God will take care of their interests,

and fulfil his faithful promises to them. The justice

of God is engaged on their side, through the mediation

of Christ, arid he cannot be unrighteous, to forget their

works and labours of love §. They shall find honour,

for their upright and generous behaviour is very like-

ly to procure to them honour from men. If fools should

 

*Ps. 27:21     †Gal. 5:22      §Luke 6:38

|| Ps. 36:10, Heb. 6:10

564                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XXI.

 

despise them, they will be respected by the wise and

good. If all men should despise them and cast out

their names as evil, they are precious and honourable

in the eyes of the Lord. They shall at last be dignified

with a place at Christ's right hand, with approbation

from their judge, and with an eternal crown*.

Ver. 22. A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty,

and casteth down the strength of the confidence thereof.

Men are generally so deeply sunk in flesh, that they

value the endowments of the body, and the outward

bounties of providence, above the noble qualities of the

mind. This error is corrected by Solomon in this verse.

He tells us that in every point of view, the qualities of

the mind are preferable to those of the outward man.

Counsel is better than strength for war, for one wise

man will take a city defended by many strong men, al-

though they have the advantage of high walls, and

strong fortifications on their side. By the wisdom of

Cyrus in turning the current of the Euphrates, was

Babylon taken, notwithstanding of its stupendous

walls and numerous defenders. By the discipline of

the Romans were the brave and strong nations of

Gaul and Germany subdued, and in almost every bat-

tle, it has been found that wisdom is better than wea-

pons of war†.

If military wisdom is so much preferable to strength,

how excellent is that religious wisdom so much com-

mended in this book! This divine wisdom even in war

has a vast superiority over the wisdom of generals and

ministers of state, for it leads men to victory, because it

teaches them to trust in the Lord of hosts. By this wis-

dom Abraham conquered four kings when they were

flushed with victory. By this David, the stripling, over-

came lions, and bears, and giants. By this many of the

old believers waxed valiant in fight, and turned to flight

 

*Job 36:7       †Eccles. 9:13-18

CHAP. XXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 565

 

the armies of the aliens, for they knew their God, and

were strong, and did exploits. By this wisdom the

weakest believer is victorious through the blood of the

Lamb, and the word of his testimony, over the dragon

and his angels.

Ver. 23. Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue,

keepeth his soul from troubles.

A furious horse needs a double bridle to restrain its

fierceness, and it seems the tongue of man needs more

than a double bridle to keep it in from doing hurt.

The wise mart never ceases to admonish us about this

point, and in this place he mentions particularly two

of the instruments of speech, and puts a bridle on each

of them. As an high-spirited horse, if its fury is not

curbed with a strong hand, will hurry its rider along,

without regarding pits, or precipices, or deep waters,

and expose him to extreme jeopardy of his life, so an

unbridled tongue will make a man hateful to God and

men; plunge him into contentions and debates, and ex-

pose his estate, and life, and credit, to extreme danger.

Who is the man that wishes to enjoy a quiet and

peaceable life? Let him set a guard over his mouth, and

refrain his tongue from profaneness and corrupt com-

munication, from railing and reviling, and all evil speak-

ing, from foolish talking, and from inconvenient jest-

ing. Let prudence and the fear of God stand continu-

ally like centinels at the door of his lips. Let him

follow the instructions of David, and Solomon, and

James*. Let him pray to God to keep the door of his

mouth, and remember that an ungoverned tongue is

inconsistent with religion and happiness, and exposes

a man to the same danger as a ship when it wants

a pilot and an helm, and is ready to clash against every

rock that comes in its way†.

 

*Ps. 34:11,12            James 3          †Chap. 18, 20, 21

566                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XXI.

 

Ver. 24. Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who

dealeth in proud wrath.

The anger of a proud man is very fierce. When he

meets with the smallest shadow of an affront or provo-

cation, his passions are on fire, and his vengeance must

be satiated, be the consequence what it will. He would

have every man to do him homage, and when his opi-

nion is contradicted, or his humour not complied with,

he rageth like a tempest, which threatens to spread de-

solation and ruin. Such was the proud wrath of Ha-

man, which could not be glutted with the blood of

Mordecai alone, but thirsted after the blood of a whole

nation.

What does the proud worm design by all this fury?

It is his honour that set him in a flame. He thinks

highly of himself, and cannot bear the thought that

another man has not the same deference for him which

he has for himself. To repair the fancied attacks

upon his honour, he gives way to revenge, and seeks

the reputation of a man of honour and spirit, but

he disappoints his own views, and meets disgrace,

when he is hunting for praise. He shall be called a

proud man, and that is a character so base, that a proud

man cannot bear it, for pride seeks to hide itself under

any covert rather than be seen. He shall be called a

haughty scorner, for he puffeth at his enemies, and

pours contempt upon his reprovers. Now a haughty

scorner is a very hateful character, for the scorner is

an abomination among men.

Haman the Agagite, and Uzziah king of Judah,

have brought great dishonour upon their memories by

their proud wrath. Moses and Job, are men of glori-

ous memory, for their humility and meekness. The

godly man is not ambitious of praise, but he receives

honour from God. The proud man cannot live with-

CHAP. XXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 567

 

out honour and applause, and his ambition and pride

load his name and memory with contempt.

Ver. 25. The desire of the slothful killeth him, for his

hands refuse to labour.

Ver. 26. He coveteth greedily all the day long, but tae

righteous giveth and spareth not.

Solomon has already said enough to banish sloth

out of the world, if those who are under the power of

this vice were not besotted with it; but here he tells us

a worse thing about it than in any of his former pro-

verbs, for he represents it as a degree of self-murder.

The slothful man brings diseases upon himself, by re-

ducing himself to want of the necessaries of life, and

the refreshments of sleep, for he will not labour for his

food, nor take that exercise which prepares the body

for quiet rest; but besides this, his very desires are

hurtful to his constitution, for his mind must be em-

ployed, when his hands are idle. His wants, and the time

that lies heavy upon him, are strong incitements to

those insatiable cravings of desire which rack the heart

and have a sickening influence upon the body. If the

desire accomplished is a tree of life, those desires that

cannot be accomplished, must have the quite opposite

effect. If hope deferred make the heart sick, how cruel-

ly must it be tortured by those insatiable desires that

are not sweetened by any mixture of hope.

What is the reason that the slothful man's desires

have such a pernicious influence upon him? His hands

refuse to labour. If you bid him go and work, he will per-

haps promise to do it, like that son who said to his father,

I go, sir, to work in the vineyard. He is sensible of the

necessity of it, he wishes earnestly to enjoy the fruits

of labour, he has even some faint wishes that his hands

would submit to the toil of labour; but the loss is, that

his hands will not comply, because they must be taken

out of his bosom if they work. If he could work with

568                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XXI.

 

his tongue or his feet, without his hands, he would be a

very industrious man; but he hates work because it

does not consist in talking or sauntering about*.

Slothfulness is very prejudicial to the soul, as well

as the body. As sleep is the nurse of our animal con-

stitution, so the deep sleep into which slothfulness casts

a man, is the nurse of the body of sin. The sluggard

coveteth, he coveteth greedily; greedy covetings are

his constant employment; although he will not work

for necessaries, he could not be happy without the lux-

uries of life. Those greedy workings of covetous de-

sire, are a strong temptation to him to pilfer and steal,

and sometimes they push him on to those crimes that

procure the gallows.

Wicked men disappoint themselves by their sins of

that wished enjoyment, which they seek and hope to

obtain by their iniquities. The sensualist deprives him-

self not only of pleasures, but of necessaries, by casting

away that money that should procure them†. The

vain and proud bring infamy upon their name, by the

very means they take to support their honour‡; and

slothful men, whilst they seek rest and ease, endure

much more fatigue than the diligent man, because they

make themselves a prey to the restless workings of their

own unbridled desires.

But the righteous giveth. He does not say the dili-

gent man giveth; for all bad and selfish men are not

slothful. Some men toil hard, not from any regard to

God's authority, but entirely for their own interest;

they do not glorify God in their labours, for they do

not work with their hands, that they may have to give to

him that needeth, a part of what they have earned. The

righteous man is of a nobler spirit, for he is ever merci-

ful, and his mercy is one motive to his industry. He

 

*Prov. 13:4    †Verse 17      ‡Verse 24

CHAP. XXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 569

 

labours in his calling, and the blessing of God gives

him success, and he spews his thankfulness to God, by

giving with an unsparing hand. The slothful man co-

vets the fruit of other people's labours, but the good

man does not wish to eat that morsel alone, which is

procured by his own sweat and toil. God is well pleas-

ed with his bounties, for he is a cheerful and liberal

giver*.

Ver. 27. The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination:

how much more when he bringeth it with a wicked mind.

We have already heard that the sacrifice of the wick-

ed is an abomination to the Lord: we are here told,

that it is an abomination, although it is presented with

the very best dispositions that a wicked man is capable

of Some unregenerate men are anxious for eternal

life, because they cannot always live on earth; some of

them have a great deal of seriousness in their devotions,

and will even worship God in the exercise of tempers

of mind that have some resemblance of love to God,

and faith in Christ. Will not such service be accepted

of God ? By no means. Our great teacher tells us to

make first the tree good, and then the fruit; for a con-

rupt tree, at the best, produces corrupt fruit. It must,

therefore, be a very foolish thing, for men to dream of

preparing themselves for Christ by a course of serious

devotions, or of waiting till they are in a better dispo-

sition for believing in Christ, before they will ven-

ture to commit the salvation of their souls into his

hands. Without his grace, we can have no good dis-

positions, nor do any thing that. is acceptable to God,

for it is only in the beloved, that we are accepted†.

What then must bad men do? Must they be driven

to despair? or must they give up with duty? No‡. It

is certain that without faith it is impossible to please

God; but it is equally certain, that they are fully war-

 

*2 Cor. 9:7    †Eph 1:6, John 15:5              ‡Acts 8:22

570                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XXI.

 

ranted to believe in Jesus. Let them make a thankful

use of this privilege, and from henceforth do all that

they do, in word or in deed, in the name of the Lord

Jesus Christ.

If the sacrifice of the wicked at the very best is an

abomination, how abominable must it be at the very

worst? It is more than abominable, if he brings it with

a wicked intention. Balaam presented many rich sa-

crifices; but they were designed to bribe the Holy One

of Israel to be unfaithful to his people, and changeable

in his purpose. It is a detestable thing for men to

think they can prevail on God by the multitude of their

holy services, to dispense with sin, and suffer them to

escape unpunished, although they still live in the prac-

tice of injustice towards men, and in the neglect of se-

veral necessary duties which they owe to God*.

It is no less presumptuous for men to be diligent in

the practice of religion, to obtain the applause of men.

This was the vice which our Lord so frequently re-

proved in the Pharisees, and this fault is still too com-

mon among the professors of religion. It will be a

comfortable evidence that we are not under the reign-

ing power of it, if we are as conscientious in the secret

performances of religion, as in those that come under

the view of men.

Nothing can be more detestable, than to cover vice

with professions of religion. Some have the daring

presumption to walk on in the ways of sin, and to prac-

tise the forms of duty, that their character may be

shrouded under the mask of piety. These are follow.

ers of the Scribes and Pharisees, against whom our Lord

pronounced so many dreadful woes†. They walk in

the cursed way of Jezebel, who caused a feast to be pro-

claimed, that she might destroy an innocent man, and

 

*Isa. 1:11-16      †Matt. 23

CHAP. XXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 571

 

yet keep up the forms of religion and law; and they are

likely to perish in the gain-saying of Korah*.

Ver. 28. A false witness shall perish: but the man

that heareth, speaketh constantly.

He is a false witness that speaks what he has not been

assured of, by the testimony of his ears or eyes, or some

other way that secures him from the danger of lying.

He may possibly speak what is true, without having

sufficient evidence of it; but it is evident, that he is a

man of a loose conscience, who speaks things with a

greater air of certainty than his ground of belief will

warrant. " We testify," says the faithful witness, "the

things that we have seen and heard," and his followers

must imitate his example.

The false witness was to be punished by the magis-

trate, according to the law of Moses; but if he should

escape the punishment which his crime deserves from

men, God says he shall perish, and his threatenings

are not wind and vanity†.

But he that hears the words spoken about which he

bears witness, and will say nothing without sufficient

grounds of assurance, betrays not himself by any self

inconsistency, nor exposes himself to punishment from

God or man. He shall live when liars perish, his cha-

racter shall continue good when liars loose all credit,

and whilst he lives, he shall have the honour of being

sustained as a good and credible witness; for lying lips

are but for a moment, but the lip of truth shall be esta-

blished for ever.

Wherefore, putting away lying, let us speak truth

every man to his neighbour, especially in witness-bear-

ing. If the commandment of God, and the mighty mo-

tives of his gospel, will not induce us to do so, let us

regard our own honour and interest, which suffer irre-

parable injury by every deviation from truth.

 

*1 Kings 21:9,10, Num. 16             †Chap. 19:5,9

572                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XXI.

 

Ver. 29. A wicked man hardeneth his face: but as

for the upright he directeth his way.

The wicked man walks in a crooked path, where

peace and happiness never were, nor shall be found.

God calls upon him to leave this cursed way, and to

turn into the straight way of life. He thunders in the

curses of his law, and orders his ministers to lift up

their voices like trumpets, to proclaim in his ears the

dangers of his course. He deals with him by his pro-

vidence, and makes him to feel some of the first fruits

of that vengeance which is the fruit of sin. He sets

before him the peace and pleasure to be found in the

way of holiness, that he may be encouraged to leave

the way of destruction; but the perverse sinner disre-

gards the voice and providence of the Lord. The ways

of sin are so pleasant to him, that he will venture

the consequences, rather than be turned out of them

for the present,

The wicked man has many devices to harden his

face in his sinful course. He walks in the same paths

as other men do, and many are much worse than him.

self. He has time enough before him, to repent and

serve God. He does many good things to overbalance

his evil deeds, or he will make amends for all at once,

by fleeing to the mercy of God at last. By such cor-

rupt reasonings as these, he hardens himself in iniqui.

ty, and sets God at defiance, setting at nought the ter-

rors of his wrath, and trampling upon the grace and

blood of the Redeemer, who came to turn ungodliness

from Jacob. By degrees he contracts so powerful habits

of sin, that his conversion is almost impossible; he casts

off shame and fear, and sins without restraint, till he

finds that there is justice and vengeance, as well as for-

bearance with God*.

 

*Ps. 68:21

CHAP. XXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 573

 

But the upright man directeth and establisheth his                        

way. He may slip with his feet, but he recovers him-                   

self by the aids of divine grace. If he turns aside, as                     

a good man may do, he will not persist in sin, but, like                

Job, he confesses with self-abhorrence his vileness, and            

will proceed no farther in it*. He endeavours, in the                    

general course of his life, to keep at a distance from sin

and temptation, and to order his conversation with such  

prudence, that he may not by surprise be ensnared in-                 

to sin, nor meet with any occasion of stumbling. Thus                 

did David direct his way, when he had the word of                        

God in his heart to keep him from sin, and fortified                    

himself with firm resolutions, and fervent prayers, when            

he knew that he was to meet with snares in his path†.                  

Thus did Abraham direct his way, when he was com-                   

manded to sacrifice Isaac. He never told Sarah, nor                     

even his servants that attended him on his journey,                      

that he had received so strange a command from God,                

for he was fully resolved to obey the voice of the Lord,  

and wished to obviate every advice in opposition to his   

duty. Let us follow the example of these holy men,                     

making straight paths for our feet, that what is lame may            

not be turned out of the way; and to him that ordereth                 

his conversation aright, will God chew his salvation.                   

Ver. 30. There is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor               

counsel against the Lord.                          

Wisdom excelleth folly, as much as light excelleth                     

darkness, and Solomon often directs us to manage all                 

our affairs 'with discretion and counsel, by means of                   

which purposes are established; but he warns us in this   

place, not to trust to our own wisdom or prudence, nor               

to dream that they can accomplish any thing without the

permission and pleasure of God. Wisdom and counsel                

can do much with the blessing of God, but all the wis-                

dom of men and angels could do nothing in opposition                           

 

*Job 40:4       †Ps. 119:11, 141:3,4                       

574                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XXI.

 

to his counsels, which are all executed by the arm of

omnipotence.

There is, no doubt, wisdom and strength in many of

the sons of men, but with God is wisdom and strength

in an infinitely superior degree*. One wise man ex-

cels another wise man so much that he can manage him

as if he were a child; but the only wise God turns the

wisdom of all the philosophers in the world into fool-

ishness, and the foolishness of God is infinitely wiser

than the best wisdom of creatures.

Herod formed a project deep as hell to destroy our

infant Saviour; but Jesus lives and reigns. Herod and

his family were soon extinct. The like success has at-

tended all the contrivances of men to destroy the church

of our Redeemer, and God bath glorified himself upon

the mightiest and wisest enemies of his people, by mak-

ing their infernal devices the means of ruining them-

selves, and of advancing the interests of Zion†. Let

Zion rejoice because of God's judgments, and let all the

daughters of Judah be glad, for the Lord of hosts bath

purposed good concerning her and who shall disannul

his purpose? The enemies of Zion may associate and

combine, and form their plans for her destruction, but

they shall not stand, for the Lord bath founded Zion,

and the poor of his people shall trust in her.‡

There are men who aspire to honour, and in their

pride would exalt themselves in opposition to the will

of God, who hath annexed honour to piety, and dis-

grace to pride and ambition§. But shall they succeed?

The Lord bath purposed to stain the pride of all glory,

and they shall be scattered in the imagination of their

hearts. There are some that try to carry on their plans

for enriching themselves and their families, in spite of

God. But poverty and ruin is the fruit of their pre-

 

*Job 12:12,13                       †Ps. 12:19, Mic. 4:11-13

‡ Is.8:9, 14:25,32                 § Prov. 18:12, 22:4

CHAP. XXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 575

 

sumption*. In short, all that seek for profit or plea-

sure, in transgressing the law of God shall find loss and

misery.

Trust in God at all times, acknowledge him in all

your ways, and be not afraid that any of his gracious

counsels shall be frustrated. But those that harden

themselves against God shall be ruined without reme-

dy†.

Ver. 31. The horse is prepared against the day of bat-

tle, but sgfety is of the Lord.

Solomon here teaches better than he practised, for we

need from God not only light to guide us in the way,

but grace to walk in it‡. He provided 40,000 horses

even though God had expressly forbidden the kings of

Israel to multiply horses, lest their hearts should be

drawn away from the hope of Israel. But this proverb

was abundantly verified by the consequences of the

change that Solomon introduced into the management

of public affairs, for from his days the people never

made such a figure in war, as they had done in former

days, when the judges of Israel went on foot against

those that fought from chariots of iron §.

Horses and warlike preparations of every kind are

nevertheless necessary to be used in war, when they

are not expressly forbidden by God. Yet if you trust

in horses, you will find that they are flesh and not spi-

rit, and that they cannot afford safety to those whose

hearts are turned from the Lord||. When the people

of Judah went down to Egypt for help, and trusted in

the Egyptian horses for safety against the king of As.

syria, the prophet Isaiah, with aloud voice, remonstrat-

ed against their conduct, and cried that their strength

was to sit still, and wrote it in a table, and noted it in

 

*Prov. 10:2,3             †Chap. 19:21             ‡Ezek. 36:27     §Judges 5

|| Ps. 33:17

576                  EXPOSITION OF THE                  [CHAP. XXI.

 

a book, that it might continue for ever and ever as a

testimony on record against those, that trust in chariots

and horses rather than the name of the Lord*.

Are we obliged to fight for our liberty and religion?

let us set up our banners in the name of the Lord, be-

lieve in him as the Lord of armies, that mustereth the

hosts of the battle, and decides the fate of war, and be-

ware of every thing that might provoke him to sell us

into the hands of our enemies†.

Prudence obliges a nation to avoid dangerous wars‡.

Religion teaches us, if possible, as far as lieth in us, to

live peaceably with all men. But necessity is sometimes

laid upon Christians to expose themselves to jeopardy

in the high places of the field, for their country and re-

ligion. In such cases the firm belief of this proverb

will encourage us to venture into the field against a su-

perior force, persuaded that every bullet has its direc-

tion from God, and that he is able to give us the vic-

tory, or to make defeats and deaths our advantage§.

Salvations of every kind belong to him. The means

of safety must not be neglected, but God alone must be

trusted, and when the means are attended with success,

the glory is to be ascribed to him. Joshua employed

the whole force of the armies of Israel against the na-

tions of Canaan, and he praised those tribes that gene.

rously and faithfully assisted their brethren to subdue

the country; but he was fully sensible that it was not

their sword and bow that had gotten the land, but God's

right arm and favour, and the light of his countenance||.

In our spiritual warfare, we must arm ourselves with

the whole armour of God, but our strength must be in

the Lord, and in the power of his might. If we must

trust him for safety in fighting with flesh and blood,

 

*Isa. 30:7,8    †Judges 5:8, Deut. 23:9, Ps. 20:5   ‡Luke 14

§Judges 5:9, Ps. 44   || Josh. 23:3

CHAP. XXII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 577

 

how can we wrestle successfully against the powers of

hell without his divine succour*?

 

 

Proverbs 22

 

 

Verse 1. A good name is rather to be chosen than great

riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

A great fame is none of the most desirable objects,

but a good character and the love of men are frequent-

ly represented by Solomon as valuable blessings.

Riches are greatly esteemed in the world, and, under

the management of wisdom, serve very valuable purpos-

es; but they don't contribute so much to the quiet and

happiness of life, as the esteem and love of our neigh-

bours, nor do they qualify us so much to honour God

and do good to men. Paul does not require it as a qua-

lification in church rulers to be rich, but he requires

that, along with knowledge and good behaviour, they

should have a good report among Christians, and even

heathens. He was sensible that the most useful instruc-

tions from a suspected person would have no better re-

lish than wholesome food presented in an unclean dish.

Our Lord requires all Christians to do those good works

that are esteemed by men, not indeed that they may

receive praise from men, but that God may be glori-

fied on their behalf. The like exhortations are fre-

quently given us by the apostles of Christ†.

But we must still remember that a good name and

the favour of men are not to be compared with the

pleasures of a good conscience, and the favour of

God; for if the friendship of men is so pleasant and

 

*Eph. 6:11-13,18      †Rom. 12:17, 2 Cor. 8:21, Phil. 3:8, 2 Peter 2

578               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXII.

 

useful, God is greater than men, and his favour is in-

finitely more valuable. And we have no reason to

be vexed if we lose the esteem of men in our endeavours

to please God. The esteem and good will of men are

to be valued chiefly because they will enable us more

effectually to serve the interests of God's kingdom, and

to do good to the souls of men. When they are valued

for their own sakes, they become a snare to us, as they

were to some of the ancient Jews, who would not con-

fess Christ, because they loved the praise of men more

than the praise of God. When our names are cast out

as evil, for a good cause, we have reason to rejoice arid

triumph, because we are made partakers of the suffer-

ings of Christ, that when his glory shall be revealed

we may be glad also with exceeding joy.

If we seek chiefly to please men, we are not fhe ser-

vants of Christ, but if we are the servants of Christ, we

must endeavour for his sake, to please men, for their

good to edification, and for the honour of his gospel.

We must value our character above money, and avoid

every thing that is mean, although it might promote

our outward estate. We must not only attend to the

secret duties Of religion, but those also that recommend

it to the world, and take all care that our good be not

evil spoken of, and that religion meet with no reproach

by our misconduct. We should be thankful to God,

if we enjoy the benefit of a good name, and employ our

influence for the advancement of his glory, but we must

abhor the thoughts of making any sinful compliances

with the course of the world for the sake of our credit,

remembering that instructive saying of God, "Them

that honour me, I will honour, but they that despise

me shall be lightly esteemed."

Ver. 2. The rich and poor meet together, the Lord is

the maker of them all.

What is a king to a man? what is a crown and a

CHAP. XXII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 579

 

throne to a thinking substance, capable of enjoying

God? Majesty is a high sounding title, but the name

of a reasonable being would be accounted much more

noble, were not kings reasonable beings like other men.

The things wherein men of different circumstances a-

gree, are infinitely more important than those wherein

they differ; yet such is the vanity which generally at-

tends riches and power, that great men often treat per-

sons of mean station, as if they were some lower rank

of animals.

The poor and rich are made of the same blood, and the

same glorious power is displayed in the formation of

their bodies, and the creation of their souls. They breath

the same vital air, and enjoy the light of the same

sun. They owe their support equally to the earth, and

shall return to the same dust. Their souls are equally

precious, and shall dwell in the same eternal habitations,

unless there is a distinction between them of a very dif-

ferent kind, from that which makes the rich too often

td trample upon the poor, and the poor to return their

contempt with the no less criminal passion of envy.

They are alike lost in Adam, and have the same right

to salvation, through Christ revealed to them in the

gospel.

They meet together in the same family, and church,

and nation, and they are useful to each other, if they

comply with the designs of providence. The rich man's

wealth would be of little use to him without the

labour of the poor; and the rich man ought to return

protection and wages to the poor. Like members of

the same body, they ought neither to despise nor to

grudge at one another, but to contribute their joint en-

deavours to the good of the whole.

The Lord is their common creator and father, and

by his providence he hath made this man rich and the

580               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXII.

 

other man poor, and can invert their conditions when

he pleases, as the experience of every day declares.

Why should the rich man despise his poor fellow

creature? Did not he that made you make him? Did

not one God fashion you both in the womb*? Did God

frame you of finer clay, or form you of better blood,

than that of Adam? or do your riches make you bet-

ter, or wiser, or even happier than the poor man? The

horse is not so much worse than brutish, as to reckon

itself a nobler animal than another of its own species,

because it has got a finer saddle on its back.

Let not the poor grudge at their poverty, and repine

at him that has given a larger portion of land and mo-

ney to their fellow men, for he is the Lord. He hath

given you more than you can claim by the rights of

justice, and if he has given more to some others than

to you, he has given them what was his own and not

yours, and has commanded them to be kind and useful

to such as .you, in the spending of it†.

Ver. 3. A prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth

himself: but the simple pass on and are punished.

Common prudence will teach men to provide for

their security against plain and evident dangers. Drunk-

ards, and whoremongers, and rash sureties, are desti-

tute of common sense as well as religion, otherwise

they would not rush upon certain destruction for a mo-

mentary gratification.

This mark of prudence appears chiefly in those

who partake of the wisdom that is from above. As

Noah, when he foresaw the deluge, prepared an ark to

the saving of his house, so the prospect of the deluge

of wrath alarms them, and instigates their flight to that

blessed refuge which God hath provided for our souls.

When Moses foretold the tremendous storm that was

 

*Job 31:16     †Matt. 20:15

CHAP. XXII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 581

 

to destroy the fields and cattle of Egypt, it was seen

who of Pharaoh's servants were fools, and who were

wise. The foolish left their cattle in the fields to perish,

the wise amongst them put their cattle under a shelter.

Now God threatens punishment to sinners in his word,

but he is pleased in his great mercy to shew us where

we may find refuge. Christ is a hiding place from

the storm, and a covert from the tempest; and those

who are made truly wise, will give no rest to their eyes,

nor slumber to their eye-lids, till they are hidden un-

der the covert of his righteousness. Besides that terri-

ble wrath which shall seize upon all sinners at last, God

oftentimes gives commission to particular judgments,

to avenge his quarrel upon a land or church. Now

prudence will enable us in some measure, to discern the

signs of the times, and to judge of effects from their

causes. There are some men so stupid, that they will

not see God's hand when it is lifted up, but the wise

man, by the threatenings of the word and the appear-

ances of providence, can see God's hand when it is about

to be lifted up, and enters into those chambers of safe-

ty which are provided for his safety in the evil day.

It is only sensual and earthly wisdom that teaches

men to shelter themselves from danger, by venturing

on sin, or neglecting duty. This is just as wise, as it

would be for a man to run upon a drawn sword to avoid

the scratch of a pin*. But the simple walk in dark-

They see not the evil coming, or if they see it,

they are so senseless that they pass on in their dan-

gerous course, till they meet with deserved punishment,

and they are more stupid than many of the brutal cre-

ation, who foresee the storms and run to their shel-

ters†. Many of the feathered tribes, before the cold sets

in, fly away to warmer climates. How then do ye say,

 

*Dan. 3           †Job 36:33

582               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXII.

 

we are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us, if you

are more senseless than the beasts of the earth, and less

wise than the fowls of heaven? Will you call yourselves

reasonable creatures, and Christians, when neither rea

son nor revelation can make you so prudent about your

best interests, as instinct alone renders animals that

cannot boast of these precious gifts*.

Ver. 4. By humility and the fear of the Lord, are rich-

es, and honour, and life.

Many great things are said of humility in Scripture,

and many precious promises are made to it. But the

humility meant, is not that false humility that is often

found among the proudest of men, nor that constitu-

tional modesty, or that condescension of temper and

behaviour, which is the mere effect of good sense, and

is a very amiable quality, but not a Christian grace.

Christian humility is that which has the promises be-

longing to it, and it is always joined with the fear of the

Lord. It arises from an apprehension of the glorious

excellencies of God; for when our eyes are open to his

terrible majesty, we cannot but perceive our own mean-

ness; when we behold his spotless purity, we must be

ashamed of our own loathsomeness; when we contem-

plate his awful authority, we feel our obligations to de.

ny our own perverse wills; when his sovereignty is felt,

we cannot but yield the management of all our concerns

into his hand; and when we have the knowledge of

his righteousness, we are obliged to renounce our own

works, and submit to the righteousness of God. Thus

Job and Isaiah were humbled. They saw God with

the seeing of the eye, and humbled themselves in the

dust before him.

Humility, arising from an impression of the glories

of God, is attended with other Christian graces, and an

 

*Jer. 8:7,8

CHAP. XXII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 583

 

holy conversation. The humble man will walk hum-

bly with his God, and bend all his endeavours to please

the Most High.

By this humility are riches, and honour, and lives,

(marg.) These things are greatly valued by the sons

of men, especially when they attend one another. Riches

are universally coveted, and yet many that possess

them are discontented, because they covet the addition

of titles and dignities to their wealth; and some that

have riches and honours in abundance are more unhap-

py than those who want them, because they must die,

and leave their beloved dignities and riches to others.

But here Solomon instructs us, in few words, in a short

and sure way of attaining those blessings, which men

so ardently covet, and in securing them against every

contingency, and even against death itself. But if we

follow his direction, we must renounce the wisdom of

the world, which teaches the opposite doctrine. It is

generally believed, that if men would obtain riches and

greatness, they must push themselves forward, and

make themselves men of importance, and that they must

not too scrupulously adhere to their duty, but in some

cases venture to displease God by venial sins, to secure

the favour of men. But we are here taught that hu-

mility and the fear of the Lord are the straight road to

every thing desirable; and if we believe that God is the

fountain of life, and every blessing, the doctrine of So-

lomon will be clear as the light. For to whom do kings

give their favours? to their friends or enemies; to those

whom they love, or to those whom they hate? We

know that the Lord delights in the humble, and takes

pleasure in them that fear him; and as he waters the

humble vallies with the fructifying showers, so he re-

freshes with his abundant blessing, those who are low

in their own eyes, and willing to render the glory of

all that they receive to the Giver. If the humble want

584               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXII.

 

any thing that is good in this world, they shall possess

unfailing treasures and a crown of life in heaven*.

Ver. 5. Thorns and snares are in the way of the fro-

ward, he that doth keep his soul shall befar from them.

When the children of Israel spared the Canaanites,

in opposition to the commandment of God, they found

the consequences of their sin, though it might seem a

little one, very troublesome, for the remnant of the ac-

cursed nations were thorns in their eyes, and snares and

traps to them, and scourges in their sides. Such shall

sin be to every froward transgressor. It is generally

allowed that the end of transgressors is miserable, but

we are assured by Solomon that their way is hard, and

that it is all covered over with thorns and snares. The

tyranny of lusts, the cravings of inordinate desires, the

disappointment felt in the enjoyment of the pleasures of

sin, which never answer expectation, the stings of con-

science, the bitter fruits of many sins even in this world,

and the sore rebukes of providence, are thorns and bri-

ers which pierce the souls of transgressors every day.

And as Gideon taught the men of Succoth, with

thorns and briers, so men, if they were not become bru-

tish, would learn, from the pains that attend or follow

the pleasures of sin, that it is an evil and a bitter thing

to forsake the Lord†.

The wicked cannot get free of these miseries, for

snares are in their way, by which they are held fast, as

a bird in the snare of the fowler. They are compassed

by God with a net, and all their efforts will be insuffi-

cient to disentangle them‡.

There are snares also in their way, by which the

devil holds them fast in sin, so that they cannot get

free from his tyranny. They resolve to repent at last,

 

*Matt. 5:3      †Matt. 8:22, Luke 8:14        ‡Job 22:10

CHAP. XXII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 585

 

but they find that Satan keeps them fast in the cords

of their sins. They are like galley slaves chained to

their work, and nothing but almighty grace can work

out deliverance for them*. Such is the malignant na-

ture of sin, that it turns every thing into a snare, and

an occasion of sin. Adversity and prosperity, the

comforts of the table, the ordinances of God, and Christ

himself, are a snare to the froward†.

Who is the man that shall be preserved from these

snares and thorns? He that keepeth his soul by watch-

fulness against sin and temptation, by prayer, and, a-

bove all, by committing it to the care of him that is the

keeper of Israel. He shall be preserved from every

evil thing, he shall be far from those thorns and snares

which the froward man is continually meeting in his

path.

Are these things so? Did not Job keep his soul with

all diligence, and even the souls of his children, and

yet he met with snares, and nets, and darkness, in his

paths‡. This cannot be denied, but Job was only tri-

ed for a moment, to improve his graces, to raise his,

name, and to brighten his crown. The people of God

may expect manifold tribulations, but, amidst them all,

they have peace in Christ: And what are the tribula-

tions of the world to the peace that is in him! They

shall be preserved by the power of God, through faith

unto salvation, and whilst they sow in tears they can

rejoice in the hope of reaping in joy §.

Ver. 6. Train up a child in the way wherein he should

go, and (or also, or even) when he is old, he will not de-

part from it.

Take this child, said Pharaoh's daughter to Jochebed,

nurse him for me, and I will pay thee thy wages. Chil-

 

*2 Tim. 2:26  tProv. 1:32, Ps. 69:22, Isa. 8:14

‡Job 19:6,8, 22:10    §Rom. 8:28, 2 Cor. 5:17

586               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXII.

 

dren are an heritage of the Lord, and he lays claim,

in a special manner, to the children of professing Chris-

tians, as his own*. And he commands them to be nurs-

ed and trained up for himself, and those that obey his or-

ders shall be richly recompensed, in the good behaviour

of their children, or at least, in the approbation of God,

and the satisfaction of their own minds.

Satan will soon address himself to your children, to be-

speak them for his service. Their reason will no sooner

begin to operate than he will take advantage of that fool-

ishness which is bound up in their hearts, to fix them in

his service. Endeavour therefore to be beforehand with

him. Instruct them in the knowledge of God, of their

own fallen condition, of the way that God hath provided

for their recovery, and the way of holiness wherein they

should walk. Convince them, by methods suited to

their tender years and weak minds, that religion is

pleasant, and necessary for them. Check the first ap-

pearances of vice, by such means as will not give them

a disgust at instruction. Accommodate yourselves in the

methods of your instructions to their capacities and

dispositions, that they may be drawn to religion with

the cords of love, and with the bands of a man. Pa-

rents do not give the same food to all children, but at-

tend to the difference in their constitutions and tastes,

in their care of their bodies? and why should they not

make the like difference in their management of their

minds? Let all your instructions be sweetened by good

nature, and enforced by good example, which has a

greater influence than precepts upon all men, and es-

pecially on children. Correction must likewise have its

place in training up your children; and God must be

earnestly implored to crown the whole with his blessing.

When children are thus trained up, they will be led

 

*Ezek. 16:20

CHAP. XXII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 587

 

into the paths of life and peace, and even when they

are old they will not turn aside out of them. Timothy

from a child was trained up in the knowledge of the

holy Scriptures, and the faith which dwelt in his grand-

mother and mother, dwelt in him also, for the scrip-

tures made him wise unto salvation. It is a great plea-

sure to parents to see their children walking in the

truth, and it is an unspeakable heightening of that plea-

sure, when their own instructions and admonitions

have been blessed by God, as means of conducting them

into that good path. Parents love their children, be-

cause they were the instruments of their existence, but

they will look upon the fruit of their bodies to be

doubly their children, when they are spiritual fathers

to them, as well as the fathers of their flesh. But how

painful must it be to the heart of a parent, to see the

misbehaviour of a child, whose Christian education was

neglected? Every wicked act in such a child, must be

a wound in the heart of his cruel father, who by his

cruel negligence, left his child to be a prey to the devil,

and, carried captive by that cruel tyrant, to be employ-

ed in his hellish drudgery. If the father lives to see

him die in such a situation, what an hell must it be to

his own soul. Even the agonies of a wounded consci-

ence are unequal to the torment of reflecting that, in

spite of all the obligations of nature, and interest, and

religion, a poor child was suffered to be carried away

by Satan to the lake of fire; where he is now justly

cursing the instrument who brought him into the world

in a sinful state, because he never used the proper

means for preventing that horrible misery, to which he is

now reduced.

Will children always walk in that way wherein they

are trained up? For the most part this will be the case,

God is a sovereign dispenser of grace, and he is not

under any obligation to bestow it upon the children of

588               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXII.

 

his faithful people; but this proverb teaches us, that he

uses to bless the attempts of parents, to train up their

children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

If parents are disappointed in their expectations from

their children, they will be free at least of those terrible

remorses which sting the hearts of careless parents,

when their children prove wicked. They have the

pleasing consciousness of having done their duty. They

can pray, with humble boldness, that God may yet bless

his own appointment for their children's advantage; for

the seed of early instruction may be many years buried

under ground, and at last spring up. They may even

form some pleasing hopes, that although they have not

the pleasure of seeing their houses such with God as

they could wish, they may see at the great day, some at

the right hand of Christ, who gave them too much rea-

son to fear the contrary. The instructions of Heze-

kiah had no influence upon Manasseh, till he had been

long in his grave; and yet Hezekiah will be able, we

hope, to say at the last. Here am I, and the son whom

God hath given me.

Ver. 7. The rich ruleth over the poor, and the bor-

rower is servant to the lender.

When Job's three friends endeavoured to convince

him that he was a great sinner, and could make no im-

pression upon him, Eliphaz at last ventures roundly to

tell him, what his trangressions were; but as he had

only conjecture to go upon, he could only judge what

those sins were that he was most likely to fall into, and

fixes upon those that were most natural to a man in his

circumstances. Job was the greatest of all the men in

the east, and therefore Eliphaz tells him, that he had

taken a pledge from his brother for nought, and had

tyrannized over the poor; for he knew that the pride

of riches often displays itself in such conduct, and that

CHAP. XXII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 589

 

those whose circumstances enable them to lend to

others, are too often betrayed, by their circumstances,

into insolence and oppression. It is not for nothing

that Paul directs Timothy to charge those who are

rich in the world, not to trust in uncertain riches,

nor to be high-minded. Rich persons ought nar-

rowly to examine their own hearts and conduct, whe-

ther they are not puffed up with vanity, and dis-

posed to behave imperiously towards their inferiors,

especially those who are obliged to have some de-

pendence upon them, and whose circumstances oblige

them to be in their debt. Let them remember that

they have received their riches from God, by whose

providence things are so managed, that this man is poor

and the other man rich; this man must borrow, and

another man is able to lend. Let them attend to

their own poverty and absolute dependance in respect

of God, before whom the rich and the poor are equal,

and by whose justice, those who take their brethren

by the throat, because they owe them a few pence,

will have the many talents exacted, in which they stand

indebted to God.

This proverb is a warning to men to be industrious

and frugal, that they may not lose their liberty. Men

who labour diligently in their callings, need not cringe

to the rich, nor live in any man's debt. Some persons

care not how much they borrow, never remembering

that the day of payment is coming, and that a man has

as many masters as he has creditors. Paul did not

choose to be burdensome to any man, nor to be meanly

dependant upon the generosity even of those who were

best affected to him, but he laboured, working with his

hands, and helped by his labours to supply the wants

of his friends.

590               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXII.

 

Ver. 8. He that somelh iniquity, shall reap vanity,

and the rod of his anger shall fail.

The husbandman does not expect to reap wheat if

he has sown tares, and yet men are often so foolish as

to expect, that, after sowing to the flesh, they shall reap

the same thing with those that sow to the spirit; and,

therefore, Paul warns men not to suffer themselves to be

deceived in this momentous point*. Solomon gives a

like warning in this place, and so does Hosea†.

He that lives in the practice of any sin, is sowing ini-

quity; for the thoughts of the mind, the words of the

mouth, and the labours of the hand, are seed which

shall spring up and produce a corresponding harvest.

Men expect pleasure and profit from sin, but it will

yield them nothing but disappointment and mischief.

The wages of sin is death, and the truth of God stands

engaged for the payment.

This harvest of disappointment and misery is some-

times begun in this world, as Eliphaz assures us from

his own observation ‡. But the first fruits of it only

are reaped at present: the full harvest is at the end of

the world §; and then sinners will be horribly amazed

at the immense crop of misery, produced from that seed

which they thought had been for ever buried. In vain

do sinners think that their works are forgotten, because

they are not presently recompensed; the husbandman

would be thought a fool, who mourned as if he had

lost his seed, because he cannot reap in the beginning

of summer, when all the world knows that there must

be a long interval between seed time and harvest. Sin-

ners shall reap in due time, if they give not over their

sowing.

Wicked men will not think of these things in time,

 

*Gal. 6:7        †Hosea 10:13               ‡Job 4:8      §Matt. 13

CHAP. XXII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 591

 

but indulge their pride and folly, and many of them

beat their fellow men with the rod of their anger, abus-

ing their prosperity for the support of their insolence;

but their rod shall not always abide in its strength, God

will wrest it out of their hands, and break it in pieces,

and punish them with the more dreadful rod of his own

wrath. Eliphaz was an eye witness of this truth also,

and describes it with great force of language. The

roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and

the teeth of the young lions are broken: the old lion

perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion's whelps

are scattered abroad*.

Ver. 9. He that hash a bountiful eye shall be blessed,

for he giveth of his bread to the poor.

"Mine eye affecteth mine heart," says the mourning

and merciful prophet, " because of all the daughters of

my people." There is a correspondence between the heart

and the eye in the merciful man; for the sight of mi-

sery produces compassion in his soul, and the tender-

ness of his heart beams forth in his eyes. The man

whose eyes are the index of a bountiful heart, is a bless-

ed man, for he enjoys the sweetest of earthly pleasures,

that of kindness and beneficence, and pleasant reflec-

tions on his own conduct. He shall be blessed by all

the wise and good, the blessings of widows and orphans

shall come upon his head, the loins of the poor bless

him, and he shall receive abundant blessings from God,

who will not leave him unpitied in the day of his dis-

tress, but make all his bed in his sickness. He shall

enjoy blessings in his body, and blessings in his out-

ward estate, and blessings in his inner man; he shall be

blessed in his person, and blessed in his family; he shall

be blessed upon the earth, and blessed in the day of

 

*Job 4:10,11, Ps. 37, Isa. 9:4

592               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXII.

 

judgment, for his bountiful works performed from a

principle of faith and charity, will be produced as the

evidences of his interest in the Redeemer*.

He shall surely be blessed, for he giveth of his bread

to the poor, and thereby makes it to appear that his

tears of sympathy are the expressions of genuine chari-

ty. He is not one of those hypocrites that say to their

neighbours, "go away, be ye warmed and filled," whilst

they give them nothing of what is necessary for the

body. He gives, and he does it with an air of kind-

ness which cheers the heart of him whom he relieves.

He gives not of the bread of other people, but his own,

for he would abhor the thoughts of robbery, for acts of

charity. He does not give all his bread, for he does

not think it his duty to rob himself and his family, that

he may give to others; but he gives liberally out of

what he possesses, and that which is left to himself is

sanctified to him.

Some that have a bountiful eye have no bread to give,

but they will give what will turn to as good an account

to the donor, and sometimes will be as pleasing to the

receiver; tears and attention, and offices of tenderness

and prayers to Him that is able to help.

Those that are unfeeling in their dispositions, and

cannot open their hands but to receive, are already curs-

ed with an hard and contracted heart. They are more

savage than the wandering Arabs of the land of Tema t.

They have not the faith of Christ, nor does the love of

God dwell in them, and their ears shall hear, at the great

day, those dreadful words, "Depart from me, ye curse

ed, into everlasting fire ‡."

 

*Ps. 41:1-3, Isa. 58:7-11, 2 Tim. 1:17,18, Heb. 6:9,10

†Isa. 21:14     ‡John 3:17,18, Matt. 25:41

CHAP. XXII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 593

 

Ver. 10. Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go

out, yea strife and reproach shall cease.

Hagar, for her insolent behaviour, was obliged to flee

from the house of Abraham. She humbled herself,

and was again permitted for a time to dwell with that

happy family, but her son Ishmael, by his contemptu-

ous behaviour, procured his own expulsion, and that

of his mother, at the appointment of God himself. It

would be happy for all families, and churches, and so-

cieties of every kind, if scorners could be cast out of

them, for they are the authors of strife and reproach,

of debates, and revilings, and railings, whereby the

sweets of society are poisoned, and turned into gall.

But if this cannot be well accomplished, we ought at

least to avoid all friendship and fellowship with them,

and to exclude them from every voluntary society,

formed for mutual improvement or entertainment.

Peace is essential to the comfort of men, but peace can-

not be maintained whilst scorners are allowed to sow

the seeds of variance by their rude reflections and un-

mannerly reproaches. Their behaviour is such, that

they will inflame the passions of the best natured men

that do not keep out of their way; and when they have

once kindled the fire, none can tell when it will be

quenched. We are commanded, as far as lies in us, to live

peaceably with all men, and therefore it is necessary to

set a mark on those who cause divisions and offences,

and to avoid them. But will contention cease, if these

firebrands of society are cast out? Yes, unless we have

too much of their disposition in our own breasts. We

must expel from thence the principles of scorning,

those proud and fiery passions from whence all divi-

sions arise.

How long, O ye scorners, will you delight in your

scorning? Don't you observe what brands of infamy

are set on your name; what a plague you are to all

594               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXII.

 

around you, so that the wise exclude you from their

company, because your dispositions are so wicked and

perverse that there is no bearing with you? Why do

you indulge that arrogance which makes you the ser-

pents of human society? Go and learn of Him that is

lowly and meek, and you shall find rest to your own

souls, and become the delight of those amongst whom

you were an abomination*.

Ver. 11. He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace

of his lips, the king shall be his friend.

No saint can say that he is perfectly pure from his

sin ; but every saint may safely say, that he is a lover

of purity, and a hater of hypocrisy. The pharisees

loved the reputation of purity, and they were very pure

in their own eyes. They thought themselves as clean

as those pots and vessels which they purified with such

exactness, whilst they were in reality like cups and

platters, whose outside was clean, but the inward part

filled with every impurity. But real saints are more

anxious to approve themselves unto God, than to en-

joy reputation from men, and their outward holiness

proceeds from a love of purity in the heart †.

The pureness of heart, here meant, consists chiefly

in sincerity and uprightness, and stands opposed to all

dissimulation. The love of it is necessary to grace in

the lips, which must be directed by an honest heart,

and admit no pollution of flattery and doubleness,

which so much stains the communication of a great part

of mankind ‡.

The lips may assume an appearance of purity and

sincerity when there is none in the heart, but this

empty appearance cannot be long supported. A very

small degree of sagacity will enable a man soon to dis-

cover it, and the discovery is attended with abhorrence.

 

*Prov. 24:9    †Rom.2:28-30           ‡Ps. 12

CHAP. XXII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 595

 

Grace in the lips is necessary to recommend pureness

of heart. We ought always to speak the words of

truth, but we ought to speak it in the most pleasing

manner possible, that we may not render it unaccepta-

ble by our manner of representing it. Daniel shewed

his integrity and politeness at once, by the manner of

his address to Nebuchadnezzar, when he was called to

give him very disagreeable information.

Every man ought to be a friend to the man of inte-

grity, and the king himself, if he is not an absolute

fool, will be a friend to him that joins purity of heart

with gracefulness of tongue. Daniel, the captive, on

this account, found favour with two haughty kings of

Babylon. It is the general opinion, that flattery is ne-

cessary in our conversation with great men, if we wish

to recommend ourselves to their favour; but the surest

way of gaining and securing the favour of any man, is

to seek above all things the favour of Him that has the

hearts of all men in his hands, The favour gained by

flattery and complaisance, soon decays. The favour,

lost by truth, is in time recovered. Falsehood may sup-

port itself for a year or two, but truth stands on an im-

moveable foundation, for it is supported by the God of

truth, as we are told in the next verse.

Ver. 12. The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge,

but lie overthrowelh the words of the transgressor.

When knowledge in the mind is attended by pure-

ness in the heart and grace in the lips, they form an

amiable and worthy character, which draws to it the

eyes and hearts of wise men: but that is not the prin-

cipal recommendation of it, for the eyes of the Lord

himself preserve knowledge, and watch for good over

the man whose lips and conversation are regulated by

it. The king should be his friend, but there are Ahabs

among kings who have not so much sense as poor Bel-

shazzar, but love only those that speak pleasing things

596               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXII.

 

to them, whether true or false: but the King of kings

will surely be his friend; his eyes are upon him for

good, and every loss that he sustains for his adherence

to truth shall be gain. But the words of the transgres-

sor are overthrown by Him. He disappoints their hy-

pocrisy, and brings evil upon them, instead of those

advantages which they expected from their cunning and

insincerity.

It is mostly safe to follow the counsels of a wise

man, for they are likely to be attended with happy

success, and if it is in his power he will contribute for

his own honour to the success of them; but it is always

safe to follow the counsels of God, who can insure and

command success, and will not suffer any man to lose

in the end, by obedience to his will. God did not in-

deed interpose in the same visible manner, for the sup-

port of John Baptist, as he had formerly done for the

preservation of Shadrach and his companions. But John

the Baptist had done his work, and was fit for a better

world, and this world was not worthy of him; we can-

not suppose him a loser, because his integrity procur-

ed him tlie crown of martyrdom, and he now praises

God as cheerfully for the administrations of providence

towards him on earth, as the three children who es-

caped the violence of fire, or he that came unhurt out

of the lion's den.

Ver. 13. The sluggard saith, there is a lion without, I

shall be slain in the streets.

The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold,

and he will not move out of his house lest a lion should

meet him, and kill him in the streets. This is a very

odd excuse for his laziness. Lions are seldom found

in the fields in the day time, and it is a very extraor-

dinary thing, if they be found in the streets. Does the

sluggard himself believe there is any truth in it? If he

does, why does he sleep in his house, since it is possi-

CHAP. XXII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 597

 

ble that it may be set on fire by some accident in the

night? Why does he ever take a meal, for some have

been choked by the bread which they put into their

mouths?

When we are employed in the duties of our calling,

we need not vex ourselves with the apprehension of

lions. " I will give mine angels charge over thee," says

God, " and they shall keep thee in all thy ways." Thou

shalt tread upon the lion and adder, the young lion and

the dragon shalt thou trample under thy feet. But let

the sluggard remember that there is,a lion in that bed

where he dozes away his time, and in that chamber

where he sits folding his arms together. The devil

goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may

devour, and he rejoices greatly when he lights upon a

sluggard, for he looks upon him to be a sure prey.

Poverty, like an armed man, is fast marching up to the

sluggard, and will soon prevail against him, like a king

prepared to the battle.

We are safe from the lions in the way of duty, and

never safe when weavoid it. Lions, when they met David

feeding his sheep, were torn in pieces by him like kids.

A lion unexpectedly came upon that young man of the

sons of prophets, who declined his duty when he was

commanded to smite his neighbour, and rent him in

pieces.

Ver. 11. The mouth of strange women is a deep pit:

he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein.

If you will believe the fond admirer of the strange

woman, her cheeks and lips are like the roses and

lilies, her eyes are like stars, and her mouth drops

honey. But if you will believe Solomon, speaking

from the mouth of God, her mouth, and every thing

about her that charms the hearts of men, is like a deep

ditch, made for catching the unwary passenger, and

all her flatteries and blandishments are so many traps

598               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXII.

 

and snares, set by the devil to catch men, that he may

take them captive and keep them fast till their doom be-

comes irreversible as his own. Solomon had discour-

sed at great length on this point, in the beginning of

the book, but young men need to be frequently put in

mind of it.

They are unhappy that fall into this ditch, for it is

a proof of the Lord's heavy displeasure, when men are

suffered to fall into it, and therefore, in order to be pre-

served from this danger, it is necessary for us, not only

to observe the precepts of God, levelled against the

sin of uncleanness, but to observe the whole system of

divine precepts, because God may suffer us to fall into

this sin, to punish us for others. The heathens were

given up to it, as Paul tells us, for their idolatry. They

had dishonoured God by their vain imaginations and

their abominable worship, and God in justice suffered

them to dishonour their own bodies, and to make

themselves brutes, as they had represented God him-

self by the images of brutes.

Have we been left to fall into this sin? Our situa-

tion is very dangerous, for nothing less than divine

power can raise us out of this ditch; and how can we

expect miracles of divine power to be exerted in our

behalf, when we have drawn upon ourselves the sore

displeasure of the Lord? But our situation is not al-

together desperate, for miracles of mercy have often

been performed by the Lord. Let us acknowledge his

justice, and humble ourselves under the tokens of his

displeasure, and look to him with earnest expectation

and ardent cries, till he raise us up out of the deep pit,

and set our feet upon a rock.

Ver. 15. Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child,

but the rod of correction shall drive it farfrom him.

Men generally use children like play-things, and di-

vert themselves with their childish tricks and follies;

CHAP. XXII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS                 599

 

but there is another kind of foolishness in children,

that is too serious and mournful to be the subject of

sport. Sin is the very essence of folly, and sin dwells

in young and old, and none of the children of Adam,

except him that was, in a peculiar sense, the seed of

the woman, could ever deny with truth, that he was

shapen in iniquity and born in sin.

This foolishness dwells in the hearts of children, and

makes their way froward and strange*, for the under-

standing is darkened, the will perverted, the affections

sensualized, and the disposition rendered averse by it

to every thing good, and turned to evil. It is bound

in the heart by cords that no man can loose, and

twines to it like ivy to the walls of a house. It is not

more natural for a man to breathe, than for a child of

Adam to violate the law of the Lord, and to covet for-

bidden fruit.

When parents rejoice with a fond heart over the

fruit of their bodies, they should remember that they

were the instruments of conveying a corrupt nature to

their children, and be deeply concerned to have this

mortal disease effectually cured. But how can this be

effected? Who can bring a clean thing out of an un-

clean; or who can say that he has made either his own

heart or any other persons clean? God only can loose

the bonds of sin, and drive foolishness away from the

heart, and therefore his grace must be sought for this

end. But whilst his favour is earnestly supplicated,

the methods appointed by his wisdom are to be used

with a dependence on his blessing. Parents ought to

join correction to instruction, and to use it as an ap-

pointment of God, on which his blessing may be ex-

pected. The rod of correction shall drive this foolish-

 

*Chap. 21:8

600               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXII.

 

ness far from the child, and he is a cruel parent that

loves the ease of his son more than his soul, and would

rather see him grow up in folly, than endure those

painful feelings which compassionate parents suffer,

when they are scourging the son whom they love.

Ver. 16. He that oppresselh the poor to increase his

riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to

want.

Sin pays its servants very bad wages, for it gives

them the very reverse of what it promised. Whilst

the sin of oppression or injustice promises mountains

of gold, it brings them poverty and ruin. "Shalt thou

reign because thou closest thyself in cedar?" said the

prophet to Jehoiakim. It could not be, for he used his

neighbour's service without wages, and gave him nought

for his work. There is a flying roll of curses which

enters into the house of the thief and the oppressor,

which consumes it with the timber and stones of it.

Injuries dope to the poor are sorely resented by the

God of mercy, who is the poor man's friend, and will

break in pieces his oppressor. The threatenings of

God against the robbers of the poor are sometimes

laughed at by the rich and great, but they will find

them in due time to be awful realities*.

But if the oppression of the poor is an impoverishing

sin, will not liberality make a man rich? True libe-

rality, exercised to proper objects, will. But not that

which is exercised to the rich. Some give to the rich

for the same reason as they oppress the poor. They

propose to gain the favour of the great, and to receive

tenfold for every present they make, and so they ex-

pect to be soon rich. But he that giveth to the rich

with these views shall surely come to want. If he

would give to the poor he might have an hundred-fold,

 

*Isa. 5:8,9, James 3:4

 

 

CHAP. XXII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              601

 

but he has only God's word for that, and rather chooses

to trust the generosity of rich men; but when they see

the trick, they are on their guard, and will pay with

scorn the man that designed to impose on them with

deceitful professions of regard.

            It is plain from reason, as well as Scripture, that it

is not always a sin to give to the rich, but it is very

often a sin; and that, not only when men are in dan-

ger of hurting their families, or wronging their credi-

tors by it, but likewise when they give those superflui-

ties to the rich, which are due to the poor. We are

not proprietors but stewards of the gifts of providence,

and must distribute that which he has entrusted to our

care according to his will. And it is his pleasure that

we should make to ourselves friends, by the mammon

of unrighteousness, not of the rich but the poor*.

            Ver. 17. Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of

the wise, an apply thine heart unto my sayings.

It signifies nothing to speak to a man that is sleep-

ing or matte five, and yet we are often inattentive when

we hear the word of God, especially the precepts of it,

which we are too ready to look upon as an heavy bur-

den, and a grievous yoke. Solomon was well acquaint-

ed with the heart of man, and knowing how many

would read or hear his excellent precepts without be-

stowing proper attention on them, he rouses us by fre-

quent calls for our most earnest heed to the things that

are spoken.

We must bow down our ears to hear him with atten-

tion, reverence, and humility. The words of the wise

deserve this regard from us, for they are means of com-

municating their wisdom to us. And if the words of

wise men merit so much respect, we can never attend

too earnestly to the words of the only wise God. He

made our ease and shall he not be heard by us?

Our hearts must be applied, as well as our ears, to

 

*Luke 16:9

602               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXII.

 

the knowledge contained in this book. We should la-

bour to understand it with our minds, to fix it in our

judgments, to impress it on our consciences, to have

it treasured up in our memories that it may be con-

stantly ready for our use. God requires us to give him

our hearts, and if we only lend an ear to him, we ren-

der him only a little bodily service. The word of God is

very pleasant, and the sweetness of it is relished when

it enters into the heart.

Ver. 18. For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them

within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.

Honey from the comb is sweet to the taste, but all

the words of God are sweet to the soul.  Wine gives

a pleasant refreshment to the faint and thirsty, but the

truths of Scripture are sweeter than wine, for they

give refreshment to the inner man. Shall we value

those things that are delightful to the organs of taste,

and yet despise those pleasures that fill the soul with

heart-felt satisfaction?  Shall every joy be pursued with

eagerness, and that only contemned which arises from

the word of God?  Do you say, you never received any

pleasure from the word of God, and that an entertain-

ing history gives you more entertainment than any

thing that Solomon has said?  The reason is too obvi-

ous. Solomon tells you that the words of instruction

are pleasant to a man when they are kept within him.

It was a severe reflection, which Christ made upon the

Jews, my word bath no place in you. The same may

be made, with too much reason, upon those that taste

not the sacred joys of the Bible.

As the word of God is pleasant to the relish of a

saint, so its dwelling in the heart is attended with hap-

py consequences, for it shall be fitted in the lips. The

knowledge of truth will supply the lips with wisdom,

and enable them to talk with discretion and judgment.

A talent of speaking with propriety, and wisdom on

any subject, is a great ornament to him that has it, and

 
CHAP. XXII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              603

 

enables him to be useful to others; but it must be

founded on knowledge, for how can any man commu-

nicate that knowledge which he does not possess.  But

clear and distinct apprehensions of things, will always

enable a man to speak of them with ease and plainness,

to others.

The application of the heart to the words that have

been spoken to us, will also tend to encourage our con-

fidence in God.

Ver. 19. That thy trust may be in the Lord, I have made

made known to thee this day, even to thee.

Ver. 20.  Have not I written to thee excellent things, in

counsels and knowledge.

The chief design of this book, is to instruct us in

every duty that we owe to God and man; and confi-

dence in God is a fundamental duty, without which we 

can perform nothing aright.  Solomon calls sinners,

in the beginning of the book, to return unto God, de-

pending on his mercy, according to his promise.  He di-

rects us about believing in Christ, and in God his father

who set him up in everlasting*.  He expressly en-

joins us to trust in the Lord with all our heart, and to

renounce all self-confidence†.  And the whole strain of

his proverbs, wherein he constantly insists on the ad-

vantages of righteousness, and the misery that follows

vice, encouraging us to commit our souls in well-doing

unto God.  Confidence in God, is our shield against

temptations, and the means of deriving from God

through Christ all the supplies of grace needful for our as-

sistance and support in the ways of holiness; and every

thing said in this book, when it is duly considered, will

contribute to strengthen our trust, as well as to direct

our practice.

That our trust in God may be encouraged, and our

steps directed, we must read and hear this book with

 

*Chap. 8         †Chap. 3

 

604               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXII.

 

application to ourselves." I have made known to thee,

even to thee," says the inspired penman.  It is God

that speaks, and he speaks to each of us in particular, and

we ought to receive what is said into our hearts, believ-

ing that the word of exhortation speaketh to us in par-

titular, as really as if it had been written for our own

use, without a view to any other person in the world-

Till we hear the word as the word of God, and as his

word addressed unto us, we hear it not with due regard.

God hath not only spoken, but likewise written un-

to us by Solomon."  Receive I pray thee," said Eliphaz to

Job,"  the law at his mouth, and lay up his word in thine

heart." Job did so, for he esteemed the words of God's

mouth more than his necessary food.  Did the holy

men pay such reverence to the word of God, when

there was no scripture, and shall we shew less regard

to it, when God has been graciously pleased to write

unto us the great things of his law and covenant.

The things that are written are not only words of truth,

but excellent and princely things, worthy to be written

by the wisest of men, by inspiration of the spirit of wis-

dom. God refers it to our own judgments, whether

they are not excellent. If we discern not their excel-

lency we are blind and stupid. They have an excellency

that far surpasses the most valued objects upon earth.

Their value lies not in a glittering appearance, like gold,

and silver, and diamonds, nor in affording entertain-

ment to a curious mind, like a well written history,

but in affording counsel, to make us prudent in all

manner of behaviour, and in giving us knowledge, to

enrich the mind with the most precious truths. To be

wise, to understand our way to heaven, to know God

and his Son Jesus Christ, and the acceptable and per-

fect will of God, are excellent attainments; and the things

written in this book are of excellent use to assist us in

acquiring them.

To have the judgment settled about the great things

 

CHAP. XXII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              605

 

that are intimately connected with our best interests,

is another benefit to be derived from a due attention to

this book.

            Ver. 21. That I might make thee know the certainty

of the words of truth ; that thou mightest answer the

words of truth to them that send unto thee.

            If a man has a cause depending before a court of

law, wherein his all is concerned, he will certainly be

anxious to know what lawyers he may most safely

trust, and what are the surest means of obtaining an

happy event to the suit. Religion is our all, and it is

a criminal sluggishness and stupidity in men, to be

careless whether they are rightly instructed in it or not.

Our teachers have instructed us in the principles which

they themselves believe, and ministers teach us, every

Sabbath, those doctrines which are professed in the

church to which they belong. We believe that their

instructions are sound and good, but on what ground

do we believe this? We do not believe in the infallibi-

lity of any particular church, and we must have better

warrant for a right faith, than the testimony of men.

This and other books in Scripture, were written to

establish us in the truth, by shewing us whether that

is the true doctrine of God wherein we stand. We

have not a sure hold of the truths of God, unless

we are sure that they are the truths of God, and we

can be assured of this only by the Scripture. A scrip.

tural knowledge, will preserve us from being like chil-

dren tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine, of

which we are in constant danger whilst we are unac-

quainted with the Scripture, although we had the know-

ledge of every truth in our religion, by instruction

from men.

            But there is still another great advantage arising

from a serious regard to this book. By establishing

our minds in the truth, it will enable us to satisfy

606               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXII.

 

others that send to us for information about the princi-

ples of truth and duty.  Men were not born for them-

selves only, we are members one of another, and ought

to consult the good of the body, and of other members

of it besides ourselves.  As men, when they perform

the duties of their callings, are useful members of civil

society, so if we live as becometh saints, and seek after

the knowledge of the truth, we will be useful members

of the church of Christ, ready to give an answer to

every one that asketh us a reason of our faith and

hope, to instruct the ignorant, to satisfy the doubts

of the scrupulous, and to fix those that waver.

Such are the pleasures and advantages to be found

in the book of God, and in the Book of Proverbs in

particular.  He has gained every point, says an hea-

then poet, who has mingled the pleasant and the use-

ful together.  These attractives of the soul are no-

where joined together with such exquisite skill as in the

word of God; and if we read it with a superficial eye,

and hear it with an inattentive mind, we despise not

men but God.  We despise him, when he is employing

all the methods of divine condescension and wisdom

to recommend his truths to our hearts.  O let it not be

said, that we give a patient hearing to all that speak to

us, except only to him, to whom we are indebted for

the faculty of hearing and understanding any thing,

He that bath an ear, let him hear the great things

which the Spirit of God speaks unto men.

Solomon now proceeds in his directions about the

conduct of our life. His following proverbs, are gene-

rally expressed at greater length than the foregoing

ones, for under the direction of infinite wisdom, he so-

licits our attention, by every method of address.

Ver. 22. Rob not the poor because he is poor, neither

oppress the afflicted in the gate.

The gate was in ancient times, amongst the eastern

CHAP. XXII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              607

 

nations, the place of judgment, and therefore this in-

struction is be understood to respect judges.  They

are forbid to take advantage of the friendless and

indigent circumstances of the poor and afflicted, to op-

press them by perverting justice in favour to the rich.

The Scripture forbids us to countenance a poor man in

his cause, but it is far worse, and more ordinary, and

therefore more frequently forbidden, to oppress a poor

man in judgement.

This is a crying sin, which contains, together with

injustice, the most unmerciful cruelty, and is a plain

evidence of inhuman and cowardly disposition.  This

was one of the sins for which Eliphaz guessed that

Job's calamities had come upon him; but that good

man was a very opposite spirit.  He did justice to

all men, but to the poor he was merciful as well as

just."  If I have lifted up mine hand against the father-

less," says he "when I saw mine help in the gate, then

let mine arm fall from my shoulder blade, and mine

arm be broken from the bone."

Not to relieve the poor and afflicted, when we can do

it without injury to ourselves, is hard: to oppress them,

and add to their affliction, is brutal and monstrous. It

is to act not like men, but like the monsters of the de-

sert, which prey upon the weaker animals.  For ma-

gistrates to be guilty of this crime, is a perversion of an

institution of God into an engine of abominable wick-

edness.

If poor men had rich friends to plead their cause, or

avenge their injuries, men would not rob them because

they are poor. Well, they have a friend that will plead

their cause and break in pieces their oppressors. If a

great man should take the part of a poor man, he would

reckon himself safe, but God is infinitely greater than

any man, and here it is declared that he will be the

advocate and avenger of the poor and oppressed.

608               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXII.

 

Ver. 23. For the Lord will plead their cause, and spoil

the soul of those that spoiled them.

He pleads their cause with admirable eloquence in

his word."  What mean ye, that ye beat my people to

pieces, and grind the faces of the poor?" saith the Lord

God of Hosts.  Who can answer such pleadings as

these?  However, they are but words, and bad men

look upon words to be but wind.  But God will plead

the cause of the poor, by furious rebukes of providence

also.  He will render unto their oppressors severe ven-

geance for their wickedness. Have they rifled the

poor of their little all?  God will rifle the oppressor, not

only of his substance, but of his life and soul.  The

robber of the poor is a poor unhappy creature.  It is

terrible to have the justice of God engaged against a

man, but this is the unhappy case of the spoiler.  He

may obtain a temporary success in his extortions, but

when he makes an end of spoiling, he must be spoiled.

He has the mercy of God against him, as well as his

justice.  Mercy is that pleasant attribute of the divine

nature, on which all the hopes of sinners must rest; but

the mercy of God is engaged on the side of the poor and

afflicted, against their persecutors. Mercy and justice

meet together in this text, and make it both a promise

and a threatening. What a terrible case is it, to have

grace itself turned into a terror, and to be under the

wrath of God because he is merciful.  Yet such is the ac-

tual condition of those, whose conduct is a contradiction

at once to the rules of justice and mercy.  It shall come

to pass, says God, that when the oppressed cries unto

me, I will hear, for I am gracious.

Let the mercy implied in this declaration, encourage

the poor and afflicted to make God their refuge.  Your

tyrants may look upon these words as empty threaten-

 

*Exod. 22:27

CHAP. XXII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              609

 

ngs, which shall never have effect, but it would be a

very ungrateful return in you for so much goodness, to

consider them in the same light.  The words of God

whereby he encourages the needy, are pure words,

they are like silver seven times purified*.  Have you

such a glorious advocate?  commit your cause to him,

with meekness, in imitation of our great example.  Make

no unconscientious compliances to avoid oppression,

and take no unjustifiable steps to preserve yourselves,

but trust to your great advocate, who stands at the

right hand of the poor to deliver him†.

Ver. 24. Make no friendship with an angry man, and

with a furious man thou shalt not go.

Friendship is the balm of life, when it is entered in-

to with discretion, but it is a plague and a snare, when

it is injudiciously contracted.  Our divine teacher wish-

es us to be happy both in this world and the next, and

extends his instructions to every thing that is connect-

ed with our happiness.  He forbids us to enter into

friendship with any bad man, and here he cautions us

particularly against the friendship of the passionate.

We must of so much as keep company with angry

men, nor take a walk with them, if we can possibly

avoid it.  But what will be the great evil of making

friendship with a man of this temper?

Ver. 25. Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to

thy soul (or life.)

Is there any danger of learning that man's ways

who make himself so very disagreeable?  No doubt

there is, if he love him.  We are either like our friends,

or will so be like them.  Conversation has a mighty

influence upon our manners, and evil communication

corrupts good manners: When we see bad things prac-

tised by those we love, the horror of them abates, and

we are insensibly drawn to the practice of them.

 

*Ps. 12           † 109:31

610               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXII.

 

But if we make passionate men our friends and com-

panions, we are in great danger of becoming like to

them, on another account.  Although we should be

good-natured, yet their unreasonable behaviour will be

apt, on many occasions, to set our temper on fire, and

from occasional bursts of passion, we may be led by

degrees to contract obstinate habits of falling into a

passion, on every trifling occasion; for custom is pro-

duced by frequent acts, and in time becomes a second

nature.

Thus we are in danger of being ensnared into sins of

fatal consequence to our souls, for although anger is

not always a sin, yet to be under the government of

imperious passions, is very sinful and very dangerous.

Our lives may be exposed to danger if we walk

with furious men.  When Cain walked with Abel in

the field, his furious passions subdued his reason and

his natural affection, and he slew his brother.  There

have been many Cains in the world, who have wound-

ed or slain their friends by the impulse of fury.  But

if we should escape this danger, yet by contracting an

habit of being angry, our tongues may in time become

rebels to reason, and bring down mischief on our heads.

Consider this proverb, ye that give a loose to your

passions. Perhaps you suppose that you have good

qualities to atone for this bad one.  But you are quite

mistaken.  The meaning of this instruction is plainly

this, that no good qualities should induce us to enter

into friendship with an angry man.  It is taken for

granted, that a passionate man may have some qualities

that would engage esteem, if they were separated from

this wretched temper, for otherwise no person would

be in danger of contracting an intimacy with a furious

man.  But it is plainly asserted, that these qualities in

conjunction with such a temper, forfeit their claim on

 

*Matt. 5:23

CHAP. XXII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              611

 

our friendship. Don't you see, then, that your miser-

able temper casts a shade over every thing that might

otherwise adorn you, and that you are fit only for a de-

sert, where you can disquiet none but yourselves. God

himself is so much displeased with you, that he will

suffer none that will take his advice to be intimate

with you, or so much as to keep your company. Fly

then to his mercy for pardon, and implore the exertions

of his power, to subdue your ungovernable passions.

Let your souls be impressed with the example of our

meek Redeemer, and watch over your spirits, that you

may not again disturb the peace of society, and deserve

to be sent forth to dwell among the beasts of the desert.

            Ver. 26. Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or

of them that are sureties for debts.

            Solomon has already said much against rash surety-

ship*; but bad examples have a greater influence

upon many people, than good precepts, and because

many others make little scruple of putting their name to

a bond for another man, we are in danger of being se-

duced into the same dangerous practice; but before we

follow any man's example in any thing, we should ob-

serve what the event of it is likely to be. If other men

do bad things, and smart for it, it will be no motive to

a wise man to run into the same error. Let us at least

consider one thing, in this case:  Suppose the principal

debtor should prove unable to pay the creditor, will

we be cheerfully willing to take his place, or are we sure

that we will be able, it called upon, to pay his debt?

We are rich at present, but we know not whether we

will be rich or poor at the day of payment. And,

            Ver. 27. If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he

take away thy bed from under thee?

            You may say, it will never come to this The law of

Christ will not suffer the creditor, to exercise such ri-

 

*Chap. 6, 11:15

612               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXII.

 

gour, if I should be unable to pay. How do you know

that?  Are you sure that the creditor, and his heirs, and

executors, will not depart, in any instance of conduct

from the law of Christ, when their interest pushes

them, and the laws of the land will bear them out.

Religion, you see, allows and requires us to pay a

proper attention to our own interest and comfort. It

requires no instances of self-denial, but such as are more

for our own interest than self-gratification in those in-

stances would be. It does not forbid us to love our-

selves, when it requires us to love our neighbours as

ourselves.  Indeed, we cannot hurt ourselves, for the

most part, without hurting some other men also. What

can we do for the poor, for our families, for our friends,

if our bed is taken away from beneath us?

A philosopher, when he saw a generous young man

spending his substance too liberally upon one that pre-

tended great poverty, told him, that "perhaps the man

he was serving was an honest man, but he was certain

that he himself was honest; and therefore," added he,

"you are doing an unjust thing, for you are ruining an

honest man, for one that is, for aught you know, a

rogue."

Ver. 28. Remove not the ancient land mark which thy

fathers have set.

Naboth would not sell the inheritance which his fa-

ther had left him, when he was offered a very good

price; but there are some who have so little respect for

their fathers that they will remove, if possible, the land

mark which their fathers have set, and so little regard

for justice, at the same time, that they intend to give

no price at all for what they add to their estate by

such unjustifiable means.

It may be alleged by the covetous, that our fathers

were under a mistake about the just bounds of their in-

heritance.  Could that be proved to the satisfaction of

CHAP. XXII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              613

 

the other party concerned, or to the conviction of the

judge, it would be a good plea.  But this can seldom

be done.  In ancient usage and prescription be not al-

lowed as a good claim to property, nations might soon

be convulse and broken in pieces.

Land masks are means of preserving peace, as well

as maintaining justice, and therefore the removing of

them is a breach both of peace and honesty.  It is so

great a sin that a solemn curse was pronounced against

it from Mont Ebal*.

It is above three thousand years since this curse was

pronounced and we learn from it that land marks were

a very ancient mean of distinguishing property; that it

is the will of God that men should know what is their

own, and that every unrighteous invasion of another

man's property, is an abomination to him.

Ver. 29.  Seest thou a man diligent in his business?

He shall stand before kings, he shall not stand before

mean men.

To be a busy body in other men's matters is a scan-

dal, but it is a pleasant sight to behold a man diligent

in his own business†.

Some persons look upon the slothful, not to receive

instruction, as Solomon did from the sight of his work,

but to take encouragement to themselves, in following

his example or in being only a little better than he is.

They would not choose to be the greatest sluggards in

the world, but if they can name a man more slothful

than themselves, they think that no man is entitled to

censure them.  Solomon directs us, on the contrary, to

look upon he industrious man, that we may be excited

by the advantages which he gains by his labour, to go

and do likewise.

Such a man shall stand before kings. This does not

 

*Deut. 27:17                         † Peter 3:15

614               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXII.

 

imply, that every man who deserves this character can

expect the honour of being appointed to the high offi-

ces of state, but it points out to us that great activity

is necessary in the servants of kings, and that great ac-

tivity in private stations is the way of obtaining ho-

nour and advancement. If other kings were as wise

as Solomon, this proverb would be oftener verified in

the letter of it, for he advanced Jeroboam to the charge

of the house of Joseph, because he saw that he was an

active man. That Pharaoh, who reigned in the days

of Joseph, would have none to rule over his cattle that

was not a man of activity.

            If the diligent man does not obtain the honour of

standing before kings, his industry, with God's bless-

ing, will, for the most part, preserve him from the dis-

grace of standing before mean men.

            Some women, by their industry, joined with other

virtues, have obtained the honour of an alliance with

the noblest families, of which Rebecca and Ruth are fa-

mous instances.

            If we are diligent in our spiritual business, the ad-

vantage will be vastly greater*. Let us watch, then,

and pray always, that we may be accounted worthy to

escape those miseries which shall come upon the wick-

ed, and to stand before the Son of Man†.

 

*Luke 12:35-38        †Luke 21:36

CHAP. XXIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              615

 

 

                     Proverbs 23

 

Verse 1. When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider

diligently what is before thee.

            WE must add to our faith virtue, and to virtue

knowledge, and to knowledge temperance. Temper-

ance is to be preserved at all times, and to be guarded

in a special manner when we are called to eat with a

ruler; for then is the trial of this virtue, and in a time

of trial we are in great danger of falling, unless we

consider the temptation, and watch against it.

            We ought, therefore, to consider diligently the plen-

ty, the variety, the delicacy of the dishes that are serv-

ed at the great man's table, the danger of being drawn

to intemperance, and the abominableness and danger

of that vice.

            Ver. 2. And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man

given to appetite.

            A man given to appetite is in great danger of run-

ning to excess on such an occasion ; for his fleshly lust

within, and the well-spread table before him, combine

to betray him; and men's consciences are too often so

lax, as to think that the laws of temperance are to be

dispensed with, when there is a fair opportunity, and a

strong temptation to break them.

            A man of a sensual and gluttonous disposition ought

to mortify his appetite. Gluttony is a great sin, as

well as drunkenness.  "Take heed," says our Lord, "lest

your hearts be overcharged with gluttony and drunk..

enness, and the cares of this life." If the disciples of

Christ were under obligation to guard against this sin,

616               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIII.

 

although they sat almost always at mean men's tables,

what need have those to take heed, who are admitted

to entertainments where every thing concurs to solicit

their appetite, and to throw them off their guard.

"But it will be very painful," says the glutton, "to de-

ny my craving appetite, when it is so strongly solicited.

It will be as uneasy to abstain, as to have a knife stuck

in my throat." Be it so, better to have a knife in your

throat than to have your soul betrayed by it to sensu-

al indulgence. Is not affliction rather to be chosen

than sin?  Is it not better to pluck out a right eye,

or to cut off a right hand, than to be betrayed by them

to pleasant sins?

This verse is rendered by some interpreters, "Thou

halt put a knife to thy throat, if thou art a man given

to appetite."  Sensual gratifications are prejudicial to

the body, as well as the soul, and are the frequent cau-

ses of sickness, and weakness, and death. It has been

often said, that the throat has killed more people than

the sword.

Ver. 3. Be not desirous of his dainties, for they are

deceitful meat.

His dainties have a good appearance to the eye, and

they are delicious to the taste, and powerfully tempt

an ungoverned appetite; but remember that the for-

bidden fruit did the same, and yet the eating of it

"brought death into the world, and all our woe." When

you see a number of dishes of very different kinds,

think with yourself, "Here are fevers, and agues, and

gouts, in disguise. Here are snares and traps spread

along the table to catch my soul, and draw me into sin.

Sense gives a good report of this plenty, but reason

and religion tell me to take heed, for it is deceitful

meat."

His meat is deceitful in another view. The ruler

himself has no generous or friendly intention in treat-

CHAP. XXIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              617

 

ing you.  He makes great professions of kindness and

regard, and the civilities of a ruler open the heart, and

put a man off his guard.  His real design very proba-

bly is, to pump out some secret from you, or to gain

you by his flattering caresses to some mean or sinful

compliance with his pleasure.  Such are the ends de-

signed, and too often effected, by means of those feasts

that are given at the elections of members of parliament,

and on some other public occasions of the like nature.

It is often difficult, if we attend them, to return as in-

dependent Britons, and as temperate Christians as we

went.

­Ver. 4. Labour not to be rich; cease from thine own

wisdom.

To be rich has been the lot of many saints; and when

God bestows riches upon us, we are not required to

throw them into the sea, as a certain old philosopher

did; but when God denies us riches, we must not

reckon ourselves unhappy on that account. Solomon

often speaks of riches as a reward that wisdom fre-

quently bestows on those who love her, but here he

cautions us against supposing that wisdom encourages

the love of riches—that universal passion which has

been so mischievous to the human race, since the be-

ginning of the world.

In our fallen condition, we must labour and sweat

for our subsistence; but that kind of labour is useful

to the body, and not prejudicial to the mind.  The la-

bour after riches here forbidden, is exceedingly hurtful

to both.  It arises from an immoderate esteem of pre-

sent things, and an aspiring mind.  It is joined with

a distrust of God's providence, and an hurry and dis-

traction of men's thoughts, which renders them unfit

for the service of God.  It destroys all relish for the

comforts of life, that might be enjoyed at present, and

is a continual incentive to unmerciful and unjust be-

618               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIII.

 

haviour.  It is a pity that we do not more attentively

consider the alarming things that are said by our Lord,

and the apostle Paul, on this subject 4'.

But you will say, money is a necessary and an ex-

cellent thing.  It keeps a man from want and depen-

dence; it raises him to dignity and consequence; it

furnishes every thing that is desirable in life, But

cease from thine own wisdom, which is not the wisdom

from above, but that earthly, sensual, and devilish wis-

dom so greatly condemned in the Scripture.  Money,

under the direction of wisdom, will indeed serve all

these purposes, and some others too, of far greater va-

lue.  But the love of money is not merely a bad thing,

but the root of all evil, and a confidence in money is a

very foolish thing.

­Ver. 5. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not

for riches certainly make themselves wings, and fly away

as an eagle towards heaven.

Wilt thou let thine eyes fly upon money with eager

joy?  Thou, shalt soon see them fly away never to re-

turn.

To look at other men's money with covetous desires,

and an admiration of the happiness of the possessor,

to look upon our own money with rapturous delight,

because our hand has gotten much, is to make to our-

selves gods of gold, as the ancient Israelites did, and to

give them the worship of the soul, and therefore covet-

ousness is called idolatry; and to rejoice in money more

than in God, is to say to the gold, Thou art our hope,

and to the fine gold, Thou art our confidence.

It is foolish, as well as sinful, to set our eyes and our

hearts on riches. Will a man set his eyes upon a mere

nothing?  But what does Solomon mean by calling

them so?  Does not their splendour shew that they are

 

*Luke 12:15, 16:11-13, 1 Tim. 6:10

 

CHAP. XXIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              619

 

true substance? It must be confessed that they are

very glittering nothings, but so are bubbles upon the

water, when they shine with the rays of the sun, which

make them to glare for a moment, but don't hinder

them from vanishing the next. Our Lord tells us that

they are not the true riches, and that a man's life does

not consist in the abundance of them. The wise preach-

er has written a book to prove, that they are the very

vanity of vanities. Philosophers in every age have

declaimed in proof of this point, and all men are sensible

of its truth at the season when the eyes of men are

forced open to the sight of truth.

            But in this passage Solomon means the uncertainty

of riches. They are not, for they fly away out of sight

never to return. They are mine to-day, they were

another man's yesterday, they will be yours to-morrow,

and whither they shall have flown in a few weeks, we

cannot tell.

            But how do they get away? They make to them.

selves wings. Whilst you sit brooding upon them, they

are fledging ; and although you should try, by bills and

bonds, and bars, and bolts, to clip their wings, you will

not be able to hinder their elopement; and when you

think to recover them, you are often making wings to

what is left you. The eagle is the swiftest of birds,

and with the swiftness of an eagle they mount up to-

wards heaven, and receive their commission to whom

they should next go. Doth the eagle fly by thy com.

mand, or canst thou bring him back, like the hawk, to

thy lure? As little can you recover those riches of

which Divine Providence has bereaved you.

            Those who place their happiness on worldly wealth,

build their foundation on a flood poured out, as some

render Job xxii. 16. Their joy is short, and dashed

with a large infusion of fear and vexation. Their dis-

appointment is certain ; their end is dreadful: for those

620          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIII.

 

who mind earthly things above heavenly things, are

enemies of the cross of Christ, and their end is destruc-

tion; but true Christians seek for the true riches, their

conversation is in heaven, and their treasure is in a

place where there is no moth nor rust, nor any of those

feathers which compose the eagle wings of riches, with

which they flee away*.

Ver. 6. Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil

eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats.

The Scripture directs us about the choice of occa-

sional companions, as well as friends. There are some

persons whom we must not receive into our houses,

and there are some to whose houses we are forbidden

to repair, or to sit at their tables. We are not, on every

occasion, forbidden to eat with a ruler, although his

dainties are generally deceitful meat; nor are we abso-

lutely forbidden to feast with heathens and bad men †.

But we are forbidden to eat at the table of him that has

an evil eye, although it should be covered with dainty

meat, and his words full of kindness.

A selfish and churlish disposition discovers itself in

the eye, so that the miser declares his character against

his will. Perhaps, through shame, he endeavours to

hide his churlish disposition under the mask of a plen-

tiful entertainment; but his malignity peeps through

his eyes, which betray him in spite of all that he can

say or do; for nature abhors dissimulation, and often

detects it.

But why must we not eat his bread, nor partake of

his dainties?  Because it is not the quality of the food,

that you are to consider, but the disposition of the

company, and especially of the entertainer.

Ver. 7. For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat

and drink, saith he to thee, but his heart is not with thee.

It is not a man's words and professions that must

 

*Phil. 3:18     †1 Cor. 10

CHAP. XXIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              621

 

determine his character, and direct our correspondence

with him, but the disposition of his heart, which is of-

ten discovered by the general course of a man's behavi-

our, to be very different from what he would have men

to believe it is.  A man that rolls in his mind impious

thoughts of God, is a wicked man, however good his

words may be, and a man that indulges a selfish dispo-

sition is unfit to be a companion or a friend, although

he invites you to his table, and never ceases, when you

are there, to tell you how welcome you are, and how

earnestly he wishes you to eat and drink.

You see how vain it is for men, to pretend that kind-

ness which they do not feel.  They are discovered

more easily than they imagine, and the professions they

make are means of rendering their dissimulation more

evident; for true kindness delights not in many words.

Let men then either be what they profess, loving not

in word nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth, or

else let them lay aside the profession of what they are

not, for it is idle to add the guilt and shame of hypoc-

crisy, to that of a sordid and selfish disposition.

But when that which is set on his table is full of fat-

ness, may we not make a very delicious meal, and pay

him for it, to his satisfaction, by agreeable conversa-

tion? No.

Ver 8. The morsel which thou host eaten, shall thou

vomit yep, and lose thy sweet words.

Men often think it a noble piece of diversion, to

spunge upon a miser, and to take advantage of an in-

vitation extorted from him by shame, to prey upon

every thing that is in his house; but Solomon teaches

us that this diversion will end in vexation.  Thou

mayest eat the morsel with pleasure, but thou shalt re-

pent of eating it, as much as if thou hadst vomited it

up.  All thy agreeable or useful conversation is lost

upon him, and he is so far from thinking it a proper

622               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIII.

 

recompense for the expense he has bestowed upon

thee, that he will endeavour to extort some thing in

return, which it may be very inconvenient to grant,

and yet when thou refusest, he will brand thee with

the character of the ungrateful guest.

When we are called by God to a feast of fat things,

and hear his blessed voice calling us to eat that which

is good, and let our souls delight themselves in fatness,

we may safely venture, at the gracious invitation, to

make use of Christ, and the blessings of his salvation,

as our own; to suspect the sincerity of the gospel call,

is to suspect the God who is abundant in goodness and

truth of an evil eye.

Ver. 9. Speak not in the ears of a fool, for he will

despise the wisdom of thy words.

A fool cannot utter wisdom, but there might be good

hopes entertained of him, if he could hear it; but there

are many fools, who are equally unfit to speak and to

hear.  Concerning such, this direction is given, and

not concerning fools of every kind, for there are some

that want wisdom, and have some conviction of the

want of it, and these are on the road that leads to wis-

dom, the first step of which is to become a fool in one's

own eyes.

The fools to whom we are forbidden to speak the

words of wisdom, are those that will despise the

wisdom of our words, and even these are sometimes to

be dealt with by those that have a call, by their office

or church connexion, to do so, even after they have re-

fused admonition; for the souls of men are precious,

and if there is some hope, though faint, of doing them

good, we must not decline the disagreeable task of re-

provers*.

Our Lord orders the gospel to be preached to every

 

*Matt. 18:15-17, Titus 3:10

 

CHAP. XXIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              623

 

one that will hear it, not excepting scorners*.  But he

will not have his gospel forced on those that obsti-

nately reject it†.  He himself left the Gadarenes, when

they preferred their swine to him, and the Nazarenes,

when they wanted to destroy him.

Although the worst of sinners are to be invited to

repentance, in the public assembly, yet there are some

to whom our Lord tells us, it is needless and unsafe

to administer personal reproofs.  These are the dogs

and swine that would trample our pearls under their

feet, and turn again and rend us.  How pitiable is the

case of such persons, when our Lord himself directs us

to give them up to themselves.

Those that are reproved by ministers, and Christian

friends, nasty learn from this verse, that they have no

reason to take it amiss, or to think that they are treat-

ed with contempt.  They are considered as offenders,

but at the same time as offending brethren, who are

not incurably perverse.  They would be treated in a

very different way, and might reckon themselves with

more justice to be considered in the light of scorners,

and dogs, and swine, if there were no means used to

recover the to repentance.

Ver. 10.   Remove not the old land mark, and enter not

into the feels of the fatherless.

May we then remove other people's land marks, and

enter into their fields?  By no means, but there is less

danger of fiat.  Wicked men are afraid to do any injury

to those who have it in their power to retaliate, or

powerful fends to espouse their quarrel.  Pure reli-

gion and defiled before God and the Father, is this,

to visit the fatherless, and the widows in their afflic-

tion, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

And yet there are none so ready to be trampled upon,

 

*Prov. 1:22 †Matt. 10:14

624               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIII.

 

in this evil world, as the fatherless and widows. But

let the poor and fatherless commit themselves to God,

and the widows trust in him, and he will make their

adversaries to know, that the mightiest on earth are

not more dangerous to be meddled with, than them-

selves.

Ver. 11.   For their Redeemer is mighty, he shall plead

their cause with thee.

He that meddles with the widow and fatherless,

needs better armour than he that touches the sons of Be-

lial, who must be fenced with iron and brass.  God him-

self bath undertaken their defence, and dare we provoke

the Lord to jealousy, are we stronger than he?  He gra-

ciously calls himself their kinsman or Redeemer.  They

have lost the best of earthly friends.  But there is one

in heaven who calls them to trust in him, as their hus-

band and father, their Redeemer and advocate.  He hath

promised to supply their wants, and protect them from

every enemy.  Their enemies set themselves in oppo.

sition to God, and endeavour to make him a liar, by

frustrating his promises, but they do it at their peril.

Perhaps those that oppress the widow and fatherless,

may allege that God is the Redeemer only of his own

people, and that the poor and fatherless, whom they op-

press are none of them.  To this it may be answered,

that God executeth righteousness and judgment for all

that are oppressed.  He is the great lover of righte-

ousness and mercy, and the avenger of all that are un-

righteous and unmerciful.  One part of the office of

the kinsman redeemer under the law, was to avenge

the mischiefs done to his poor friend; and this part of

it God will perform for all that are oppressed, without

exception, so that the oppressor will feel the terrors

of the threatening contained in this declaration, al-

though the fatherless and the widows through their un-

belief, should lose the comforts of that grace, which is

CHAP. XXIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              625

 

discovered in it.  But How do you know, O ye pre-

sumptuous opposers of God's mercy to the poor, that

those whom you wrong are not God's people?  Can you

know the hearts of men?  If you can do this, can you

also look into the heart of God, and into the book of

life, to know who are the objects of his special favour?

How do you know but God may choose those whom

you afflict, in the furnace of affliction. The oppressors

of Judah, said, we offend not, for they have sinned

against the Lord, the habitation of justice, and the

hope of their fathers; yet for their sakes, he sent to Ba-

bylon, and brought down the Chaldeans and their no-

bles, whose cry was in their ships. He thoroughly

pleaded their cause, for he had chosen them in the fur-

nace of affliction.  And the vengeance of the Lord, and

of his temple, was upon Babylon and Edom, and Am-

mon, and all that had afflicted them*.

Here the widow and the fatherless, may find corn.

fort under every injury, and instruction how to derive

the greatest advantages out of the greatest wrongs, by

making use of the injustice of the enemy, as a motive to

flee to God as their Redeemer, and a plea in their sup-

plications for help†.

Ver. 12. Apply Mine heart unto instruction, and Mine

ears to the words of knowledge.

This direction is often repeated, but there is need for

it: too often we hear as if we heard not. An hour or

two passes after we have been reading a chapter, or

hearing a discourse on one of the most important sub-

jects, and scarcely a trace of it is left upon our minds.

I have read of a minister, who was preaching a sermon

on the day of judgment, and the awful truths which he

delivered made such an impression on the audience,

that they all appeared to be alarmed, but the preacher

 

*Isa. 47:4, Jer. 50:33,34      †Ps. 10:14

626               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIII.

 

told them that he had something yet to tell them more

awful than any thing he had said, that in two hours

they would be as little affected with these things, as if

they had not heard them; which accordingly proved to

be the case.

Let us take heed that we be not found among those

of whom it is said, that the word preached did not pro-

fit them, not being mixed with faith in them that

heard it, for the word will not be a means of salvation

to us, unless it is received with meekness, and ingrafted

into our souls*.

Ver. 18. Withhold not correction from thy child; for

if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

Ver. 14. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt

deliver his soul from hell.

Parents are here required, to give due correction to

their children, with their own hands, and not to entrust

that office entirely to others; at the same time they are

forbidden to withhold it from them, even when they

are under the care of others.  If teachers are employed

to instruct them, they must have the power of cor-

recting likewise, and no offence must be taken at them

for using it.  Parents would take it amiss, if any thing

they thought necessary for their children, was withheld

from them by those under whose care they are placed;

and what is more necessary than correction?  The

world will think that man cruel, who does not give

food and raiment to his child, but Solomon looks upon

him also to be a cruel man, who does not give needful

correction.

But the fond hearts of parents will suggest several

objections to this duty.  They cannot bear the cries

and sobs of their children; they are afraid they will

die under their hands.  There is no fear of this, answers

 

*James 1:22

CHAP. XXIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              627

 

the wise man, they only wish to frighten you by their

complaints.  They shall not die but live.  Beat them

with the rod, for it is one of the means that God has

appointed for delivering them from an untimely death

in this world, and destruction in the next.  What an

idea does this give us, of the usefulness of the rod of

correction!   What parent that loves his child, and has

any sense of the terrors of eternal punishment, will

spare his rod, after he has heard this saying of God?

Would you not force your children to suffer bleeding by

the surgeon, if you saw it necessary for the preserva-

tion of their lives, and are their souls less precious than

their bodies?  You think that gentle means are always

the best, but does not God tell you that this does not

hold in every case?  No doubt Eli and David wished,

well to their children, and their parental fondness told

them that gentle admonitions and time, would correct-

all the disorders in their families. But they mourned

at last over these children, that had been so much hurt

by their indulgence. Whether the disorders in David's

family, were the occasion of Solomon's making so

many proverbs on this subject, I shall not say, but after

what he has said, and after what Eli and David suf-

fered, those parents that perform not this duty, are

more inexcusable than these good men were*.

Your children may perhaps complain of your severity,

when there is no ground for it. But this is easier to

be borne, than it would, be to hear them curse you, at

the last clay, for suffering them to take their course in

sin.

Ver. 15  My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart

shall rejoice, even mine.

Ver. 16  Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips

speak right things.

Solomon was a wise father, and had the same wishes

 

*Chap. 22.15

628               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIII.

 

for his son as for himself. He did not greatly mind

whether he was to be very rich or not, but his main con-

cern was, that he might be wise; for he knew that if he

was a fool, the riches he was to leave him would do

him no good*.

Parents may form a judgment of their own disposi-

tions, from their wishes about their children.  World-

ly men make it their great work to provide those

things for their children, which they account their own

best things.  Saints desire above all things, that the

hearts of their children may be richly furnished with

wisdom, and that their lips may speak right things;

for the heart is the throne of wisdom, and by the lips

she discovers her possession of that throne.  Those that

are evil cannot ordinarily speak good things, and the

lips will undoubtedly speak good things, when there

is a good treasure in the heart.

Language cannot express the cordial joys that a wise

parent feels, from the wise and good behaviour of a

son; and when parents enjoy this blessing, let them

consider, to heighten their joy and thankfulness, the

smart that others have felt from the undutifulness and

folly of their children.  It seems probable that Solomon

was taught by painful experience, to speak so feelingly

of the joys of happy fathers.  Rehoboam was far from

being his father's son, yet his father did not give him

up as desperate.  He was a fool, but who knows, said

his father, whether he shall be a wise man or a fool,

when I am dead†.  Let parents use every means re-

commended by God, for making their children wise.

Then shall their souls be glad, and their reins rejoice,

in the happy effect of their endeavours, or at least in

the consciousness of having done their duty.  It is like-

ly that Rehoboam received at last some benefit from the

 

*Eccles. 2:18,19       †Eccles. 2:19

 

CHAP. XXIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              629

 

instructions of his father, for he behaved so well during

a part of his reign, that in Judah things went well.

Ver. 17. Let not thine heart envy sinners, but be thou

in the fear of the Lord all the day long.

When we see the wicked flourishing in prosperity,

and the people of God languishing under oppression;

we are sometimes tempted to doubt, whether there is a

providence, and whether the promises and threatenings

of God be true or not, and to grudge that there is not

a present distribution of rewards and punishments, ac-

cording to the works of men.  Unfit as we are for ma-

naging our own affairs, we are too much disposed to

usurp God's office of governing the world; and if he

does not shower down blessings into the lap of those

whom we esteem, and fire and brimstone upon the

head of the wicked, then we think that God cannot

see things through the dark cloud, or is unfit to ma-

nage them.  But we are here directed to banish envy

from our hearts, and as an antidote to this mischievous

passion, to be in the fear of the Lord continually.

Envy at sinners is a great enemy to the fear of the

Lord.  Asaph's feet had almost stumbled when he

looked with a grudging eye at the prosperous circum-

stances of transgressors; but by the fear of the Lord,

he was preserved from falling, and was recovered from

his dangerous situation; for a deep and heart-affecting

impression of the infinite excellencies of the divine na-

ture will silence our murmurings, and subdue the in-

surrections of our spirits.  If we are deeply impressed

with a sense of the righteousness and holiness of God,

and of his wisdom and goodness, we will believe that

his ways are all judgment, and that there can be no

unrighteousness in his administration, even when we

cannot discern the reasons of it."  Clouds and dark-

ness are round about him, but righteousness and judg-

ment are still the habitation of his throne*."

 

*Ps. 97:2

630               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIII.

 

We are required to live in the fear of the Lord all the

day long.  Whether we are in prosperous or in adverse

circumstances, and whether the wicked around us rise

into affluence and power, or sink into insignificance and

misery, an impression of God's perfection, and of the

happiness that attends religion, and the misery that

follows sin, must dwell upon our hearts, and govern our

conduct.  This fear of God will banish from our minds

impious reflections upon God, and dispose us to keep

his way, even when wicked men are in power, and

threaten to banish all religion out of the world; for

still we shall believe that it will be well with the right-

eous and ill with the wicked, perhaps in this world, but

most certainly in the next*.

Ver. 18. For surely there is an end, and thine expec-

tation shall not be cut off.

If things were to continue in their present state

through eternity, or if there were no eternity before

us, much might be said for the wisdom of impiety, and

the folly of religion; but reason and tradition give us

probable arguments for a future state, and the Bible

assures us of it.  Job saw the prosperity of the wicked

with astonishment, but the counsel of the wicked was

far from him, for he knew that their day was coming;

and when, he saw that some of them died amidst friends

and prosperity, and were honourably buried, he infer-

red that there was a day of wrath to which they were

reserved†.  He was in like manner fully persuaded,

that his living Redeemer would raise his own dust at

the last day, and wipe off all his reproach, and give him

the transporting sight of the divine glory, to his eternal

happiness.  His hope of this blessedness was so lively,

even when there was no Scripture, that he expresses an

ardent wish that his profession of hope might be in-

 

*Ps. 59:9        †Job 21:15,30

CHAP. XXIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              631

 

scribed for ever on the rock, with a pen of iron and

lead.  And it was written, not on a rock, to be read by

the dwellers in the land of Uz, but in the book of God,

to be seen and read of all men.

Did Job triumph in this blessed hope amidst Alio-

tions that would have swallowed up all the courage of

a philosopher and hero?  Shall we faint, who are in-

structed by Moses and the prophets, by the Apostles,

and the Lord himself, concerning the unspeakable feli-

cities of a future state, and the right we have to look

for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life?

Besides, we have a great cloud of witnesses to assure us

that it is not a vain thing to wait for the salvation of the

Lord, and that the expectation of the poor, although it

may seem to be cut off, shall not perish for ever?  Abra-

ham had a promise of a son, by whom his seed were to

be like the stars for multitude, and yet he waited till

Sarah's womb, which was formerly barren, was now

dead; before he had the promised son.  He waited sixty

years longer, before he saw any children by Isaac, but

still he was persuaded that the word of God was true,

and that his promise was the same thing as performance.

He had the promise of Canaan, and yet he travelled

through it as a stranger and pilgrim, but he trusted God,

and what he had promised, he performed, long after

Abraham went to sleep with his fathers.  And those

that give credit to the testimony of God, and wait with

patience in the hope of the promise, are blessed with

faithful Abraham.

Soldiers, in the uncertain hope of spoil, endure all the

severities of the campaign, and encounter all the dan-

gers of the battle; and shall not the professed soldiers

of the Redeemer meet every discouraging providence

without terror and complaint, when the God of truth

says their expectation shall not be cut off*?

 

*James 1:12, 2 Thess. 1:6,7

632               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIII.

 

Ver. 19. Hear, thou my son, and be wise, and guide

thine heart in the way.

It is not sufficient, although it be necessary, for us to

hear the instructions of the inspired moralist.  We are

called to learn wisdom, which is to be acquired by

hearing under the influence of that blessed Spirit by

whom these truths were dictated.  Hearing without

being made wise, will aggravate our guilt, and make our

condemnation more dreadful.  But to expect wisdom

without hearing, is to expect nourishment by miracle

without food.  Let us hear then, with all that meekness

and affection which is due to a kind father instructing

his beloved children; and with hearing let us join pray-

er to that God, by whose direction and in whose name

Solomon speaks to us as children; for our heavenly fa-

ther will give the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to

them that ask him.

What is that wisdom that we are called to seek after?

Wisdom to guide our heart in the way, for Zion's tra-

vellers must have the way that conducts to blessedness

in their hearts.  Our feet and our hearts must be in

the same good paths, for no man is truly religious, what-

ever his outward conversation is, unless his heart be

right with God.  The word of God is then truly use-

ful to us, when we rejoice in the way of God's testimo-

nies more than in all riches.

If we would have our hearts guided in the way,

then we must hear what the wise man is going to say

to us against intemperance in eating and drinking; for

as those that run in the Grecian races, and strove for

masteries in their games, were obliged to be temperate

in all things, in the view of a corruptible crown; so

those that have the eternal crown in their eye, must

exercise a proper care over themselves, that they may

not be overcharged, or pressed down with the immoder-

CHAP. XXIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              633

 

ate use of meat and drink, and thereby rendered unfit

for the Christian course.

Ver. 20. Be not amongst wine-bibbers, amongst rio-

tous eaters of flesh.

Although we do not dethrone reason by drinking,

yet if we impair the vigour of it, and render ourselves

less fit for the business of life, and the service of God,

than we are at other-times, by the free use of the bottle,

we are wine-bibbers.

Flesh is fit provision for our bodies, and it is freely

allowed us by God, who has enlarged our charter for

bodily provision, under the new testament dispensa-

tion, but it is great ingratitude to God to abuse his

goodness in order to serve the lusts of the flesh.  The

body ought to be the servant of the soul, and ever rea-

dy to execute its commands; but when, by the riotous

eating of flesh, or any thing else, our bodies are dis-

abled from doing their duty, or have their vigour im-

paired, and the seeds of weakness, and drowsiness, and

disease, sown in them, we sin against our own souls

and bodies.

We are forbidden, not only to be drunkards or glut-

tons, but to be found in the company of such persons;

for bad company is the common temptation which the

devil uses to draw men to these sins.  By giving them

our company, we are exposed to their solicitations, and

many that were once sober, have been enticed by them

to go to excess at a time, and, by a repetition of the

same rash conduct have been led on, step by step, to

the greatest excesses, and the most confirmed habits

of intemperance, till they became senseless brutes, a

burden to their friends, and fit only for being laid in

the grave, and consigned to those regions which shall

be the everlasting habitation of those who make their

belly their god.

Those who have been long inured to a temperate

634               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIII.

 

course of life, must not think that they are at liberty

to infringe this precept, and to mingle themselves with

the sons of riot, because they are strong enough in

their own eye to overcome all the temptations of sensu-

ality. Christ charges his own disciples, who had been

practised in every virtue under his own eye, and who

had less temptations to this vice than any other men,

to take heed to themselves that their hearts might not

be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness ; and

we find the apostle Paul, who was so often in want,

very anxious that he might not transgress this pre-

cept*.

But what harm is there in learning the ways of the

drunkard and glutton?  Much harm even in this world,

as any man may see, that will but open his eyes ;

Ver. 21.  For the drunkard and the glutton shall come

to poverty, and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

Poverty may be born with patience and cheerfulness,

when it is merely a misfortune; but that poverty fills

the mind with remorse and vexation, which is the fruit

of a man's own bad conduct.  And no self-contracted

poverty is so disagreeable as that which a man brings

upon himself by gluttony and drunkenness, which at

the same time that they deprive a man of the neces-

saries of life, create in him a craving appetite after su-

perfluities and luxuries.

Miserable as men must be, by being reduced to such

unhappy circumstances, they are almost unpitied when

they fall into them; for who will pity one for misfor-

tunes into which he rushes with his eyes open?  If a

man will not pity himself, it is vain for him to expect

pity from his neighbours.

The drunkard or glutton may flatter himself with

vain hopes that he shall escape poverty, and that to

 

*1 Cor. 9:27

CHAP. XXIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              635

 

morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant;

but reason and experience, as well as Scripture, confirm

the truth in our text: for if the slothful man bring him-

self to want, the waster must do it much sooner, espe-

cially as luxury and revelling bring drowsiness and

sloth in their train: for by a course of sensual indul-

gence, a man is indisposed to labour and prudent care;

so that, whilst he throws away with one hand, he ga-

thers nothing with the other to supply his numerous

wants. The slothful man is brother to him that is a

great waster, but when the great waster is likewise a

slothful man, as is generally the case, poverty is com-

ing to him with hasty steps, and with resistless force.

Hell is at a great distance, the sensualist thinks, and

lies quite out of the view of mortals, and wine has so

besotted him, that he cannot think seriously about it;

but here he is told of one part of his punishment, which

he cannot put off to a distant day, and must feel, un-

less he is stupified to an extraordinary degree; for

his vitious relishes might themselves excite a proper

sense of the mischief of poverty; and how hardened

must they be in sin who cannot be driven from it, ei-

ther by the terrors of the world to come, or the mise-

ries of this?

Christians have nobler motives to keep them on their

guard against intemperance; for the grace of God

teaches them to live soberly, and their character as

children of the light is inconsistent with drunkenness

and revelling, which are works of darkness and of the

flesh*.

Ver. 22.  Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and

despise not thy mother when she is old.

Solomon takes it for granted that our fathers and

mothers will give us good counsel and instruction; for

 

*1 Thess. 5:5-8, Gal. 5, Rom. 13:13,14, 1 Peter 4:3

636               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIII.

 

they are monsters, and not parents, that are unconcern-

ed about the present and eternal welfare of their chil-

dren, and quite negligent of those means that may con-

tribute to such valuable ends.

Children should consider what they owe to their pa-

rents, and what affection they discover in their good

counsels and instructions, and what monsters of ingra-

titude they are, if they do not shew respect to those

who have conferred obligations upon them, for which

they can never make a sufficient recompense, and to

those instructions which can have no object but their

own benefit.

Mothers are to be honoured as well as fathers; nor

must we despise them, but reverence their good advi-

ces, and kindly sympathize with their infirmities when

they are old.  They may then prove peevish and fret-

ful, and lose much of their understanding, and become

children a second time.  But they took care of us when

we were helpless children, and our froward passions

did not then provoke them to cast us away, but engaged

their pity and help*.

It is only when the instructions of parents are good

and sound, that we must receive and comply with

them, for we are bound to cleave to the truth at all

risks.

Ver. 25. Buy the truth, and sell it not ; also wisdom,

and instruction, and understanding.

The truth revealed in the word of God is infinitely

valuable and interesting, and therefore we are com-

manded to buy, and not to sell it. Men are enriched

by buying and selling other commodities, but in our

dealings about truth we are enriched by buying alone,

whatever be the price, and impoverished by selling,

whatever price we might receive.

 

*Chap. 1:8

CHAP. XXIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              637

 

But why are we commanded to buy?  Does God

receive a price from us for his truths?  By no means.

But we are commanded to buy, because we must grudge

no expence or toil in seeking the truth.  The wise

merchant is he that is so impressed with its value that

he is willing to go and sell all he hath, that he may ob-

tain possession of this precious treasure.  Merchants

will venture their money and their lives for those corns

modities by which they expect to make profit, although

they often meet with disappointments and losses. Why

then should those who profess to value the truth above

every thing, be so careless about obtaining the know-

ledge and experience of it, when the value of it will

abundantly recompense all our pains and losses in the

search of it, although we should lose our life on its ac-

count?

On no account must we sell the truth.  Had Paul

been offered all the kingdoms of the world, and all the

glories of them, for one article of truth, he would have

answered," I have suffered the loss of all things al-

ready: or Christ, yea, doubtless, I count all things but

loss and dung for the excellency of the knowledge of

Christ Jesus, my Lord."  We must rather part with

our lives than with the truth, and here we have the ex-

ample of the noble army of martyrs who loved not their

lives unto the death for its sake.  He that loses his life

for the sake of truth, and a good conscience, is a great

gainer*.

If it is a great sin to sell the truth, even when our

life is offered for it, what shall we say of those who

part with it in profession or practice, without receiving

any price at all for it?  Surely they have a small re-

gard for the truth, or for the great Author of it, who

 

*Matt. 10:39

638               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIII.

 

wantonly cast away this precious pearl, and take a

pebble in its room.

We must shew the same sacred regard to wisdom,

and instruction, and understanding, which are insepa-

rably connected with the truth.  For we have no true

hold of the truth, however clear our apprehensions of

it are, or however zealously we profess it, if we are not

made wise, and led in the way of duty by its influence.

That wisdom and understanding which is not ground-

ed in truth, is but cunning craftiness and splendid ig-

norance, and that instruction which is not according to

truth, is poison to the soul*.

Truth is to be received into the mind and heart, and

rule our conversation.  Those only are wise unto sal-

vation who receive the truth in the love of it, and hold

it forth in their profession, and walk in it till they reach

the end of their course†.

Ver. 24. The father of the righteous shall greatly re-

joice, and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of

him.

Ver. 25. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and

she that bare thee shall rejoice.

And what son is there so unnatural as not to wish

for the happiness of his father and his mother?  Your

father has spent many anxious thoughts, and endured

many toils on your account.  Your mother has born

you with sorrow and danger, and reared you up with

tender anxiety, and what requital do they ask or ex-

pect from you?  They love you with a disinterested

affection; they earnestly desire you to pursue those

courses which will make you happy; and they will be

satisfied, and glad, and bless God on your account,

when you walk in the ways of wisdom, because all their

 

*Job 21:34, 2 John 9                        †2 Thess. 2:10, Phil.2:6, 2 John 8

CHAP. XXIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              639

 

labours and toils are richly recompensed.  Can you

resist the wishes of your parents, and blast their hopes

of gladness, when the joy they expect from you is no

selfish pleasure, but that pure and disinterested joy

which arises from your own happiness?  Can you bear

the thoughts of embittering their old age, when it is

attended with so many unavoidable pains and griefs,

which will be sweetened by your good behaviour?

Will you be the wretched instruments of bringing down

the grey hairs of your parents with sorrow to the grave?

What a blessed thing is righteousness!  It gives-

great pleasure to him that practices it.  It diffuses joy

all around.  Your parents and friends, and all that fear

God, will be glad to see you walking in God's truth.

Our Father who is in heaven takes pleasure in it,

and all the angels of God are glad to see righteousness

and wisdom among the sons of men.

Ver. 26. My son, give me thine heart, and let thine

eyes observe my ways.

This divine teacher, in the name of God, requires

our hearts to be applied to the word of exhortation.

"Set your hearts to all the words which I testify

among you this day," said the Jewish lawgiver," which

ye shall observe, to do all the words of this law."  The

same demand is made on us in this and in several other

passages of this book.  And the demand would not be

so frequently made, if it were not necessary.  We are

naturally indisposed to give a due attention to the word

of God, for our hearts are vain, and earthly, and car-

nal; and yet, unless we give our hearts to God and to

his truths, we can receive no benefit by them.  Paul

gives thanks to God for the saints at Rome, because,

from the heart, they had obeyed that form of doctrine

which was delivered unto them, or rather, into which

they were delivered, as into a mould, that their whole

temper and life might be formed into a correspondence

640               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIII.

 

with it.  Our Lord, in his parable of the sower, speaks

of four different sorts of hearers of the word, and there

was only one sort that received real benefit from it,

and that was the set of hearers who understood it, and

received it into an honest and good heart.

Our hearts are naturally intractable and perverse

and we cannot work them into a proper disposition for

receiving his truths, but we must give them up to him

that fashions the hearts of men at his pleasure.  Our

hearts, vile and worthless as they are, are claimed by

him.  He is our former and Redeemer, and he calls us

to give up our souls and bodies unto him†.  He will

form them anew, and take away the stony heart out of

our flesh, and give us hearts of flesh, and put his Spirit

within us, and cause us to walk in his statutes.

Our eyes must be fixed upon the ways in which God

directs us by his inspired penmen.   Thus David regu-

lated his life; he laid the judgments of God before

him, and kept his mind fixed upon the directions of

God in his word, and his feet were kept from stum-

bling and falling.  The ways in which Solomon walk-

ed during a part of his life, are a warning to us that we

may not involve ourselves in those snares that brought

him into so much danger and distress; but the ways

that he instructs us to walk in are those good paths

wherein rest is to be found.  He smarted greatly with

the wounds made in his conscience by his correspon-

dence with worthless women, and none of the Old Tes-

tament writers sound so loud alarms of the danger that

we are in from the arts of such seducers.

He fell into the deep and narrow ditch, but by the

grace of God he escaped with life, and warns us all

not to risk our souls in the manner he had done.

 

*2 Chron. 30:8

CHAP. XXIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              641

 

Ver. 27. For an whore is a deep ditch, and a strange

woman is a deep pit.

And when it is both deep and narrow, the danger is

extreme. Who would choose to be in the situation of

Jeremiah when he was cast into the dungeon, out of

which Ebedmelech and his companions, delivered him

with so much difficulty?  but it is far more dangerous

to fall into that narrow pit of which the wise man is

now speaking, for none that go unto her return again

neither take they hold of the paths of life.  Righteous

men, such as Sampson and Solomon, were scarcely save-

ed when they fell into this ditch?  and where shall the

abhorred children of the devil appear*?

Ver. 28. She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and in-

creased the transgressors among men.

The profligate woman is not only a deep pit, but a

robber; for a single comparison is insufficient to show the

numberless mischiefs occasioned by her seductions.  She

lies in wait, not to rob men of a few pounds, but to rob

them of all their substance and credit, of their health

and comfort, of their bodies and souls. And those

who voluntarily comply with her alluring insinuations,

are confederates with her and the devil, against God

and themselves.  She increaseth the transgressors among

men; for she spreads her nets and entangles those unwa-

ry men, of whom better things might have been rea-

sonably expected, if they had escaped her, and when she

has them fast, she blindfolds them, and leads them on

through the ways of sin and folly, till she plunge them

into the gulph of perdition. She is not only a servant

but a factor of the wicked one, drawing as manly as she

can into his snares, and therefore if we love our own

souls, we must avoid the doors of her house.

Would we be preserved from this mischievous enchant-

 

*Chap. 22:14

642               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIII.

 

tress, who has been the instrument of drowning such

multitudes in destruction and perdition, let us turn our

hearts to the divine instructions of this book, and call

wisdom our sister, and understanding our kinswoman.

Let us put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no pro-

vision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Ver. 29. Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath

contentions? who hath babblings? who hath wounds with-

out cause? who hath redness of eyes?

He is no doubt a miserable man on whom all these

misfortunes meet at once, and yet he scarcely deserves

pity, for he brings them upon himself.  If any man

were attacked with a disease that had so many dismal

symptoms, he would certainly draw pity from every

beholder; but those of whom Solomon speaks; are

persons that choose both sin and misery at once.

Ver. 30. They that tarry long at the wine, they that

go to seek much wine.

Wine is very useful to men when used to serve them,

but when it is suffered to become their master, it is a

raging tyrant, like fire or water, when they are not kept

in their proper bounds.  But who are they that suffer

wine to rule over them?  Those who are so fond of it,

that they cannot rise when they have sat down to the

bottle, but continue from noon-day till evening, till

wine inflame them; and those who cannot want it, but

go in search of it, feeling themselves quite unhappy

when they are not pouring it down their throats, and

who are such sensualists that they cannot be satisfied, un-

less a variety of ingredients are mingled with it, to make

it higher flavoured, and more grateful to their nice pa-

lates.  These are not the only persons that sin by abus-

ing this good creature of God; for when men render

themselves heavy, and languid, and unfit to think and

act with composure, or to draw near to God in spiri-

tual exercises, they are guilty of excess, although they

CHAP. XXIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              643

 

do not make themselves brutes, and bring upon them-

selves all the present mischiefs that are here mentioned.

But those who give themselves up to sensuality, to such

a degree as to tarry long at the wine, and go to seek

mixt wine, bring upon themselves, in part, the present

recompence of their error, for they do not only render

themselves obnoxious to an everlasting hell, but they

pull down sorrows upon themselves with their own

hands.  They have some present pleasure to suit their

vitiated taste, but woe to that pleasure that brings so

much pain and vexation along with it.  Wine is raging,

and pushes on the persons that swill it down, like mad-

men, to debates and contention.  It takes from them, in a

great measure, the use of their tongues, and makes them

to stammer, and yet it fills their minds with so much

vanity and wickedness that they must speaks and pour

forth floods of profaneness and ribaldry, of nonsense

and ill nature.  By this means drunkenness stirs up

squabbles and fightings, which end in wounds without

cause; for the drunkards themselves, when they are so-

ber, confess that their quarrels had no object earthly, but

were produced by their own self-contracted madness;

Redness of eyes is another effect of immoderate drinking,

which ends in a weakness of the sight, in violent pain,

and sometimes in total blindness. If drunkenness is at-

tended with so wretched consequences,

Ver. 31. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red,

when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself

aright.

And what harm is there in looking upon the pleasant

liquor sparkling and mantling in the cup?  What harm,

you may as well ask, was there in Eve's looking at the

fruit of the forbidden tree, or in Achan's looking at the

golden wedge, or Babylonian garment?  Or what harm

is there in looking at a beauteous face, till lust is excit-

ed in the heart?  To look with pleasure at a tempting

644               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIII.

 

object, is very unsafe, for the imagination catches fire,

and the passions are inflamed, and reason is gradually

deposed from its throne. Such are the natural conse-

quences of looking at the delicious liquor.  Caesar came,

and saw, and conquered; but the drunkard comes to

the tavern, he sees the flowing blood of the grape, and

is conquered.  He drinks and tastes a little pleasure,

whilst the liquor is passing down his throat, but,

Ver. 32, At the last it biteth like a serpent, and sting-

eth like an adder.

If drunkards saw an adder at the bottom of the glass,

although it were dead, they would rather pour all the

liquor into the street than drink it.  But the wine it-

self is worse than any serpent.  It infuses a deadly

though slow poison into the drunkard, and his body

becomes the seat of disease; nor are the miserable effects

of it confined to himself, but they are frequently en-

tailed upon his posterity, who suffer by their father's

fault, and are often obliged to drag out a wretched life

in weakness and disease, and pills and potions.

But it stings the soul worst of all, for it breeds that

worm of conscience in comparison of which the bite of an

adder (or rather cockatrice) is pleasure and health.  It

exposes the drunkard to the lake of fire and brimstone,

which is the second death, where the wine of the fierce-

ness of the wrath of Almighty God must be drunk,

without intermission or end, and where the drunkard

shall be punished, not only for drunkenness, but

for a countless multitude of sins, to which this vice led

the way. Other vices work their own way into the soul,

but this mischievous vice makes way for every other

vice, and especially for the damnable sin of unclean-

ness and filthy communication.

Ver. 33. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and

thine heart shall utter perverse things.

Drunkenness produces new vices, and discloses the old.

CHAP. XXIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              645

 

It removes every fence of reason and religion, and makes

the person overpowered by it to resemble a city with-

out walls, into which the besiegers find an open pas-

sage that they may enter, and commit what ravages

they please.  Lot kept himself pure in Sodom, and yet his

daughters, by making him drunk, knew that they could

easily draw him to incest, for they had seen the men

of Sodom tempted, by their fullness of bread and in-

temperate drinking, to every excess of wickedness.  A

Roman author tells us, that, in the good days of Rome,

drinking of wine was absolutely prohibited to women,

lest drinking should tempt them to unchastity; for, as

the same author observes, it shuts the door against

every virtue, and opens it to every vice.

Drunkenness besots the heart, and makes it to utter

perverse and abominable things by the tongue; unless

that instrument of the soul is made quite dumb by the

power of the liquor; for blasphemy is wit, and ribald-

ry is eloquence to a man that is turned into a brute.

How loathsome would the heart of a wicked man be,

were it laid bare to the world; but drink lays it bare

as far as the powers of language can go.

Ver. 34. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in

the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a

mast.

Thy brain shall be giddy, thy reason disordered, thy

mind altogether unhinged, and thy danger shall be ex-

treme, like his who lies down in the heart of the sea,

or on the top of a mast, the most dangerous of situations

imaginable.

Can a man that is a slave to strong drink find no pos-

sible mean of escape from his bondage?  He will not

make his escape, for his heart is infatuated, and he

cannot prevail upon himself to forego a momentary in-

 

*Hos. 4:11

646               EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIII.

 

dulgence, although it should cost him the torments of

a whole life, and of an awful eternity.  He feels the

inconveniences that result from his indulgence to his

appetite.  But his appetite has a sovereign dominion

over his reason, and forces it to find out some pitiful

shifts and pretences to excuse his continuance in his

abominable habits.

Ver. 35. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I

was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not:

when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

"Drink," says one," steals away a man from him-

self, and leaves a brute in his stead." This is saying

much, but not all.  A drunkard is a self-made brute,

and is far more senseless than a natural brute beast.

It has been found upon trial, that a brute, after being

once deceived by wine, would not venture upon it a

second time; but the self-made brute, after he has felt

an hundred times the mischiefs of drinking, becomes

still fonder of his misery, and makes his understanding

to serve only for palliating his folly.  It is true, he says,

I have felt some trifling disadvantages from the free

use of the creature.  My companions abused and in-

suited me, but what of that?  Shall I deny myself the

chief pleasure of life, because they struck me, and beat

me?  I was nothing the worse of it.  I wish I could

get free of that drink which now clogs my senses, and

inclines me to sleep.  I will return to the tavern after

all that is come and gone.  Why did not nature ma-

nage things so that a man might be always drinking?

Life is not life in the intervals of it.

If wicked men can patiently bear such mischiefs for

the sake of a beloved lust, which will at length bite like

a serpent, and sting like an adder, why should we

grudge at the little hardships that we sometimes under-

go for the sake of religion, which will be so richly re-

compensed.  If the servants of Satan are willing to

CHAP. XXIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              647

 

bear innumerable crosses and curses for the love they

have to his service, why should we bear with reluct-

ance, in the service of God, those crosses which are

blessings in disguise?

Let those drunkards, that have any remainders of

understanding, compare the inconveniencies that might

attend the mortification of their appetite with the mi-

series that God hath inseparably joined to a continu-

ance in their criminal indulgences.  \\\\\\And if they can

say that it is not a thousand times better to put a knife

to their throat, than to be tyrannized over by such a per-

nicious lust, let them swallow down gallons every day

of their life.

The Lacedemonians used to make their slaves drunk

in the presence of their children, that when they saw

what monsters men were turned into by sensuality,

they might contract an irreconcileable aversion to this

vice.  Solomon gives us such a lively picture of this

vice in the paragraph before our eyes, that we need not

the sight of a drunken man to excite our detestation of

drunkenness. Isaiah gives us a description of it equal-

ly shocking*.  What excuse is left for a drunkard that

has ever read the Bible?  How will his mouth be stop-

ped at the last day!  How will he curse himself through

eternity, for making himself first a beast, and then a

devil!

An inferior master in the art of moral painting, give,

us a just picture of drunkenness in these words,

"Drunkenness is a distemper of the head, a subversion

of the senses, a tempest of the tongue, a storm in the

body--the shipwreck of virtue, the loss of time, a wil-

ful madness, a pleasant devil, a sugared poison, a sweet

sin, which he that has, has not himself, and he that com-

 

*Isa. 28:7,8

648          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIV.

 

mits it, doth not only commit sin, but is himself alto-

gether sin."

Let us therefore follow the counsel of the wise man.

Be not amongst wine-bibbers; for he that goes to the

tavern for the love of company, will soon go thither

for the love of drink.  Let us follow the like counsel

of another inspired writer," Be not filled with wine

wherein is excess, but be ye filled with the Spirit.  Let

us walk in the spirit, and we shall not fulfill the lusts

of the flesh."  If, after all, we rather choose to follow

the council of the wicked one, there is no help for it;

but those that walk according to the prince of the

power of the air, and fulfill the lusts of the flesh, must

have their portion and dwelling with him whose galling

yoke and crushing burden they prefer to the sweet

yoke and light burden of the Redeemer.

Christ would heal you, but if ye will not be healed,

howl, O ye drinkers of wine, for the fruit of the vine

shall be cut off from your mouths.  Joy shall wither

away from your eyes, and a cup must be put into your

hands, of which the wine is red.  It is poured out full

of mixture, and the dregs thereof you must wring out,

and drink.

 

 

 

                    Proverbs 24

 

Verse 1. Be not thou envious against evil men, nei-

ther desire to be with them.

We must be careful of our hearts as well as our lives,

for out of the heart are the issues of life. Our hearts

are well known to God, and he warns us, in the pre.

cepts of his word, against indulging an evil disposition,

CHAP. XXIV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              649

 

or corrupt passion, which might pollute our souls and

conversation.  He warns us particularly in this passage,

against all envious thoughts at the sight of wicked men's

prosperity, which are so natural to us, that the best

saints have not been altogether free of this root of bit-

terness*.  When we see waters of a full cup poured

out to the wicked, and behold these gains and pleasures

which are the present fruits of sin, we are too ready to

say in our hearts," O that God would relax in some

degree his laws, that we might without incurring his

displeasure, revel in those pleasures which the sons of

Belial enjoy. Those men have a happier life at least

than we have, whose consciences will not suffer us to

imitate their lawless conduct."  Such wicked imagina-

tions are strictly prohibited in this place of Scripture.

We must not account the proud happy, although they

triumph over every enemy, and enjoy the world at

their will. We must not entertain a thought of imi-

tating their cursed manners: Why? Their hearts and

their lips are black as hell;

Ver. 2. For their heart studieth destruction, and their

lips talk of mischief.

And which of the two is best for us, to have our

hearts beautified with the lustre of holiness, and puri-

fied into unfeigned love of our brethren, or turned in-

to a den of every malicious fiend: to have our tongues

sweetened with honey and milk, or set on fire of hell?

The punishments of sin are very dreadful; but sin it-

self is such a deformed ugly monster, that we are lost

to understanding if we do not abhor it for its own sake.

But you will say, that sinners enjoy great advantage

from their way of life.  They acquire fine houses and

elegant furniture, and every thing delightful in the

service of sin.  Is sin then attended with better fruits

 

*Ps. 73, Jer. 12

650          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIV.

 

even in this world, than wisdom and holiness?  By no

means.

Ver. 3. Through wisdom is an house budded, and by

understanding it is established.

Houses have been sometimes built through wicked

ness, but never established.  By wisdom and knowledge

they are built as it were on a rock, to stand firm against

every blast*.

Convenient furniture is desirable, as well as a sure

house; and this also is a fruit of that wisdom and in-

dustry which belongs to religion.

Ver. 4. And by knowledge shall the chambers be, fill-

ed with all precious and pleasant riches.

Wicked men are represented by Solomon 1, entertain-

ing their fancies with high expectations of the precious

substance, with which robbery and fraud will fill their

houses, but what wicked men vainly expect, good men

find, if God sees it to be good for them.  Should the

wicked prosper in their pursuits, their joy is mingled

with the racks of a tormenting consciousness of guilt,

and the apprehensions of a speedy period to the plea-

sures of sin.  If good men are disappointed in their

expectations and wishes as to this world, they have the

consolation of knowing that they have mansions of

blessedness prepared for them in Christ's father's house,

and that their substance is the better and enduring

substance, laid up for them in heaven. Although the

Old Testament dispensation of grace abounded in pro-

mises of earthly blessings, yet many of the ancient

saints met with innumerable crosses and afflictions.

They were obliged to dwell in dens and caves of the

earth; they were destitute, afflicted, tormented, and still

they believed that God was faithful to his word, al-

though outward events contradicted it; or if at any

 

*Job 20:19,20, Jer. 22:13,14, Job 5:24     †Chap. 1

CHAP. XXIV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              651

 

time, doubts of God's faithfulness and goodness arose

in their minds, they resisted the abominable thoughts

so derogatory to the Most High, and called themselves

brutes and idiots before God*.  How inexcusable then

must it be for us, who live in the sunshine of the Gos-

pe1, to give place to blasphemous doubts of the provi-

vioence of God, and the truth of his word, when God

does not think fit to give splendid palaces and fine fur-

niture to his people?  The promises respecting this life,

belong to godliness under the new testament as well

at the old; but they are to be understood in a consis-

tency with the nobler promises that respect spiritual

blessings, and the happy influence which crosses of dif-

ferent kinds have in the accomplishment of these pro-

ises.  When God appoints poverty and losses to the

wise, and bereaves them of the native fruits of their

honest labours and temperate course of life, he is not

breaking but fulfilling his word.  And the most afflict-

ed saints will find reason to say in the end of their

curse," we know that all thy judgments are right-

eous, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted us."

Strength is reckoned an useful and necessary quality,

for acquiring or maintaining any valuable property.

Now,

Ver. 5. A wise man is strong, yea, a man of know-

lege increaseth strength.

Health and vigour of body are not inseparable from

that temperance and labour which religion requires;

but they ordinarily accompany these virtues†.  Reli,

gion is at any rate fitted. to give us strength, and ani-

mate us with courage, because it directs us to depend

on the arm of the Almighty, and to be strong in the

Lord, and in the power of his might.  If political and

military wisdom supply the place of strength, the wis-

 

*Ps. 73           †Chap. 3

652          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIV.

 

dom which is from above, has incomparably greater

efficacy.  Many have been animated and emboldened

by it, to encounter giants, and mighty armies, and have

turned to flight, and utterly, destroyed the most dread-

ful adversaries, combined in countless multitudes against

them".

Wisdom teaches us not only to trust in God, but to

take advantage of that wisdom which God has granted

to other men, not merely for their own benefit, but to

render them useful to others who have the meekness

and humility of wisdom to consult with them.

Ver. 6. For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war,

and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Wars are too often necessary by the covetousness

and ambition of men; and those that have most of the

meekness of wisdom, are sometimes dragged into them,

and then wisdom is found to be of far greater value

than strength, or weapons of war.  A multitude of wise

counsellors are far more useful to a nation engaged in

it, than a great number of valiant soldiers.

The wisdom of statesmen and generals is of great use

in its proper sphere, but the wisdom of saints is of in-

comparably greater use in fighting for the cause of liberty

and religion.  In the wars of Israel, piety was commonly

attended with success, for those that knew their God

were strong and did exploits; and if the wisdom of one

poor man could deliver a city besieged by a powerful

king, what may not be expected from the combined

wisdom of many?  But useful as wisdom is, there are

some men so egregiously foolish that they cannot at-

tain this quality.

Ver. 7. Wisdom is too high for afoot, he openeth not

his mouth in the gate.

 

*Ps. 118, Josh. 1

CHAP. XXIV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              653

 

A fool sees not the excellency of wisdom.  Although

he may value the reputation of it, yet he wants eyes

to behold the real glory of wisdom; or if he has any

sense of its value, yet he cannot bring his mind to that

degree of care, and diligence, and self-denial, which is

necessary to obtain the knowledge of it, far less can he

resist the imperious tyranny of his passions, to put his

soul under the government of wisdom; and therefore

he continues a fool under all the means of wisdom that

are used with him.  A price to get wisdom is of no use

but to render his folly more inexcusable; for he has no

heart to it, but is deeply in love with his folly, and

must bear the shame and misery to which it exposes

him.

But if wisdom be too high for a fool, how can lie be

blamed for not getting wisdom?  Because the fault is

not in wisdom, nor in the means of it, which God has

given us, but in the fool himself.  Wisdom speaks to

men in plain language; and we have no occasion to say,

who shall ascend into heaven to bring her down from

above?"  But fools have corrupt minds, and perverse

hearts, and refuse to hear the voice of wisdom, or to re-

ceive the instructions of wisdom into their hearts;

A fool, through his incapacity of getting wisdom, is

unfit for speaking in the gate, the place of concourse

and of judgment.  He is either made dumb by his con-

sciousness of having nothing to say that deserves to be

heard, or if his self conceit open his lips, he betrays his

folly by speaking more effectually than others do by

their silence.

That the wisdom which is the gift of nature and

learning is necessary to qualify men for public offices

is universally allowed; and that wisdom which is the

gift of the Spirit, is likewise highly requisite, if not

absolutely necessary.  Jethro would have none to be

654          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIV.

 

rulers in Israel that did not fear God and hate covet-

ousness; for the fear of God is the most effectual pre-

servative against all those temptations that attend power

and high offices.

Ver. 8. He that deviseth to do evil, shall be called a

mischievous person.

That tree is rotten which is broken by a gentle gale

of wind, and the man has a rotten heart, who sins up.

on a slight temptation; but words are insufficient to

express the malignity of that man's heart, who needs

no temptation from the devil at all, but contrives and

plots sin in his own mind, spending his thoughts about

iniquity when he is lying on his bed, or sitting in his

house, and searching out the most dextrous and effec-

tual methods of gratifying his own depraved mind, and

doing mischief to others.  To be driven or drawn to

sin is a bad thing, but to draw iniquity with cords of

vanity, and to sin, as it were, with a cart rope, is hellish.

The person who does so shall be loaded with infa-

my.  He may think himself a man of genius and wis-

dom he may acquire to himself an honourable name

among fools; but the God from whose sentence, pro-

motion or infamy comes, calls him a master of mischief,

and by this vile title he shall be known amongst all

that are wise. He may be really a man of genius and

learning, but all his talents, natural and acquired, con-

cur to sink him so much the deeper in the gulph of

disgrace.  All his honour shall consist in his being not

a private soldier, but a leader in the bands of hell.  And

in this dignity he shall share with Balaam, the son of

Beer, who taught Balak to seduce the Israelites; with

Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin;

with Jezebel, the wife and tutor of the most infamous

of the kings of Israel; and with Beelzebub, the prince

of devils.

CHAP. XXIV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              655

 

Ver. 9. The thought of foolishness is sin, and the

scorner is an abomination to men.

It is too general a notion that thoughts are of little

consequence, and that words and actions only expose

men to danger of punishment from God; but we are

to remember, that there is an infinite distance between

the judges of this world and the Judge of all.  Earthly

judges cannot penetrate into the hearts of men, and

have no business with their secret thoughts; but it

is the glory of the universal Judge, that He is the

sovereign and searcher of spirits.  He requires from

us truth in our inward parts; and when he comes to

judge the world, all the churches shall know that he

searches the hearts, and tries the reins of the children

of men.  If we study to shew ourselves approved unto

him, we must not only cleanse our hands, but likewise

purify our hearts; for foolish and sinful thoughts are

contrary to his law, and, abominable in his sight.  He

beholds with detestation all the impure workings of

the mind, in wicked contrivances, in impious reason-

ings, in vain and foolish musings; and when he bestows

the grace of his Spirit upon any man, he makes him to

hate vain thoughts, as well as wicked actions.

If the thoughts of foolishness are sinful, how sinful

are scornful words.  There is much more sin in the

thoughts of bad men, than in their lips or lives, but

when the lips are employed to express a sovereign

contempt of all good admonitions, it is an evidence

that the heart is desperately corrupt, and that thoughts

of foolishness abound and overflow.  The thoughts of

foolishness are abominable only to Him that sees the

heart, but the scorner is an abomination to men also.

And if he is abominable even to those that have so

much impurity of their own, how detestable must he

 

*Ps. 119:113, Gen. 6:5, Eccles. 12:14

656          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIV.

 

be to Him that sees more evil in the least sin than we

can discern in the greatest?

How long, ye scorners, will ye delight in your scorn-

ing?  You are so miserably polluted with the defilements

of sin, that your fellow sinners cannot bear with you;

and how then will the Most Holy God suffer you to

escape unpunished?  Sit no longer in the seat of the

scorner, but humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord,

lest your bands be made strong.

Ver. 10. If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy

strength is small.

If we sink into despondency, and think that our hap-

piness is for ever lost, because God has been pleased

to afflict us with some grievous calamity, it is plain

that our strength and courage is but small. Where is

the vigour of our faith, if we cannot believe that there

is help for us in God?  A lively faith in the God of

Jacob as our refuge and our strength, would make us

to stand firm and unshaken, although the mountains

were removed, and the earth shaken, and overwhelmed

by the swelling waves of the sea.  It would make us

to rejoice in the Lord, when every thing looks dreary

around us*.

If we faint in our Christian course, and use unlawful

means of escape when dangers surround us, it is a

sign that our strength is almost nothing.  The church

of Philadelphia had a little strength, and she held fast

the name of Christ, and did not deny his faith.  Peter's

strength was so far lost, when he denied his master's

name, that he needed in some sense a new conver-

sion.

As gold is tried in the fire, so our strength is tried

in the furnace of affliction; and surely when men are

tried, it is their interest and honour to see that they

 

*Ps. 46, Hab. 3:17,18, Rom. 8:18, 2 Cor. 4:14-18

CHAP. XXIV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              657

 

come forth as gold, and not as reprobate silver.  Trials

are necessary for us, and appointed to us, and the

times of trial are critical seasons; and therefore we

ought to be prepared for them, that the trial of our

faith may be found unto praise, and honour, and

glory.

But how shall we be furnished with strength to

stand in the evil day?  Paul gives us necessary direc-

tions for this purpose*.  Christ is the author of all

grace.  Faith and hope, and patience, are fruits of his

Spirit; and we must not only receive those militant

graces out of fullness, but depend on his power to main,

tain them in our souls; and then neither persecution,

nor distress, nor any thing else shall be able to over-

throw our souls, or destroy our comfort†.

Ver. 11. If thou forbear to deliver them that are

drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be

slain;

Ver. 12. If thou sayest, behold we knew it not: Doth

not he that pondereth the heart consider it? And he that

keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it?  and shall not he

render to every man according to his works?

We are required by God to love not in word or pro-

fession, but in truth and in deed, taking every proper

opportunity to shew our love in its proper fruits.  One

of these is recommended in this text, which enjoins us

to appear in the defence of those who are unjustly

doomed to destruction.  Christ laid down his life for

us, and we ought also to lay down our lives for the

brethren, and to risk every thing dear to us, in the

cause of righteousness.  By the same law of charity,

we are required to interest ourselves in the cause of

those who suffer any injurious treatment, and to do it

without hesitation or delay.  We must not be slack to

*Eph. 6:10-18           †2 Cor. 12:7

658          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIV.

 

afford relief to our enemy's oxen or asses, if they are

fallen into a pit, far less may we defer the giving of

needful relief to our distressed brethren.

The wise man represents this piece of charity as a

duty which we owe to our neighbours without excep-

tion; and with him agrees our Lord in the parable of

the good Samaritan.  We are not the disciples of Solo-

mon or of Christ, if we shew love to those only who

are nearly related to us, or who are of the same religi-

ous profession with ourselves.

The wise man knew that this is a duty against which

we are too ready to muster up exceptions, because the

performance of it may expose us to trouble or danger;

but he answers every exception that can be made to it

in few words, but with strong and convincing argu-

ments.  We cannot pretend that it is not our ditty to

relieve the oppressed, as far as our power extends; but,

as the priest that passed by the wounded man, kept at

a distance, that he might not behold that object of com-

passion, so we are too ready to allege that we knew not

the peril in which our neighbour was involved, or did

not know that he was an innocent man, that did not

deserve such treatment.  If this be strictly true, and if

our ignorance was not voluntary and affected, the ex-

cuse is good; but it is to be remembered, that no ex-

cuses for the neglect of duty ought to be sustained by

our own minds that will not be sustained by God our

judge. Excuses may serve to blind the eyes of men

who are short-sighted, and who are obliged to judge

on the charitable side in a doubtful case; but God is

greater than men, and knoweth all things, and will

not be imposed upon by any false pretence.

God pondereth our hearts, and knows with certain-

ty how far we act from a careless and selfish spirit,

when we neglect the offices of charity to the distressed.

In weighing the spirits of men, the want of charity

CHAP. XXIV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              659

 

alone serves to turn the balance; and the omissions of

charity, which are known by God to spring from the

want of that necessary virtue, exclude men from the

kingdom of heaven*.

God is the keeper of our souls, and therefore we-

need not be afraid to risk our lives in obedience to his

will.  We cannot subsist one moment without his kind

providence, and why should we scruple to risk every

thing dear to us in the service of Him in whom we

live, move, and have our being?  We are always safe in

the way of duty, we are never safe in neglect of it.

For safety cometh from the Lord our judge and law-

giver; and if our lives are exposed in his service, be can

easily preserve them, or compensate the loss, if he suf-

fers them to be taken from us.  But if we preserve

them by declining our duty, we expose them to more

dreadful dangers than death.

God renders unto every man according to his works.

He will not forget the works of faith and the labours

of love, and he will never suffer any man to be a loser

by them.  The greatest gains in the world, are the loss-

es suffered for the sake of a good conscience; and

the greatest losses are the gains of sin.  If we neglect

duty from the prospect of safety or advantage, the

honour of God is engaged, to convince us by experi-

ence, that no profit is to be found in disobeying his

will.  Queen Esther could not have reasonably expect-

ed to secure herself, even in the house of her imperial

husband, from the vengeance of God, if she had ne-

glected to exert all her influence at the peril of her

life, for the deliverance of the Jews, when Haman

was pursuing them with deadly hatred†.

These truths are so plain, and so decisive in the pre-

sent case, that the wise man propounds them in the

 

*1 Cor. 13      †Esther 4:14,15

660          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIV.

 

form of questions, and leaves it to the consciences of

men to return answers to themselves. A lively impress-

sion of our absolute dependance upon God, and our

accountableness to him, would answer millions of ob-

jections against the hardest duties.

If we must not forbear to succour those whose lives

are exposed to danger, it must be the extreme of wick-

edness to suffer immortal souls to perish, when our

persuasions and instructions may be a mean of pre-

venting it.  It is indeed still worse by bad example or

corrupt doctrine, to destroy the souls that must be hap-

py or miserable through endless ages.

Ver. 13. My son eat thou honey, because it is good,

and the honey comb, which is sweet to thy taste.

Ver. 14a. So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto

thy soul ; when thou least found it, then there shall be a

reward, and thy expectation shall not he cut off

God, in his great goodness, has provided for our

delight as well as, our subsistence, and has given us

leave to use honey, because it is sweet to the taste, as

well as bread to strengthen our bodies. How great is

his goodness, and how great is his beauty!  But how

great is our ingratitude, if we serve him not with glad-

ness, amidst the abundance of our enjoyments?

All men relish those things that are sweet to the

palate, but there are many that have no spiritual taste

to relish those things that are sweet to the purified

soul.  Had we senses spiritually exercised, we would

readily confess, that honey, and milk, and wine, are

tasteless, when they are compared with that knowledge

of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ, which makes us

wise unto salvation.  Honey is sweet to the mouth,

but the knowledge of wisdom is sweet to the soul.  The

sweetness of honey lasts for a moment, but the sweet-

ness of wisdom is everlasting.  Honey soon satiates,

and when it is taken in too large a quantity it is bit-

CHAP. XXIV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              661

 

ter in the belly, and hurtful to the constitution; but

wisdom is the joy and happiness, the health and vi-

gour of the soul.

There is pleasure in the knowledge, and pleasure in

the practice of wisdom.  As soon as we become wise,

we taste exquisite satisfactions, of which we could not

formerly frame an idea to ourselves, any more than a

man that wants the sense of taste, could form a concep-

tion of the sweetness of honey.  The sweetness of it is

experienced more fully in our religious progress, and

most of all at the end of our course.  There shall be a

gracious and abundant reward unto the wise man, for

God has promised it; and the hopes that are founded

upon the word of God can never make us ashamed.

The wise shall shine like the brightness of the firma-

ment, and shall enjoy celestial delights in the presence

of him with whom is the fountain of life.

Let Christians hope to the end, for the grace that shall

be brought to them at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Perhaps they may be brought into very trying situa-

tions, and the tempter will persuade them to say, our

hope is lost, and we are cut off for our part.  But the devil

is not to be believed at any time, especially when his sug-

gestions are so manifestly contrary to the word of the

living God, who says, there shall be a reward, and thine

expectation shall not be cut off. The living hope of

the glory that is to be revealed to us, will sweeten every

bitter thing that we meet with in the pursuit and prac-

tice of wisdom; for when the Christian soldier is sure of

victory and white robes, and of admission to the new

Jerusalem, and the tree of life, the toils and dangers of

the field of battle are turned into gladness.

Ver. 15. Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the

dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place.

Ver. 16. For a just man fallen seven times, and riseth

up again; but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

662         EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIV.

 

The people of God have many enemies: The prin-

cipalities and powers of hell lay wait for their souls; and

there are men so desperately wicked, that they will not

scruple to lay wait for their lives or properties.  Chris-

tians may entertain assured hopes of the eternal rest; but

if they expect an uninterrupted rest in this world, they

will find themselves mistaken.  They have, neverthe-

less, a ground for strong consolation under every at-

tack, and every instance of success in their enemies. They

must not expect exemption, but they may firmly hope

for deliverance from the cross.  They may fall, but they

shall not be utterly cast down; for strong is the Lord

God that helpeth them.

It is vain for sinners to hope that they shall be able

to do any real mischief to the righteous.  They may

flatter themselves with the hopes of success in their un-

righteous designs: they see the righteous fall before

them, and persuade themselves that they shall not be able

to arise; but the God who maintains their cause, suffers

them to fall into trouble to try and refine them, and

when he has accomplished his work upon them, will

raise them up with renewed vigour, and take a severe

vengeance upon their enemies.  When they fight against

God's people, they fight against God himself; and are

they stronger than he, from whom they receive the little

strength they have?  He is a wall of fire round about

his people, and their enemies are like stubble, fully dry,

or like thorns folded together.

Be not afraid, ye righteous, of the strength or cun-

ning of your adversaries; and believe not those temp-

ters, who tell you that there is no help for you in God.

Be not dismayed at their success, nor let your falls into

calamity damp your hopes.  You are taught by Solo-

mon and Micah, to triumph even when you are defeat.

ed, because your losses will end in victory, and the vic-

tories of your enemies in ruin.  "Rejoice not against

CHAP. XXIV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              663

 

me, O mine enemy, though I fall, I shall arise, though

I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto

me, etc.*"

Perhaps you will say, had I fallen only once, I would

not be much afraid; but I have often fallen before the

enemy, and one day I must perish.  But hear what God

says: the righteous man falls not once or twice, but

many times, and still he rises.  Your experience of for

mer deliverances should encourage your hopes of new

deliverances, for the salvations of the Lord are never

exhausted.  In six troubles he will deliver, and in se-

ven there shall no evil touch you.

Woe to the wicked, and to the enemies of the righ-

teous, they shall fall never to arise.  They shall fall in-

to misery. They shall fall into the grave.  They shall

fall into the lake of fire, from whence there is no return-

ing.  They have a load of sins and curses upon them

heavier than mountains of lead; and when they begin

to fall, they shall, like Haman, utterly perish.  Baby-

lon intended to destroy Zion, but Zion was purified and

redeemed, whilst the vengeance of Zion and of Zion's

Redeemer, sunk Babylon into irrecoverable perdition,

as a millstone is sunk in the mighty waters.

Ver. 17. Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let

not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth;

Ver. 18. Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and

he turn away his wrath from him.

He that is glad at calamities, shall not be unpunish-

ed, says Solomon in another place.  But may we not be

glad at the calamities of our enemies?  By no means.

It would be unlawful and inhuman.  We must not be

glad at the calamity of our enemy's ass, but help it out

of a ditch if it has fallen into one.  It is very opposite

to the spirit of Christianity to rejoice at the misfortunes

 

*Micah 7:8-10

664          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIV.

 

of our enemies. Our blessed Saviour prayed for his ene-

mies, and commands us to pray for our enemies.  If we

neglect prayer for them, we neglect a plain and posi-

tive duty, enforced by the noblest example.  If we pray

for them, and yet rejoice when they fall, or even when

they stumble, and are in danger of falling, we are gross

hypocrites.  If we have the hearts of monsters, and not

of men, why do we pretend to be Christians?

But does not Solomon say, elsewhere, when the wic-

ked perish there is shouting?  And are we not fre-

quently told, that the righteous are glad at the ven-

geance executed upon the wicked?  This is true; but

they do not rejoice, on such occasions, from a vindic-

tive or selfish spirit.  They rejoice that God is glorifi-

ed, that wickedness is suppressed, and the people of

God delivered from oppression.  Such was the joy of

Moses and the children of Israel, when Pharaoh was

drowned in the Red Sea.  Of this kind shall be the joy

of the church of Christ in the day of Antichrist's des-

truction*.  But to rejoice because mischief has befallen

our fellow men, or because we expect some advantage

from the misery of our enemies, is to behave like hea-

thens or devils, and not like Christ, or his saints.  We

must still remember that the eye of God is upon us, he

observes all the movements of our spirits, and the work-

ings of our passions.  He is well pleased when we look

with a pitying and generous eye upon the sins and mi-

series of our worst enemies; but looks with displeasure

on those selfish souls that rejoice at the calamities of

those that hate them.  An unforgiving and revenge-

ful spirit, in those that need so much forgiveness from

God, must be very provoking to him.

Our joy at the fall of our enemies cannot procure

their reconciliation to God but it may kindle God’s

 

*Exod. 15, Rev. 13

CHAP. XXIV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              665

 

displeasure against us.  He may suspend the present

execution of judgment against them, and transfer it to

ourselves; for if they wronged us, and exposed them-

selves to punishment, we have wronged God and them,

and have exposed ourselves, in no less a degree, to pu-

nishment.  If we rejoice at the fall or danger of our ene-

mies, we ourselves have fallen into a greater evil, for

sin has more evil in it than affliction, and brings afflic-

tion along with it.  The whole book of Obadiah seems

to be written to show the miseries which men bring up-

on themselves, by triumphing in the ruin of their ene-

mies; and many chapters of the Bible insist on the same

necessary subject*.

If this sin was so dangerous under the dispensation

of Moses, how is it possible that those should escape

punishment who are guilty of it under the Christian

dispensation, when the law of love to all men (ene-

mies not excepted) is so wonderfully enforced, that it

is called, by Christ, his new commandment, although

it is the old commandment, which we had from the be-

ginning?

Ver. 19. Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither

be thou envious at the wicked.

It seems that wicked men were often prosperous,

even under the law, and that there is a strong disposi-

tion in men to make a bad use of the wise and good

Providence of God, in sometimes allotting prosperity

to the wicked, other-wise Solomon would not have so

frequently cautioned us against indulging this pro-

pensity.  He had guarded us against this sin by telling

us of the future happiness of the righteous, and of the

cursed disposition of the wicked.  He now gives us

another motive to quietness and composure under

this strange providence of the universal sovereignty.

 

*Ezek. 25:35 †Chap. 23: 17,18, 24:1,2

666          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIV.

 

Ver. 20. For there shall be no reward to the evil man,

the candle of the wicked shall be put out.

What avails a happiness (if it can be called by that

name,) which continues only threescore and ten years,

when the person that enjoyed it must continue for mil-

lions of ages?  Will it be any comfort to the wicked in

another world, to reflect that they enjoyed their good

things in this world?  Heaven is despised by the wicked

at present, for they are stupified by their earthly enjoy-

ments; but it is not despised by the damned in hell.

They know, to their sorrow, the immense value of the

heavenly inheritance, and weep, and gnash their teeth,

and melt away with envy, at that celestial happiness,

from which they find themselves for ever excluded, and

separated by a gulph that cannot be passed.  There is

no merciful reward, but there is a reward of justice and

vengeance to evil men.  They are shut out from the

celestial city, and have their everlasting abode in those

regions where rest and peace and hope never come.  A

perpetuity of bliss is bliss; and those immortal souls that

have no title to it, are the objects not of envy but of

pity.  When a prosperous transgressor is pining away

under a loathsome and mortal distemper, we don't

reckon him worthy of our envy, although he drags out

his days in a magnificent palace, surrounded with plea-

sures which he cannot taste, and to which he must soon

bid farewell; and if we viewed things in the light of

the word of God, we should not grudge at his prosper-

ity, when he enjoys the most perfect health, for even

then his soul is pining away to death, and his prosper-

ity is precarious and transient.  The joys of the just

are permanent and increasing, like the light of the sun,

which shineth more and more unto the perfect day;

but the prosperity of the wicked, is like the light of a

candle: if you leave it to itself it will soon consume away;

but it may very probably be extinguished before it

CHAP. XXIV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              667

 

has time to burn to the socket. Shall those who re-

joice in the light of day, grudge the happiness of those

who dwell in a dungeon, enjoying only the light of one

taper which must soon expire, and leave them buried

in perpetual night.

Ver. 21. My son, fear thou the Lord and the king,

and meddle not with them that are given to change.

Ver. 22. For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and

who knoweth the ruin of them both?

To fear God is a duty so necessary, that there can

be no religion without it.  The excellencies and works

of God, the favours we have received from him, the re-

lations we stand in to him, the account we must give

to him, and our absolute dependence upon him, loudly

call upon us to fear him.  He is so much to be feared,

that the Fear of Isaac is one of the names given to him

by Jacob; and the wise preacher tells us, that to fear

God and keep his commandments is the whole of man,

To the fear of God, must be joined reverence to the

king, for God's sake; for by him kings reign, and they

are his ministers for our protection from enemies and

wicked men, and for promoting virtue and suppressing

wickedness.  God has conferred dignity and power

upon them, and they are entitled to honour for the sake

of their office and work.

Yet we must not carry this reverence of royal dignity

to a degree of adoration.  We must be subject to every

ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, but to the Lord

for his own sake, because absolute dominion belongs

to him.  Although kings are called gods, yet they shall

die like men; and when their commandments clash

with the authority of God, they are worthy of no re-

gard; and our safety lies in fearing him that has power

to kill both soul and body, and to cast both into hell-

fire.  If the wrath of a king is like the roaring of a

lion, the wrath of God is infinitely more to be dreaded.

668          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIV.

 

If we would preserve our religion and loyalty, we

must not meddle with those who are fond of changes

either in religion or government, for "evil communi-

cations corrupt good manners," The people of Israel,

when they mingled with the nations, learned of them

their ways, and changed their glory for that which did

not profit; and they were so fond of being like their,

neighbours, that they rejected the Lord from being king

over them, and desired rather to have a royal tyrant

like the other nations. When Absalom rebelled against

his father, many followed him in the simplicity of their

hearts.

The scripture does not require us to be subject to

tyrants; but single acts of maladministration will not

justify men in casting off the yoke of government.  In

most cases, it is our duty and wisdom to be quiet and

peaceable subjects, to those who have the possession of

the throne granted them by divine providence, and

to say with more sincerity than Hushai the Archite,

"whom the Lord and this people choose, his will I be,

and with him will I abide."

Impiety and disloyalty are great and dangerous sins.

Kings are terrible enemies; and God is infinitely more

dreadful, and he is the avenger, not only of insults

against himself, but of indignities and injuries to those

powers that are ordained by him.  How many were

destroyed in the gainsaying of Korah, and in the rebel-

lion of Absalom?  Who knows what ruin awaits those

who are guilty of rebellion, which is as the sin of witch

craft; or how suddenly, the tempest of vengeance may

hurl those men into perdition, who fear not God, or do

not reverence those who are authorized by him to ad-

minister justice among men.  The apostle Paul spends

a large part of a chapter in sheaving the sin and dan-

ger of those who do not submit to the higher powers.

How miserable shall they be, who refuse subjection

CHAP. XXIV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              669

 

to that great king whom God has placed on the throne

of grace, and to whom he hath given a rod of iron, to

crush those rebels that attempt to break his bands, and

cast away his cords?  The princes and judges of the

earth must serve him, as well as the meanest of their

subjects, and his enemies shall lick the dust."  Bless-

ed are all they that put their trust in him, and obey

him.

Ver. 23. These things also belong to the wise.  It is

not good to have respect to persons of judgment.

Princes usually have a sufficient sense of those duties

which their subjects owe them; and they would gener-

ally find these duties better performed, if they had a

proper sense of their own duties.  The precepts of wis-

dom are binding on them, as well as on poor men, and

the dominion of God extends alike to the prince and

to the peasant.

All the precepts already delivered are precepts of

wisdom, and those which follow were likewise dictated

by the father of lights to the wisest of men; and the

best proof we can give of our wisdom, is to observe them.

They are fools that will not hear the voice of wisdom,

or look upon any of her precepts as superfluous.  We

may more reasonably complain of too much money in

our purses, or too many clothes in our closets, than of

too many precepts of wisdom in the book of God.

We have no reason to complain that God is strict in

requiring our obedience to rulers.  He is no less strict

in requiring rulers to govern justly, and to make their

subjects happy.  In this verse, he commands them to

do justice and judgment, like David, to all their people.

Whatever favours they may confer on particular per-

sons, they must be impartial in judgment. They must

not accept the rich and great, nor their own favourites,

 

*Ps. 2

670          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIV.

 

nor even a poor or a righteous man in his cause. To

accept the person of any man is not good, but very

wicked.  Elihu durst not accept the person of Job, al-

though he was the best man on the face of the earth,

when he gave his judgment about the cause which he

had debated with his friends.  Although absolute do-

minion belongs to God, and he dispenses his favours

according to his sovereign pleasure; yet in judgment

he respects not his own favourites.  When he deter-

mined by his providence the cause between his beloved

servant David, and Saul whom he had rejected, he

examined David, and proved him by night, and found

nothing, judging him according to his righteousness,

and not according to the special favour he had to him.

And when the same good man had dealt injuriously

with Uriah, he was punished before all Israel, and be-

fore the sun.  In like manner, when the Gibeonites

were treated with abuse and cruelty by the king of Is-

rael, in zeal to God's favoured people, God gave full

satisfaction to the Gibeonites.  Kings and judges are

honoured with the name of gods on earth, and they

ought to imitate the justice of God in all their admi-

nistrations.

But may not criminals be suffered to escape by a

merciful perversion of the law, although the righteous

must not be wronged?  No:

Ver. 24. He that saith to the wicked, thou art right-

eous, him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him.

Ver. 25. But to them that rebuke him shall be delight,

and a good blessing shall come upon them.

He that justifieth the wicked is an abomination to

the Lord; and his iniquity is attended with such mis-

chievous consequences, that he is an abomination to

men also, and provokes against himself the execrations

of whole nations.  If robbers and murderers escape un-

punished, how can any man think himself sure of his

CHAP. XXIV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              671

 

life or property, when public encouragement is so evi-

dently given to the pests of human society?  Mercy is

to be sheaved to bad men, as far as it consists with equi-

ty, and the public good, but when it is carried farther

it becomes cruelty to millions.

The curse causeless need not be dreaded, but the

curse deserved is dreadful.  It is sinful to curse men

from the impulse of ungoverned passions; but those

curses that are sinfully uttered, or wished by men, are

often righteously executed by God; and therefore it is

dangerous for us by our bad conduct, to tempt men to

curse us in the bitterness of their spirits.

But those magistrates who faithfully execute their

trust, shall have much pleasure from the testimony of

their own hearts, and from the happy effects of their

faithful and impartial administrations.  They shall

have the blessings of those who live tinder their govern-

ment, and the blessings of men, when they are well

earned, are ratified by God*.   Job looked upon it as

one part of his happiness, that he enjoyed the blessing's

of those that were ready to perish, and of every eye

that saw him.

We may safely risk the abhorrence of all mankind,

and despise their favour, when our duty requires us

for if we seek to please men at the expence of sinful

compliances, we are not the servants of Christ.  But

as far as we are allowed by the law of God, it is our

duty to practice those things that are of good report,

living unblameably and usefully in our respective

stations, that we may adorn the doctrine of God our

Saviour in all things.

How important is the behaviour of men in elevated

stations.  Thousands or millions of men are losers or

gainers by it, and applaud or abhor those who rule over

 

*Deut. 24:13

672          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIV.

 

them.  Kings and magistrates have much need of our

prayers, that they may receive wisdom from God.  We

who are in inferior stations, have likewise our contracted

sphere of influence, and ought to consider how much

others are affected by our behaviour.  Let us endeavour to

deserve at least their blessings, and to avoid every thing

that may justly incur their displeasure, or hurt their

interests.

If it is of so much consequence to the public, that

magistrates should punish the wicked; and if they would

incur universal hatred by the neglect of this part of

their duty, shall we deny to the sovereign Ruler of the

world, that praise to which he is entitled for his acts of

just vengeance?  He is glorious in his administrations

of justice as well as mercy.  Who would not fear him

and glorify his name, for he only is holy, for his judg-

ments are made manifest?  If he did not punish the

wicked, we would have reason to say, every one that

doth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he de-

lighteth in them, and where is the God of judgment?

Those magistrates who give a right judgment in any

cause that comes before them, procure universal respect

and good will, as the wise man instructs us in the fol-

lowing verse:

Ver. 26. Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a

right answer.

No doubt prejudices may take place, and obtain

ground among people, by which rulers may for a time

lose that approbation which is due to their conduct;

but the history of all ages proves the truth of this pro-

verb.  Good princes have in general possessed the cor-

dial esteem of their subjects; and the tyrants of the

world are the men whose lives have been embittered,

and their deaths accelerated, by the hatred and insur-

rections of those whom they ruled.

This proverb contains an useful rule for private per-

CHAP. XXIV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              673

 

sons, as well as rulers.  When we are asked an import-

ant question, or consulted on an affair of consequence,

every man will esteem and love us, if we give a right

answer; and that our answer may be right, it is neces-

sary that it should be sincere, prudent, and meek.  We

must not give an answer calculated merely to please the

person that advises with us; for that would not be

consistent with integrity.  We must consider all the

circumstances of the affair, that we may give a pro-

per and pertinent answer; and we must speak with

that meekness, which renders wisdom lovely.  If our

answers to those that advise with us have these quali-

fications, although they may be sometimes distasteful,

because truth compels us to speak things disagreeable,

yet they will tend, on the whole, to the advancement of

our character; and our character is no contemptible ob-

ject, because the goodness of it is necessary for us in

accomplishing the great business of life, glorifying God,

and doing good to men.  The instances of Joseph in

his first conversation with Pharaoh, and of Daniel's

plain dealing with Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar,

are illustrations of this truth.

Let us never give a wrong answer to any man, if

kings should kiss our lips for it.  Zedekiah the son of

Chenaanah, will tell us how little the royal favour which

he obtained by his court flattery availed him, and how

short its continuance was

Ver. 27. Prepare My work without, and make it fit

for thyself in the field, and afterwards build Mine house.

Things absolutely necessary, are to be sought after

in the first place, and, in the next place, those things

that may minister delight and satisfaction.  For this

reason we are commanded by our Lord, in the first

place, to seek the kingdom of God, and his righteous-

 

*1 Kings 22

674          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIV.

 

ness, because the salvation of our souls is infinitely more

interesting than our welfare in this world. But as there

is a lawful care about the things of this world also, we

are directed in this place, to mind the things most need-

ful to our present subsistence and comfort, before we

proceed to those things that have an inferior influence

upon the comfort of our lives.  Solomon takes it for

granted, that we have already a house in which we can

live, and enjoy shelter from the inclemencies of the

weather: but perhaps we wish to have a more elegant

and commodious house.  A wish of this kind is not

unreasonable, only it must be kept in due subordi-

nation to our most important concerns.  The work of

the field, on which our subsistence depends, is of more

importance than the building of a better house, and

ought therefore to be first attended to, and then we are

at liberty to build our house, if we can afford time and

money for it.  This rule of the wise man is of great

use for the wise management of our secular concerns,

and by neglecting it, many have been reduced to po-

verty and contempt; nor is it so remote from religion,

as some inconsiderate persons may apprehend, for re-

ligion requires us to act prudently in the common busi-

ness of life, and to do nothing that may reduce our-

selves, or our families to want, or deprive our creditors

of their just claims upon us.

In our religious concerns, the same rule ought to be

observed.  There are first principles which ought in

the first place to be well studied, and then we must go

on to perfection*.  To think of going on to perfection

without learning the first principles, is as foolish as to

think of raising the superstructure of a house, without

laying the foundation; and to rest in the first principles,

is as foolish as to lay the foundation of a house, and

then to think that all our work is over.

 

*Heb. 6

CHAP. XXIV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              675

 

God is a God of order; and he requires us to do all

things in their proper order, both in our civil and re-

ligious business.

Ver. 28. Be not a witness against thy neighbour with-

out cause, and deceive not with thy lips.

It is in many cases a man's duty to bear witness

against his neighbour, and then the glory of God and

the welfare of society, call loudly upon him to per-

form this necessary, that disagreeable service; but it is

a great sin for a man to bear false witness against his

neighbour, or to bear testimony against him from a

principle of malice and revenge, when there is no call

to declare even the truth against him.  The real faults

of other men must not be published by us, when there

is no good to be done, nor any danger to be obviated

by it.  We would not wish our own faults to be wan-

tonly blazed abroad to the world; and why should we

behave in one way to others, and expect another way of

behaviour to ourselves?  This would be as unreasonable

as keeping one kind of weights and measures for buy-

ing and another for selling.

We must not deceive with our lips, either before a

judge or in private conversation.  The gift of speech

was given us, for glorifying God, and doing good to

men; and it is a wicked perversion of it to make use of

it for dishonouring God and deceiving men, by flatte-

ry or falsehood, or by speaking truth in such a manner

as to deceive; for the history of the false testimony

that was borne against our Lord, shows us that truth

falsely and deceitfully represented, may become an in-

strument of deceit and mischief.

That truth is generally to be spoken, you will

low, but perhaps you will allege that you have some

wicked neighbour, that has no right to truth from you,

because he has borne testimony against you without

cause, or by some other injury deserved a mischief at

your hand.  But,

676          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIV.

 

Ver. 29: Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done

to me, I will render to the man according to his work.

To speak in this manner would be the same thing

as if you said, "Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will

repay it."  I will step into the throne of God, and hurl

the thunderbolts of vengeance upon mine adversary.

What would become of us, if God should render to

us according to our evil works.  We need great mercy

at the hand of God, and shall we render nothing but

rigid justice to our fellow men, in direct opposition to

the royal law of love?  When our neighbours do us an

injury, shall we borrow weapons from hell to retaliate?

When we revenge injuries at our own discretion, we

may do hurt to our enemies, but we do much greater

hurt to ourselves; for the punishment of malice and re-

venge to which we expose ourselves, is far worse than

any vengeance which our feeble arm can inflict.  Let

us therefore show ourselves to be the disciples of Christ

by loving our enemies and recompensing evil with

good.  Thus we shall heap coals of fire upon the head

of our enemies, to melt them; but by following an op-

posite course, we heap them on our own, to our des-

truction.

Ver. 30. I went by the field of the slothful, and by

the vineyard of the man void of understanding.

The sluggard is wise in his own conceit; but in So-

lomon's judgment, sluggard is another name for a man

void of understanding; for what understanding can

that man have who buries himself alive, and neither

performs the duties of life, nor takes the proper method

of being able to enjoy and relish its comforts.

The slothful man hopes to escape poverty, because

he is born an heir to fields and vineyards; but Solo-

mon, that great observer of the manners and conditions

of men, passed by these fields and vineyards, and saw

what was sufficient to convince any man, of the folly

of such hopes.

CHAP. XXIV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              677

 

Ver. 31. And lo it was all grown- over with thorns,

and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone,

overall thereof was broken down.

How could it be otherwise?  Thorns and thistles,

since the fall of man, spring up every where, to re-

mind us of our rebellion against God, and the greatest

industry can scarcely keep them down; but where

slothfulness leaves them to spring up at will, the field

must be covered with them, and every useful plant

choked; or, if any thing useful for man springs up

amongst them, it becomes a prey to every spoiler, be-

cause the stone wall is broken down and left in ruins.

Such is the situation of the sluggard's field and vine-

yard; and spiritual sloth is productive of the like ef-

fects in the soul of man.  If we are careless about our

spiritual interests, our souls will soon be overrun with

noisome and pernicious vice; and left without guard

against those destructive enemies, "that go about seek-

ing whom they may devour."  A neglected garden is

disagreeable to the eye, but a neglected soul is a spec-

tacle of horror.  The stinging nettles of envy, the

thorns of anger, and ungovernable passion, spring up

abundantly in that scene of desolation.  Every lust and

every temptation have an uncontrolled influence; and

the lion out of the bottomless pit wastes it at his plea-

sure.

But what pleasure could Solomon have in look-

ing at the sluggard's vineyard?  He saw nothing that

did not afford instruction to his enlightened mind;

for wisdom teaches us to improve every object, however

unpleasant, to useful purposes, and finds nourishment

for itself even in the folly of other men.

Ver. 32. Then I saw and considered it well: I looked

upon it, and received instruction.

He did not take a cursory and superficial view of

678          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIV.

 

this field, but spent many thoughts upon it.  How use-

ful is meditation?  It is the nurse of knowledge and

prudence.  It furnishes our minds with truths, and ap-

plies them to the heart, and teaches us to live in a

manner suitable to them.  Solomon was already wise,

but he wished to be wiser, and learned wisdom every

day.  Another man would have learned self conceit or

self indulgence, from the field of the sluggard.  Some

persons, when they see the faults of others, applaud

themselves for their superiority in virtue.  No man,

they think, can say they are bad men, because they

know that some other men are worse.  There are other

persons that think it safe for them to do like other

people, and to let alone what other people omit; but

to compare ourselves among ourselves is not wise.

Our wisdom lies in learning from the example of other

men, compared with the law of God, what we are to

do, and what we are to avoid.  We see the sluggard,

the drunkard, the lukewarm professor; but we see no

good arising out of their vices, but much harm to them-

selves.  They are condemned by the providence as well

as the word of God.  Their souls are unprosperous, and

the outward circumstances of some of those kinds of

sinners, have the marks of divine displeasure mingled

with them. Is it not better to learn wisdom at the cost

of other people than at our own expense?

Solomon learned instruction from this dismal spec-

tacle, the field and vineyard of the sluggard; and the

instruction which he received he communicates to us

in a proverb, which, for its importance, is repeated from

a former chapter.

Ver. 33. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little fold-

ing of the hands to sleep.

Ver. 34. So shall thy poverty come as one that travel-

eth, and thy want as an armed man.

CHAP. XXIV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              679

 

The sluggard had no intention of suffering his field

to, be all covered with weeds, he only wished to indulge

himself a little while in ease and sleep, and then he de-

signed to rouse himself and root up all the weeds.  His

ruin was, that, when he had got a little sleep, he wish-

ed for a little more, and when he had taken the little

more, he felt himself as little disposed to work as be-

fore; and so he loitered and wasted away the time, day

after day, doing nothing at all, or nothing to purpose,

till his field was all overrun with noisome weeds, and

every good herb destroyed, and his vineyard lay in

ruins.  Thus poverty came upon him swiftly and un-

expectedly, and with irresistible fury, and plunged him

into the gulph of misery and remorse.

Would you avoid sloth?  Beware of every temptation

to it, and allow not place to any thought of delaying a

necessary business.  It was a maxim of a certain prince,

who was celebrated for, his success in every undertak-

ing, never to defer that till to-morrow which could be

done to day.  Putting off things till to-morrow is the

thief of time.  It is unsafe in any business.  It is infi-

nitely dangerous in our spiritual concerns.  Boast not

therefore of to-morrow; for thou knowest not what a

day may bring forth, but whatsoever thine hand find-

eth to do, do it with all thy might*.

 

*See Chap. 6:11,12

 

680          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXV.

 

 

            Proverbs 25

 

Verse 1. These are also proverbs of Solomon, which

the men of Hezekiah, King of Judah, copied out.

A book written by Solomon, and published by the

order of Hezekiah, would deserve very high regard.

But the proverbs of Solomon need no human recom-

mendation.  Their intrinsic worth, and their divine ori-

ginal, place them far above the compositions of the

greatest philosophers and kings that were not favour-

ed with divine inspiration.

Those servants of Hezekiah that copied out the fol-

lowing part of Solomon's proverbs, and joined them to

the rest, are here mentioned to their honour.  They

were the publishers, and not the composers of the fol-

lowing chapters; but they performed a piece of service

to the church for which their names shall live. If we

cannot do so much for God and his People as some

others have done, let us do what we can, and we shall

in no wise lose our reward. The contributors of goat's

hair to the tabernacle are mentioned to their honour, as

well as those who gave silver, and gold, and precious

stones; for if there be first a willing mind, it is accept-

ed according to what a man hath, and not according to

what he hath not.

Many of the following precepts respect the duties of

kings.  Hezekiah walked in the good ways of David

and Solomon, and he desired instruction in his duty as

a king.  Every one of us ought to study the duties that

belong to our respective stations, that we may be tho-

roughly furnished for every good work.

CHAP. XXV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              681

 

Ver. 2. It is the glory of God to conceal a thing but

the honour of kings is to search out a matter.

How arrogant are those men who must know the

reasons of all God's works; or, if that exceeds their ca-

pacity, call them in question, or find fault with them,

as if they knew better what God ought to do than God

himself!  There are unsearchable mysteries in the ex-

cellencies and ways of God.  His way is in the sea, and

his path in the mighty waters, and his footsteps are

not known, and it is his glory that they are not known.

His wisdom would not be divine, if we could under-

stand him to perfection, nor his sovereignty absolute,

if he were obliged to do nothing but what his creatures

would approve.

The meanest of the creatures of God have qualities

that we cannot fully understand; how strange then is

it, that we will not allow his providence to transcend

our comprehension, or that a doubt should be enter- 

tained about the mysteries of his grace, because they

are incomprehensible to our feeble understandings?  It

was a good saying of a pious divine," Lord preserve

us from a comprehensible God."  It is our duty to yea

nerate and wonder, and not to pry with curious eyes

into the secrets of God.  The history of the fall is an

everlasting warning to the sons of Adam to prefer the

tree of life to the tree of knowledge.

But the kings of this earth are infinitely inferior to

the God of heaven, and their honours are of an humbler

kind.  It is their honour to search out a matter.  When

God is said to search the hearts of men, he is spoken

of in the language of men, for he beholds all things

past, present, and to come, by one glance of his infinite

mind; but kings, who need a great deal of knowledge

and wisdom, must obtain it, like other men; by labour

and diligence.  It is their honour to be diligent in

searching out every thing that princes ought to know.

682          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXV.

 

They must employ much care, and make use of the

wisdom of other men to inform themselves about all

the interests of their kingdoms, and their various con-

nexions with foreign states.  They must endeavour

to acquaint themselves with the dispositions and hu-

rnours of their subjects, with the best means of sup-

pressing vice, and encouraging goodness, and making

their people happy, and the proper methods of preserv-

ing peace, or of defending their crowns and kingdoms

from foreign enemies.  When kings act the part of

judges in their own persons, as they did in ancient

times, their sphere of labour is greatly increased; for

every intricate cause they must search out.  They must

neither refuse to judge in it because it is difficult, nor

must they pass sentence without good ground, to save

their own labour, but they must search things to the

bottom, and judge wisely and righteously, as Solomon

did in the case of the two harlots.

On these accounts kings cannot conceal their impor-

tant affairs within their own minds.  They must have as-

sistants to bear the burden of government, and make

use of the counsels and abilities of other men, to whom

they must communicate their secrets.  It is the glory

of God to need no counsellor.  It is the honour of kings

to choose right counsellors and to follow their salutary

advises.  Yet it is not to be expected that their sub.

jests in general should be their privy counsellors.

Ver. 3. The heaven for height, and the earth for depth,

and the heart of kings is unsearchable.

No man can measure the height of heaven, or the

depth of the earth, as little can the hearts of kings be

searched out. But is every king a Solomon, with an

heart large as the sand on the sea shore?  Every king

needs a very enlarged heart. The throne is not a bed

of repose, but the seat of care and labour.  What know

ledge and prudence is requisite to understand the intri-

 

CHAP. XXV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              683

 

cate science of government) and to manage the compli-

cated affairs of kingdoms?  and as kings are not born

wiser than other men, they certainly ought to improve

the many advantages they have, for acquiring that

knowledge which is suited to their station, and to pray

earnestly for wisdom to him by whom kings reign, and

whose servants they ought to be.  Without a large

measure of wisdom they are fit only to be the tools of

their own ministers, who are often lovers of themselves,

and of their own families, more than of their king and

country.

But the heart of kings is often unsearchable

another sense.  Their designs cannot be known by

their subjects, or by foreign princes, because they in-

dustriously conceal them from the knowledge of all but

their privy counsellors; and this is often necessary, be-

cause a discovery of their counsels would obstruct the

execution of them.  Besides, the affairs of government

are so various and complicated, they have so many de-

signs to carry on, so many mischiefs to obviate, so

many opposite tempers of men to consider, and so many

unknown difficulties to encounter, that persons in a

lower station cannot possibly understand the reasons

of a great part of their conduct, or the ends which they

have in view.  It is therefore presumptuous in subjects

to pry too narrowly into their behaviour, or to be rash

with their censures on the public management.  Those

who take a liberty to despise dominions, and speak evil

of dignities, should be sure that they do not speak evil

of those things which they do not understand.

If the heart of kings, who are infinitely inferior to

Gods, is so unsearchable, how foolish is it to think that

we can search out God unto perfection!

 

*Verse 2         †Job 11:7-9, Rom,11:33

684         EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXV.

 

Ver. 4. Take away the dross from the silver, and there

shall come forth a vessel for the finer.

Ver. 5. Take away the wicked from before the king,

and the throne shall be established in righteousness.

The interests of prince and people are so evidently

the same, and a bad king is so evidently his own ene-

my, that it may well be wondered at that so many

kings have proved tyrants, and exposed themselves to

the danger and infamy that are the inseparable attend-

ants of oppression and injustice in men of high place.

To account for this fact, we must consider that kings

cannot govern their people without the assistance of

ministers and counsellors, and these servants of govern-

ment have private interests of their own, different from

those of the prince and people, which they too often

prosecute with a selfish and wicked spirit.  To serve

their own covetous and ambitious views, they too often

corrupt the mind of their prince with the sweet poison

of flattery, and lead him, by their misrepresentations,

into false notions of the state of things in his kingdom,

and of the character and behaviour of many of his sub-

jects, and draw him on to compliance with their own

interested or malicious views, to the prejudice of his

kingdom, and the ruin of many of his faithful subjects.

If we read the histories of nations with attention, we

shall find that unjust wars, oppressive taxes, iniquitous

laws, unjust executions, seditious and civil commotions,

and the overturning of thrones, and the confusions

of kingdoms, have originated in the wicked counsels

of bad ministers.  The histories of Rehoboam, and Joash,

and Ahasuerus, are scriptural instances of this truth.

Wicked men are often compared in Scripture to

dross; and as the dross must be separated from the sil-

ver before a beautiful vase can be framed, so the wick-

ed must be removed from before the throne, that it

CHAP. XXV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              685

 

may be established in righteousness; and kings need

our prayers, that they may be furnished with wis-

dom to choose their counsellors and ministers from

their best deserving subjects, and to turn all flatterers

and self-seekers out of public employment.  If Reho-

boam had possessed so much wisdom, the kingdom

might have remained entire in his hand; but Solomon

his father could not infuse this wisdom into his mind

by all his instructions, and God left him to his folly,

that his awful purpose of dividing his people, and di-

minishing the kingdom of the house of David, might

be fulfilled*.

Ver. 6. Put not forth yourself in the presence of the

king, and stand not in the place of great men.

Ver. 7. For better it is that it be said unto thee, come

up hither, than thou shouldst be put lower in the presence

of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.

Impudence is a very disagreeable vice to any man,

and it is especially odious to kings, who are jealous of

their honour and dignity, and cannot bear those who

would intrude into their presence, or push themselves

without their own choice, into places of trust or power

under them.  It is ambition that prompts persons to

seek high station, and royal favour; but ambition often

disappoints its own designs, by an eager pursuit of

them, and by those methods which it uses to accomplish

them, and where it expected honour it meets with

shame and disgrace.  How mortifying must it be to a

man who places his chief happiness in the smiles of a

king, and those honours which are derived from earthly

majesty, to find himself disgraced in the eyes, and by

the order of that prince whom his eyes have beheld, and

of whose favour he supposed himself secure!  Kings, if

they are wise, will look with a suspicious eye on those

 

*Isa. 22

686          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXV.

 

who court them for high posts, and will seek out the

modest and unassuming to fill every station of impor-

tance.

If we consult our interest and duty, we shall be con-

tented with the stations in which the all-wise God is

pleased to set us, and rather avoid than covet the place

of great men.  David was anointed with holy oil, and

yet he could appeal to God for the falsehood of the

charges that were laid against him, of an aspiring mind,

and ambitious attempts to obtain a superior station to

that which he occupied*.  It is our business to mind

the duties of our present station; and, if providence

thinks fit to raise us higher, to follow its calls with hu-

mility and gratitude.

If it be a sin for us to put forth ourselves in the pre-

sence of a prince, what lowliness of mind becomes us

in the presence of him, who regards not the prince more

than the peasant!  A due impression of divine majesty

would humble us in the dust, and fill us with wonder

at the least smile of God's countenance †.

Our Lord spoke a parable like this proverb of Solo-

mon, and gives a wider extent to the instruction con-

tained in it ††.  It is our duty to entertain such a low

opinion of ourselves, as willingly to take a place even

below our inferiors, as far as the duties and decencies

of our station will permit.  None are so likely to meet

with disgrace as those that are too fond of honour, like

the Pharisees, whom our Lord severely censures for

loving the best seats in the synagogues, and the chief

rooms at feasts.  None have so much honour from God

or man, as the meek and humble, whose temper it is,

in honour to prefer their neighbours, and to serve them

in love, and condescend to men of low degree.

 

*Pp. 131         †Job 42          ††Luke 14:7-11

CHAP. XXV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              687

 

Ver. 8. Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know

not what to do in the said thereof; when thy neighbour

hath put thee to shame.

That is a good maxim,--"Do nothing till thou hast

well considered the end of it."  Many might have pre-

vented shame, and poverty, and destruction, had they

duly considered the possible and probable consequences

of their words and conduct.  Beasts have not the gift

of reason and foresight, and therefore mind only pre-

sent ease and comfort; but rational beings should act

with reason, and not incur lasting misery, to gratify a

fit of humour, or a transient passion.

If men considered the consequences of every impor-

tant action before they entered upon it, it would cut

off ninety-nine out of an hundred of the law-suits with

which the world is pestered.  If it be the desire of

saving or gaining money that pushes men to go forth

to strive with their neighbours at the bar, they should

consider, that going to law is little better than fishing

with a golden hook.  A few fishes may possibly be

caught, but something may be lost of more value than

many fishes.  If men are instigated by their pride to

go to law, (and pride is the real cause of many more

pleas than covetousness,) they should consider well,

whether they are most likely to gain or lose the cause,

or, if they gain it, whether' the gain will compensate the

loss of time, and money, and temper, which are inse-

parable from law-suits.  That sense of honour which

leads so many into contention, would keep them out of

it, if it were under the regulation of prudence. That

pride which plunges men into the gulph of the law,

must end in the most galling remorse, when the cause

is lost, and shame, instead of honour, is gained by it.

Contention of every kind ought to be avoided by us.

Before we venture to gratify our rage by strife and de-

bate, it is necessary for our peace and comfort, to con-

688          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXV.

 

sider with coolness, whether we have reason on our

side.  Self-love will tell us that he have met with wrong,

although no real injury was clone, or intended to us;

and we cannot expect that the other party, or the judge,

(if the matter be referred to a judge,) should have the

same bias in our favour with ourselves.

Ver. 9. Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself;

and discover not a secret to another,

Ver. 10. Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and

thine infamy turn not away.

If we are forced into debate, the more privately it is

managed the better; and therefore, if we think ourselves

ill used, our best course is to reason the matter with

the offender in the spirit of meekness, to convince him

of the wrong he has done to us, and to show him a for-

giving spirit, which will be the most effectual means of

bringing him to repentance, and to put an end to the

difference, if possible, without exposing ourselves or our

neighbours to the censure of the world, which will con-

clude that there are faults on both sides.

If we cannot bring our neighbour to a sense of his

fault by this method, our great teacher allows and pre-

scribes other methods of convincing him, which we

ought to put in practice only when we are sure that we

have met with an offence which will justify our con-

duct.  In other cases we must keep the matter to

ourselves, as the wise man here directs us.  When we

make complaints of the injustice done us in another

manner than our Lord directs us, we will not be believ-

ed, and ought not to be believed, till the other party

has given in his defence; for he is an unjust judge that

passes sentence till both parties are heard.  Those who

are ever complaining of the injustice of others, may

or may not be believed, to the prejudice of those con-

 

*Matt 18:15-17

CHAP. XXV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              689

 

cerning whom they may complain; but strong suspi-

cions will most certainly be entertained to their own

prejudice, and by their own tongues they bring an

indelible reproach upon themselves, as men of a quar-

relsome and unforgiving temper.

It is not uncommon for persons, when they are at

variance with those that had once been their friends,

to take every opportunity, and to use every means, how-

ever unfair, to blacken their characters; and if they

have been entrusted by them, in the days of intimacy,

with any secret, they will divulge it, to gratify their

present spleen.  This is base conduct, and must fix an

everlasting stain on those that make use of such abomi-

nable methods to support their own credit and interests.

A man that has the least degree of generosity in his

nature, would rather suffer blame, or lose a cause, than

defend himself by such dirty and dishonourable means;

but when a man is reduced to such pitiful shifts, it is a

strong presumption that cause is not good. On the

whole, if we would preserve ourselves from lasting dis-

grace, we must either leave off contention before it be

meddled with, or, if that cannot be done, manage it with

the weapons proper for a man and a Christian.

Ver. 11. A word fitly spoken, is like apples of gold in

pictures of silver.

That words may deserve this character, they must

be the words of truth; for falsehood and error are on

no occasion fit to be spoken. And therefore Job re-

proves his friends for endeavouring, by false doctrine,

to comfort him, and direct his exercise in the time of

his distress*.

But words may be true and yet unfitly spoken, for

although nothing is to be spoken but truth, yet truth

is not always to be spoken.  Doeg the Edomite was

 

*Job 21:34, 27:12

690          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXV.

 

guilty of murder before he killed the priests of the

Lord, by telling the enraged tyrant that David had re-

ceived bread and a sword from Ahimelech.  Jonathan

was a man of a very opposite spirit, and discovered it

by the seasonable mention he made to his father of

David’s exploit in slaying Goliath.  By putting Saul in

mind this noble action, he disarmed for a time his

angry resentments.

It is necessary to consider, not only what we speak,

but likewise the persons to whom we speak, and the

time a-ad the place of speaking.  Job complains with

justice concerning Bildad, that he spoke things to him,

which; though certain and important truths, were not at

all fit to be spoken to him in his distressed situation.

"To whom bast thou uttered words?" says he.  Nabal

deserve a severe reproof from Abigail; but she did

not think it proper to speak to him about his foolish

conduct towards David, till he awoke from his drunk-

enness Paul preached in a very different manner at

Jerusalem and Athens, when he was before Agrippa,

who believed the prophets, and when he was before

Felix, who acknowledged no other rule but the light of

nature.

"A Word fitly spoken, is like apples of gold, in pic-

tures" (or network) “of silver.”  The words themselves

are like apples of a golden hue.  The manner of speak-

ing them is like network of silver, whose elegant aper-

tures give an additional grace to the pleasant fruit that

is served up in the salvers of exquisite workmanship

and precious metal.  By words fitly spoken, the fier-

cest passions have been allayed, and the strongest mini-

ties dissolved.  By such words, wicked men have been

checked in their career, fainting souls have been reviv-

ed, the perplexed have been relieved from their diffi-

culties, and Christians have been often invigorated

in their work and warfare.  Words fitly spoken unite

 

CHAP. XXV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              691

 

the pleasant and the profitable, and thereby gain every

point that words can gain.

            In a time of persecution, some ministers met together

to consult what was proper to be done in their situa-

tion. All of them wore a dejected countenance, and

appeared almost at an equal loss to determine what

their duty was in their distressed condition, till one of

them observed, that they were all immortal till their

work was done. This seasonable hint cleared up every

countenance, and they parted with spirits ready to en-

counter every difficulty.

            Ver. 12. As an ear-ring of gold and an ornament of

fine gold, is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.

No words have greater need to be fitly spoken, than

words of reproof. Few are capable of reproving wise-

ly, and fewer still are able to receive a reproof in a

right manner.

            Wisdom is necessary in a reprover, to direct him

about the time and manner of giving the reproof. Eli-

hu shewed great wisdom and great faithfulness, in per.

forming this difficult office ; and when Job had been ir-

ritated by the unjust reproofs of his friends, he was si-

lent under the smart reproofs of Elihu; for he charged

nothing upon Job, but what had some truth in it, and

discovered his friendship for Job, and his good opinion

of him, with regard to the general course of his beha-

viour, at the time that he rebuked him with great seve-

rity, for the unjustifiable expressions which came from

when his mind was fretted with the weight of his

troubles, and the injurious reflections of the former

speakers.

            An ear obedient to reproof, is a very rare thing. It

Is observed by an eminent divine of the last age, that

the professors of religion are generally more stubborn

against reproof than fornicators, or common swearers,

and that they are ready to fly at the faces of men who

 

692          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXV.

 

reprove them, for those very faults which they daily

confess to God. If there was more of the meekness of

wild men discovered in giving reproof, it is probable,

that greater meekness and submission might be shew-

ed in receiving it, and yet a due sense of the evil of

our faults, and of the necessity of amendment, would

make us to value just rebukes even from the mouth of

an enemy.

It is a false sense of honour that makes us to fret at

reproof; but if we had the same sense of honour with

the wise man, we would not judge ourselves on a sup-

positin that we are unblameable, and irreproveable,

but reckon it our honour to receive reproof with grati-

tulle, and improve it for the correction of our vices. 

Ornaments of gold were worn in ancient days in

the ears of people of distinction; but nothing adorns the

ear so much, in the judgment of the inspired philoso-

pher, as the obedient hearing of wise reproof.

It would be a great honour to us to need no reproof,

but this is scarcely to be expected in our degenerate

race.  We ought, therefore, if we have forfeited our

credit by falling into sin, to recover it by welcoming

needful rebukes, and if others have been overtaken in

a fault, to hold them in the same esteem as formerly,

when they have given proper evidence of their repent-

ance, by submitting to reproof.  By their sin, they

have shewed themselves to be men of like frailty with

ourselves; by their obedient hearing of reproof, they

have discovered a degree of meekness too rarely to be

met with among Christians.

Ver. 13. As the cold of snow in the lime of harvest, so

is a faithful messenger to them that send him, for he

refreshing the soul of masters.

Nothing is more refreshing in the sultry heat of har-

vest, in those southern climes where the harvest is

very early and hot, than the liquors which are ming-

CHAP. XXV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              693

 

led with snow, kept from the winter, to cool their

drink in the hot season of the year.  Equally refresh-

ing to the soul, is the faithful execution of an impor-

tant message by those that are entrusted with it.  It is

required of all servants that they be found faithful, and

it is required in a special manner of messengers who

are employed in distant and important commissions;

and fidelity is the more praiseworthy in them, because

they are not under the immediate eye of their masters.

Such a messenger was Eliezer to Abraham and Isaac,

for he valued the service and interest of his master

more than his necessaity of food, and God blessed him

with success, to the great satisfaction of his venerable

master, and his son Isaac.

If we are employed in any business for another per-

son, we should make a point of Managing it with the

same activity as if it were a business of our own; and

whether we are successful or not, we shall give satis-

faction to our employer, and receive his thanks, if he is

not wholly destitute of the feelings of gratitude.  If

we are obliged to perform any affairs of consequence

by the hands of other men, it will be our wisdom to

entrust men of honour and tried fidelity with our af-

fairs; for he that is faithful in one thing, is likely to be

faithful in another thing also, though of much greater

consequence*.

Ministers of the gospel are messengers of Christ, for

the benefit of the churches.  If they are faithful, they

are accepted of Christ and useful to men †.

Ver. l 4. Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift, is

like clouds and wind without rain.

Covetousness is so much detested in the world, that

the persons who are guilty of this vice are ashamed of

it, and desire to be esteemed liberal; and therefore, if

 

*Luke 16:10 Rev.2:3, 1 Tim. 4:16

694          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXV.

 

they have ever been able to master their disposition so

far as   to perform one generous action in the course of

their like, they will boast of it as long as they live, and

think themselves ill used if they are not honoured by

other men with the character of being generous persons.

But it is moreover very usual for them, to talk of chari-

ties which they never bestowed, and thus they add vice

to vice. Their arrogance and dissimulation, added to

their stinginess, makes them doubly detestable. They

are like clouds carried about with the wind, that seem

to be full of rain when there is not a drop for the re-

freshment of the weary earth.

Those that are large and ready in promising, but

are never ready to perform, are likewise like clouds

without water.  When you ask any favour from them,

they give you great reason, by their frankness and pro-

fessions, to believe that they will serve you, but when

they are called on for performance, some unlucky acci-

dent has come in their way, and they can do nothing

for you at present.  They will only give you new pro-

mises, which you may believe if you can, and they will

be sure to perform them as well as the former ones.  It

is shameful to behave in this manner, raising expecta-

tions aid then disappointing them, and perhaps reduc-

ing to great straits and perplexities the very men that

were trusting to their friendship.

The apostles Peter and Jude speak of a set of men

that may be compared to clouds without rain, because

of their religious professions and promises.  These

are false teachers, who make large boasts of their know-

ledge in the mystery of the gospel, and promise liberty

to men that will receive their doctrines, whilst they

themselves are ignorant of all sound principles, and in

bondage to corruption.  No kind of corrupt teachers

in our times answer this description so much as those

of the Church of Rome, who pretend to make a mono-

CHAP. XXV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              695

 

poly of heaven for those of their own church, and who

sell, for small pieces of money, the most wonderful pro-

mises, all which will be found by their deluded vota-

ries to vanish into smoke when the performance is ex-

pected.

Ver. 15. By long forbearing is a prince persuaded,

and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.

A prince is not easily pacified when he reckons his

dignity despised, and is authority trampled under

foot.  He is little used to contradiction, and therefore

has small experience of those situations in which for-

bearance is to be exercised.  Yet strong as the passions

of princes generally are such is the power of patience

and meekness, that those virtues allay their stormy pas-

sions, and a soft answer softens their hearts, although

they were as hard as their bones.  Saul was so fierce

in his rage against David, that in spite to him, he slew

eighty-five priests of the Lord, and yet David melted

his heart unto softness by his generous behaviour, and

his calm defence of his own innocency. The tyrant

felt a temporary change in his temper, and said, "Is this

thy voice, my son David, return, for I will no more do

thee hurt."

If meekness and gentleness have such a powerful in-

fluence upon princes; if they can break hearts of stone,

how great must be their influence upon private men,

and persons of moderate passions?

It is certainly a piece of great folly if we will

not make use of these harmless weapons to end de-

bates, when they are the most effectual means for that

end.

But are there not some men that will not be wrought

upon by such means? Yes: But they are savage brutes,

and not rational creatures. Their hearts are made of

something harder than adamant; and they are objects

of our pity, because they are cursed with such unre-

696          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXV.

 

lenting hearts that they cannot possibly taste any of

those social pleasures that sweeten the life of man.

Nothing can subdue the fierceness of their spirits but

that grace which turns the flint into a pool of water*.

Ver. 16. Host thou found honey? eat so much as is

sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith and vomit it.

The God who has replenished the earth with his

goodness, has not required us to lead a niggardly and

uncomfortable life.  He allows us to eat as much ho-

ney, and to enjoy as much of every earthly comfort as

is sufficient for us, to strengthen our bodies, and to re-

fresh our spirits; all that he forbids is that excess in

eating and drinking, and other animal enjoyments,

which would enfeeble our frame, clog our souls, and

end in bitterness.

Although we are allowed to eat as much honey as is

sufficient, we must not eat what would suffice to satiate

a ravenous appetite.  Reason, and not appetite, must di-

rect us when we have enough, otherwise there would

be no such sin as intemperance in the world.  Nature

itself makes us to feel the bad effects of immoderate in-

diligence, which overloads the stomach, and turns the

sweetest things into bitterness, so that no ease can be

obtained till they are thrown off.

It is represented in the book of Jude as a great sin

to eat without fear.  When we are at a well covered

table, there are more guests present than such as are

invited, for the devil comes to graft some temptation

upon the dishes which are served up, and very often

he finds an opportunity of getting some iniquity to pass

down he throat along with the meat or drink that is

used.  We are to remember at all times our chief end;

and is explained by the Apostle in these words,

"Whether, therefore, ye eat or drink, or whatsoever

ye do, do all to the glory of God."  From God we re-

 

*Chap. 15:1

CHAP. XXV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              697

 

ceived our food, and it is a very wicked thing in men to

use it as a weapon of rebellion against him, by making a

god of our bellies.

            Nothing earthly must be suffered to engross our af-

fections, so as to sensualize our souls, and alienate our

minds from spiritual objects. The time of our connex-

ion with the world is short, let us therefore rejoice as

though we rejoiced not, and use this world as not abus,

ing it, for the fashion of this world passeth away.

            Ver. 17. Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour's house;

lest he be weary of thee, and so hate thee.

            We must not indulge ourselves without restraint in

any of the pleasures of life, however delightful. Ho-

ney is not so sweet to the taste, as the intercourses of

friendship, amongst those that have a cordial love to one

another, are to the heart. But as we must eat only so

much honey as is sufficient for us, so we must use a

prudent caution in our familiarities. with our most af-

fectionate friends. Although their houses are a home

to us, yet we must not be frequenting them at every

hour, nor continue in them till our company become

wearisome. It is highly proper for us to visit our

friends, and preserve by that means our mutual friend-

ship, and enjoy the sweets of it; but it is very improper

to teaze a friend by too frequent visits, which may have

the unhappy effect of dissolving the closest intimacy,

by creating disgust where love in former times took

place. Our friends have their business to mind, and

their time is valuable to them; and friendship is bought

too dear by him that ceases to be master of his own

time, and may be called off the most necessary employ-

ment to receive a visitant. Besides, we ought to con-

sider the circumstances of our friends, and take care

not to load them by our visits with expence which they

may be unable or unwilling to bear. The freedom of

friendship does not consist in a liberty to teaze one an-

698          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXV.

 

other, but in a liberty to contribute to one another's

happiness and comfort, beyond what strangers can pre-

sume to use.

How different are the pleasures of earthly friend-

ships from those which are vouchsafed to Christians in

their admission to fellowship with God! The oftener

we visit the best of all friends, we are the more wel-

come, and the more we frequent his house to partake

of the provisions of it, he is the better pleased with our

conduct*.

Ver.1. A man that beareth false witness against his

neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.

This proverb is sufficient to strike an alarm into all

evil speakers, that spread scandal against their neigh-

bours, merely because they have nothing else to do, or

because they have some little quarrel with them.  Con-

sider, ye that deal in such conversation, whether you

could think of treating the objects of your defamatory

discourse as Jael did Sisera, or as Joab treated Abner.

Would you shrink with horror at the thought of beat-

ing out your neighbour's brains with a hammer, or of

piercing its bowels with a sword, or a sharp arrow?  Why

then do you indulge yourselves in a piece of the like

barbarity, destroying, as far as you can, that reputa-

tion which is dear to men as their life, and wounding

all their best interests by mangling their character †?

It is a happy thing to be free from this terrible miss

chief of a virulent tongue. We should therefore live

unblameably, that we may take away all occasion from

those that would reproach us.  And yet the purest in-

nocency will not be a sure protection to us from the

tongue at speaketh evil.  We must commit the care

of our good name, as well as all our other interests, to the

Lord, and he will preserve us from the scourge of the

tongue, or from all the evil effects of it ††.

 

*Song 5:1       †Chap. 19:5,9            ††Job 5:23

 

CHAP. XXV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              699

 

            Ver. 19. Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of

trouble is like a broken tooth, and afoot out of joint.

            A broken tooth, and a foot out of joint, are not only

useless for their respective offices, but the causes of

great pain and uneasiness. In like manner, a friend

that does not shew kindness in the day of distress, is

not only an useless friend, but likewise causes many

painful feelings in those who trusted to his kindness.

The supposed infidelity of Job's friends produced great

bitterness of spirit in that venerable sufferer, and add-

ed greatly to that load of distress which lay upon his

body and spirit; and he compares them to the brooks

of Tema, which abounded with snow in the winter, but

had no water in them for the thirsty traveller in the

sultry heat of summer.

            Let us be faithful in our friendships, as well as in the

duties of every other relation. Insincerity and incon-

stancy in friendship is immoral and impious; as the

forementioued sufferer observes,  "To him that is af-

flicted pity should be spewed by his friend, but he for-

saketh the fear of the Almighty*."

            In the times of our distress, we have reason to ex-

pect sympathy from our friends, but we must not be

too sanguine in our hopes; they may prove unable to

help us, or unfaithful, or some temporary alienation

may estrange them from us, or God for our chastise.

ment or trial may bereave us of the comforts of their

friendship, or trouble may fret our spirits, and make

us to think that they are become cold to us, when they

shew us all that friendship which ought to be expected

from frail creatures like ourselves.

            When we lament the treachery or insincerity of our

friends, we should remember that David, and Christ

himself; felt all the bitterness of this calamity. One of

 

            * Job 6:14

700          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXV.

 

our Lord's disciples betrayed him, and his most affec-

tionate, and highly favoured friend forsook him. In

many cases of this kind we have greater reason to com-

plain of ourselves than of our false friends; for had we

chosen our friends more wisely, and fixed our regard

to then upon the ground of piety, we would not have

found so much reason to complain of violated profes-

sions.

Ver.20. As he that taketh away a garment in cold

weather, and as vinegar upon nitre; so is he that singeth

songs to an heavy heart.

He that takes away a garment in cold weather, leaves

the person whom he robs of it to starve, and perhaps

to perish.  Vinegar poured upon nitre deprives it of all

its virtue and usefulness; so he that tries to charm away

deep-rooted sorrows by the help of music, does only

sink the person whom he designs to cheer into a deep-

er melancholy.  It is to be confessed that sorrows of a

slight kind may be diverted and soothed by the charms

of music, as the spirit of Elisha was composed for pro-

phesying by a minstrel.  But when the heart is laden

with grief, it is exasperated and not revived by unsea-

sonable and ill-directed endeavours to dispel the sor-

row which feeds upon it.  Mirth and gaiety, and the

sprightly airs of vocal and instrumental music deaden

the spirit, as vinegar does nitre, and are just as ineffec-

tual to restore gladness, as the taking away of clothes

in cold weather is to restore heat.

Is any man afflicted?  let him pray.  Does any man

wish to administer comfort to the afflicted soul?  let him

weep, and not laugh, with those that weep.  Is the heart

oppressed with anguish, or the conscience laden with

guilt let the Scripture, and not instruments of music,

be applied for relief.  The music of David's harp may

indeed be still used for driving away the evil spirit.

His psalms are full of strong consolations, and we shall

 

 

CHAP. XXV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              701

 

never sink into despondency whilst we muse on the

precious and reviving truths which he presents to our

consideration, and endeavour to walk in the steps of

his faith.

            It is doubtless our duty to administer comfort to the

mourners, but we must take heed to use those means

which are proper to the end, that we may not deserve

that reproof which Job, with great justice, gave his

friends, "Miserable comforters are ye all."

            Ver. 21. If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to

eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink.

This precept is grievous to flesh and blood. We are

disposed by our pride and rage to inflict a severe re-

venge, not only on our enemies, but even on our of-

fending friends. To do to them as they have done to

us is not reckoned sufficient, but sevenfold vengeance

must be rendered into their bosom. A stab at the heart

has been often returned by the modern men of honour

for a rude expression.

            But we that are Christians have not so learned Christ.

Enmity against God is infinitely worse than enmity

against us, and yet God spares his enemies, and does

them good from heaven, giving them rain and fruitful

seasons. We ourselves were sometimes alienated from

God, and enemies in our mind by wicked works, and

if we had been recompensed according to our works,

we had now been in the lake of fire and brimstone;

but God who is rich in mercy, sent his Son to ac-

complish our redemption from ruin. By Christ, we

that were guilty of horrid enmity against God have

received the atonement. We are reconciled to God,

and blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ; and

shall we now think that God lays an unreasonable com-

mand upon us, when he requires us to be charitable

and kind to our enemies, and not to return railing for

railing, but courtesies for injuries?

702          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXV.

 

It is easy for us to say that we forgive our enemies;

but do we make it evident in our works that we for-

give them in love? We may bring our minds without

very great difficulty to overlook their injuries, and to

bury them in silence; but a sullen disdain of injuries

is no Christian grace. Our duty is to wish real happi-

ness to our enemies in this world and the next, and to

shew the truth of our love in praying for them, and in

doing them good as opportunity presents, and their

needs require. It was so habitual to the good Arch-

bishop Cranmer to shew kindness to those that had

wronged him, that it became a proverb: "If any man

would have a good turn from the archbishop, let him

do him an injury." But will not behaviour of this kind

lay a man open to injuries? No.

Ver. 22. For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his

head, and the Lord shall reward thee.

It is said to be a custom to this day among the

Arabians, to cure some diseases, by the application of

burning coals to the head. The disease of rancour and

spite will certainly be healed, for the most part, by those

coals of love that Solomon here directs us to heap upon

the heads of our enemies. As the hard metals are soft-

ened and melted by the fire, so the hard and stubborn

spirit is softened and melted by the solid expressions

of charity and meekness. He is a wild beast of the

most untameable kind, that feels no shame for his own

conduct, nor any warm emotions of gratitude to him

whom he has offended, when he sees him returning

good for evil. No enmity is stronger than the enmity

of man's heart to God, and God makes use of his own

kindness to subdue it; and we are to be followers of

God as dear children, and try the like experiment up-

on our own enemies, as far as the infinite difference of

persons and circumstances will admit the resemblance;

and if our enemies are warmed into friends, have we

CHAP. XXV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              703

 

not gained a nobler victory, by gaining our brother, than

if we had humbled them to the dust? The pleasantest

and noblest of victories is to overcome evil with good*.

But perhaps we shall be losers by kindness to our

enemies? Who knows but their hearts may be un-

tameably savage, and then our bread and water is

thrown away upon them? Let them be what they will,

it is not thrown away. If they persist to return evil

for good, the Lord shall graciously reward thee. The

Lord loves mercy and goodness, and there are no in-

stances of it that he loves better, and rewards more

bountifully, than those by which we most resemble

himself, and cross our selfish and haughty spirits. Da-

vid preserved the life of a railing Shimei from the rage

of Abishai, as he had formerly done the life of a per-

secuting tyrant. The good man hoped that God would

return him good for the evil that his enemies did to

him, when he shewed kindness to them, and his hopes

were not disappointed.

Ver. 23. The north wind driveth away rain, so doth

an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.

Fair weather cometh out of the north, says Elihu †.

This text probably induced our translators to render

the verse before us in the manner they have done; for

the original word, which stands for driveth away,

more properly signifies, to produce, but the north wind

may have different effects in different countries, and

even in the same country at different times. But whe-

ther we follow the translation in the text, or that in the

margin, it will give us very useful instruction.

It is a great encouragement to tale-bearers, to ob-

serve that their wicked stories are heard with attention.

If a man looks upon them with a cheerful countenance,

and listens to their tales, and makes them welcome to

 

*Rom. 12:21             †Job 37

704          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXV.

 

his table, they naturally conclude that the person to

whom they speak has as bad a heart as themselves,

and they will not fail to bring him new stories of the

like kind, as soon as they have got an opportunity to

learn or to make them. But if the receiver of stolen

goods is a sharer with the thief in his guilt, and if any

man that encourages another in evil partakes in his

sin, then he that hears the backbiter with complacen-

cy is little better than himself, and would probably

follow the same trade if he had the same talents for it.

We cannot, therefore, clear ourselves from the sin of

backbiting, unless we refuse to receive a bad report of

our neighbour, and testify our displeasure, by all pro-

per methods, at the base conduct of the assassins that

would murder in the dark the good-name of their

fellow-creatures. When the murderers of Isbosheth

brought their master's head to David, judging from

their own disposition that it would be an acceptable

present to him, he treated them in such a manner that

no man ever sent another present of the like kind to

him. And if we gave proper evidence to those who

expect to entertain us by ill-natured stories, that we

have no relish for them, they would not trouble us a

second time. Anger is a bad passion, as it is common-

ly exerted, but we may be angry and not sin, and in

this case, we sin if we do not put on an angry counte-

nance.

But as the north wind, not only drives away rain

in some places, but likewise brings it in other places,

or at other times in the same place, so an angry coun-

tenance brings a backbiting tongue. He that meets

with insolent and surly treatment, may conceal his

sense of the injury, from the person that uses him in

this manner, because he thinks it more prudent to stifle

his displeasure; but he will be tempted to take revenge

by speaking evil of him in his absence, for nothing is

CHAP. XXV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              705

 

commonly more irritating, or sticks more deeply in the

heart, than angry and imperious treatment, and no in-

jury is harder to be borne with patience.

If other men speak evil of us, we should examine

our own conduct impartially, that we may know whether

we have not given them some provocation. If we

have, we should look upon ourselves to be the more

criminal persons; as Judah acknowledged that Tamar

was more righteous than himself, because his own beha-

viour had tempted her to the sin, for which he thought

she deserved to be burnt. Other people have at least

as good a right to talk against our ill conduct, as we

have to give them occasion for it.

Let us neither speak evil of men, nor countenance

evil speakers, nor give any man occasion to speak evil

of us, nor burst into rage, when they have treated us

in this manner, but in all things follow meekness,

righteousness, charity, and the example of Christ.

Ver. 24. It is better to dwell in a corner of the house

top, than with a brawling woman, and in a wide house.

Solomon put this proverb into his own edition of the

proverbs, but the men of Hezekiah finding it likewise

in those papers from which they extracted this appen-

dix, inserted it here likewise. They justly considered

it as an useful admonition to women, and to men that

have wives to choose, and wished it not to be forgot-

ten.

Ver. 25. As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good

news from a far country.

Nothing is more the object of desire in a hot country,

than cold water when men are thirsty; and nothing is

more agreeable than to hear glad tidings, from a dis-

tant country. Good news are always agreeable, but

good news from a far country are most agreeable of

any good news, because they have been the subject

of tedious and anxious thoughts, and because they ge-

706          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXV.

 

nerally respect some object of importance. Solomon

had experience of this fact, when he sent his ships on

voyages that lasted three years, and when he had affairs

of importance to be transacted in other kingdoms.

We that move in the lower sphere of life have little

concern with foreign countries, but if we have the ge-

nerous spirit of Christians, it must give us great pleasure

to hear of any thing that tends to the happiness of other

nations, or the advancement of the Redeemer's king-

dom among men. We daily pray that the kingdom of

Christ may come, and it would certainly give us much

joy to hear of any event whereby our prayers are

fulfilled. Let us in the mean time rejoice at the good

tidings brought to us from far countries by the pro-

phets of God, who tell us of things that they have

heard from the uttermost parts of the earth, even glory

to the righteous.

Heaven is the better country from whence we have

heard tidings that will for ever gladden our hearts,

and fill our mouths with praise. Messengers from

that blessed region have been sent to our earth with

glad tidings of great joy to all the people of God, and

to every Gentile nation, that to us is born a Saviour,

and that he is now gone to his native heaven; and

will appear again on earth to our complete salvation*.

Ver 26. A righteous man falling down before the wick-

ed is as a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring.

A righteous man falls down before the wicked when

he is oppressed and cannot obtain justice, but is oblig-

ed to submit to injury and violence. When such

injustice prevails in a country, every thing is in a state

of disorder. The fountain of justice is poisoned; the

public administration, instead of being 4 public bles-

sing, is a general curse; and those who should be the

 

*Luke 2, Acts 1

CHAP. XXV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              707

 

fathers and guardians of the poor, are worse than

street robbers, for they not only pillage them of their

property, but grind their faces, and pull of their skins

and pick their bones*.

He that poisons a public fountain, deserves a thou-

sand deaths; and those by whose mismanagement the

fountains of justice are corrupted, must be equally cri-

minal in the sight of God. He is an enemy not to

men only, but to God, by giving encouragement to

wickedness, and suppressing goodness, and perverting

an ordinance of God into an engine for serving the

designs of Satan.

Those righteous men that fall before the wicked,

must take care that they fall not into sin, for they are

strongly tempted to it by their unhappy circumstances.

When wicked men drive the righteous into sin, the

fountains become corrupt, in another and worse sense

than that now mentioned; for those who are like

springs of water for the refreshment of their neigh-

bours becoming polluted and loathsome, are a means

of perverting and poisoning those that are too much

disposed to judge of religion and duty from the beha-

viour of religious persons.

When the righteous persist under temptation in

duty, they have rich sources of comfort in the promises

of God, and the doctrine of a future judgment †.

Ver. 27. It is not good to eat much honey; so for men

to search their own glory, is not glory; (but a piece

of base conduct.)

Men may eat some honey, so likewise men are war-

ranted to pay due regard to their own honour. If there

be any praise, Paul recommends it to us to think on it,

and our Lord enjoins us to make our light to shine be-

fore men, that they may glorify our Father who is in

heaven.

 

*Micah 2        †Ps. 12, Ezek. 34:17-23

708          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXV.

 

But it is a loathsome thing to the stomach to eat

much honey, and it is a loathsome thing for a man to

be anxious about his honour, and to fish for praise, as

too many do, who use a variety of methods to obtain

the applause of men; sometimes putting on all the ex-

ternal appearances of humility with that view, and say-

ing things of themselves which would inspire them

with fury if they were said by another person, or be-

lieved by that very person to whom they are spoken.

We must value our own reputation because it en-

ables us to be useful to men, and to glorify God; but

when we indulge an unbridled desire after glory from

men, we forget our chief end, we disqualify ourselves

for the most important duties, we expose ourselves to

the worst temptations; and if our fortune were equal

to that of Caesar, our ambition might draw us to equal

in crimes that enemy of Cato, and cut-throat of man-

kind.

The humble are sensible that they deserve shame

rather than glory, and would be content that all their

glory were taken from them, that it might be ascribed

unto God to whom it truly belongs. The vain and

proud would rob God Almighty of his crown, that

they might set it upon their own heads. But God will

not suffer them to escape without a punishment suited

to their crime. When Herod was affecting the honours

of a god, he perished by a viler death than if he had

died in a ditch*.

Ver. 28. He that hath no rule over his own spirit is

like a city that is broken down, and without walls.

It is necessary for our happiness and peace, that we

should have the government of our own spirits. He that

possesses not himself possesses nothing, although he

should possess all other things. As a city that is broken

 

*1 Cor. 15:11, Acts 12:24

CHAP. XXV.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              709

 

down, and without walls, is exposed to the invasion

of every enemy; so the man who has not a mastery

over his own desires and affections, is a ready prey to

every devil, and his imagination is tainted, his corrupt

desires are inflamed, and his active powers hurried in-

to the most criminal excesses by every slight tempta-

tion. A city in flames, or a ship seized by a drunk-

en and mutinous crew, are not so terrible spectacles

as a soul where the judgment and reason are laid deso-

late by intemperate passions and appetites. What mis-

chiefs have been wrought, and what oceans of blood

have been poured out by the passion of anger alone, when

it was unrestrained by the principle of conscience?

When Simeon and Levi heard the dying blessings of

their father upon the rest of his sons, and the severe

censures that he passed upon themselves, what remorse

must have torn their hearts at the thought of that fatal

day when in their cruel fury they slew so many men,

and destroyed the city of Shechem.

Let us hold in with a strong and steady hand our

disorderly passions, otherwise they will make us wild

beasts, of a more furious kind than wolves and leopards;

because our rational powers will be forced into their

service, and tend to no other purpose, but to make

us more fell and destructive enemies of mankind. No

leopards or lions ever destroyed men or beasts in such

multitudes as those tyrants have done, who were slaves

to their own love of glory and vindictive spirits.

It is a happy thing when the body is subject to the

mind, and the mind deeply penetrated with an habitual

sense of the authority of God. That we may be placed

in this delightful state, we must give up ourselves to

the Lord, and pray for the accomplishment of these

promises, "I will put my spirit within you, and I will

cause you to walk in my statutes:" "The wolf shall

dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down

with the kid."

710          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVI.

 

 

 

                        Proverbs 26

 

Ver. 1. As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest,

so honour is not seemly for a fool.

Snow in summer and rain in harvest are unseason-

able, disagreeable, and sometimes very hurtful. In

like manner, honours bestowed on foolish and wicked

persons sit very ungracefully on them, and enable

them often to prove hurtful to their inferiors. When

Haman was raised to high station, he soon became

hurtful to all men by his pride; and if providence had

not baffled his designs, he would have ruined a whole

nation of innocent men, and banished true religion out

of the world.

This proverb contains a very important instruction

to those who have the disposal of offices and honours

in their hand. By advancing unworthy persons to sta-

tions of influence in church or state; they may render

themselves deeply accountable for the follies and crimes

of other men. One of the Caliphs of Babylon, was so

sensible of this, that he voluntarily resigned his autho-

rity, and refused to choose his successor, that he might

not be accountable for his conduct.

Most men are fond of honour and preferment, as if

happiness were inseparably connected with it; but few

are sensible how difficult it is to wear honours with a

becoming dignity, and how much better the providence

of God has chosen their situation than they could

have chosen it for themselves. Great numbers of those

princes who make a despicable or hateful figure in his-

tory, might have become a private station very well,

and left the world lamented by all their acquaint-

ances.

 

CHAP. XXVI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              711

 

It belongs to God to determine our station in life,

and to us to believe that he has determined it in his

wisdom and goodness, and to fulfil the duties of it

without aspiring to those honours that God has not

been pleased to bestow upon us.

Those that are in stations of honour ought not to

trust for honour to their stations, but to seek it by wis-

dom, without which, their exalted situation will only

render their disgrace more visible. The infamous

names of Pilate and Tiberius, and Caiaphas, might have

been buried with those of the meanest instruments of

their iniquities, if they had not, to their great unhappi-

ness, filled high stations whilst they lived.

Ver. 2. As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by

flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.

When you see a bird wandering about, or a swallow

flying hither and thither, you are not afraid of any hurt

from them. They will not touch you, but fly back to

their nests. You have no more reason to be afraid of

hurt from unmerited curses, whoever the persons are

that pronounce them. They are but harmless lighten-

ings, that will not blast you; they will fly back to the

place from which they came, and light with dreadful

vengeance on the heads of those who profaned their

Maker's name, and gave scope to their own malice in

uttering them; for as they delight in cursing, they shall

have cursing for their portion, and unless the pardon-

ing mercy of God prevent, their curses will enter into

them like water, and like oil into their bones.

Groundless fears are real torments, for no passion is

more distressing than fear; whether it has a just cause

or not, its present effect is the same, and therefore God

in mercy has given us antidotes against every needless

and unprofitable kind of fear. The curses which bad

men sometimes pour forth from their vindictive spirits,

have such a dreadful sound, that they strike an impress-

712          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVI.

 

sion of horror into the tender spirits of the innocent

and conscientious, although they know they have not

deserved them; but if our consciences do not condemn

us, we need not be afraid of the blasphemous impreca-

tions of the wicked, although they were expressed in

the coarsest language of hell. The curses of a conclave

of cardinals, or the excommunications of an assembly

of divines, could do no prejudice to one whom his own

heart does not reproach. They may open their mouths

wide, and speak great swelling words of terror, but

their arm is short, and God has not entrusted them

with his thunderbolts. Their curses, instead of being

prejudicial, will be very useful to us, if we are wise

enough to imitate the conduct of David, whose meek-

ness was approved, his prayers kindled into a flame of

desires, and his hopes invigorated by them*.

But we have just reason to fear the curse that is not

causeless. Although persons when they meet with ill

usage, are not warranted to wish a curse upon those

that wrong them, yet the curses that are extorted

by anguish from their spirits, will not fall to the

ground †.

The most just curse in the world is the curse of God,

that lies upon all the children of disobedience; and we

cannot escape the execution of it, but through Christ;

who was made a curse in our stead ‡.

Ver. 3. A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and

a rod for the fool's back.

A fool is more brutish than the horse or the ass; for

the horse, as well as the ox knoweth his owner, and

the ass his master's crib, but foolish sinners are insen-

sible of the obligations they are under, both to God

and man. The horse needs the lash to chastise it when

it is unruly, and to urge its speed when it is dull. The

 

*2 Sam. 16:10-12, Ps. 109:28    †Exod. 22:27    ‡Gal. 3:10,13

CHAP. XXVI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              713

 

ass, when it was used for riding, needed the bridle to

govern its course (or the spur to push it on its way, Sept.)

The rod is equally needful for the fool's back. Are you

the unhappy fathers of foolish children? you must

make use of the rod and reproof to give them wisdom.

Are you authorized to bear rule in the church? the

rod of church discipline must be applied to offenders,

that they may be reclaimed, and others warned. Are

you magistrates? the rod which God has put into

your hands may be a means of preserving young male-

factors from the gibbet at a more advanced period of

life. Are you wise? beware of turning aside unto folly,

that you may never need the rod. Are you fools?

learn wisdom, or do not blame those whom duty and

charity will oblige to use the rod for your correction.

Is it not better that you should be treated by your

superiors with love, and in the spirit of meekness, than

to be beaten with the rod*? Are you obliged, for your

faults, to undergo the pains of church censure, or cri-

minal law? Kiss the rod, and sin no more, lest a

worse thing come unto you. Have you formerly en-

dured the rod? Let the impressions and effects of it

abide with you for life, lest the sword of divine ven-

geance be unsheathed against you, because you refused

to hear the voice of the rod and him that hath appoint-

ed it †.

Ver. 4. Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest

thou also be like unto him.

There are many cases in which a fool is to be heard,

and not answered at all. When a scorner reviles us, it

is needless to reprove him for it; for he is a dog, and

the best way you can deal with him, is to let him bark

till he ceases of his own accord: if you cast a stone at

him, he will only follow you the longer and bark the

 

*1 Cor. 4:21    †Prov. 29:1

714          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVI.

 

more furiously. When Rabshakeh railed at Hezekiah,

and blasphemed the God of Israel, the servants of He-

zekiah were expressly forbidden by their master to an-

swer him a word, for he knew that an answer would

only produce some blasphemous reply. Our Lord

himself often kept silence when impertinent questions

were asked at him. He was well acquainted with all

the secrets of wisdom, and, if he had spoken, his words

would have been the fittest that could be spoken in

these cases; but silence was, in his infallible judgment,

fitter than any answer that his perfect wisdom could

make.

But must this be a rule for us in every case? Should

not the multitude of words be answered, and when the

fool mocks shall no man make him ashamed? In many

cases it is very fit that a fool's words should be answer-

ed, only you must take care in answering not to imi-

tate him. If he speaks unreasonable, profane, peevish,

or passionate words, you must not answer him in his

own style. You are angry at him for his folly, and re-

prove him for the extravagance of his behaviour, and

therefore you cannot but confess that yourselves are

worthy of a very sharp reproof, if you behave like him

at the very time that you are testifying your displea-

sure at his conduct. You cannot allege that his pas-

sionate manner of speaking and acting will justify you

in behaving passionately; for if one fire kindled from

hell burns so fiercely, and threatens to devour every

thing that comes in its way, why should another fire

be lighted from it to do still greater mischief? It be-

comes not the followers of Jesus to return railing for

railing, or one angry reflection for another, but in what-

ever manner others talk, our tongues ought still to be

governed by the law of meekness and charity.

There are no cases in which this rule is more fre-

quently trangressed than in religious disputes. Passion

CHAP. XXVI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              715

 

and railing, when they are employed in the support of

truth, appear to many to be just expressions of Chris-

tian zeal; and that noble and necessary grace of the

spirit has been brought into suspicion, and regarded

with a very jealous eye, by reason of those who have

substituted ill nature in its place, and called it by a name

to which it is as well entitled as the prince of darkness

is to be called an angel of light. The scripture enjoins

ministers to instruct opposers in meekness*. It declares

expressly that the wrath of man worketh not the right-

eousness of God; and it informs us that Michael, that

great prince among the heavenly hosts, durst not bring

a railing accusation against Satan †.

Ver. 5. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he

be wise in his own conceit.

When we answer a fool, we must give him the answer

which his folly deserves and requires. If you do not

Answer him at all, other men may believe that he is in

the right, and where there is any danger of that, the

edification of your neighbours calls upon you to chew

the folly of what he has said. Besides, if he is not an-

swered, he will conclude that you cannot answer him,

and his vanity and self-conceit will be increased by

your silence. When Job's friends were all silenced in

the course of their dispute with him, the next speech

which the good man delivered is called a parable, or

commanding speech ‡; for he spoke like one that had

gained the victory, and claimed a right to be believed

in what he said. And the fool when he is not answer-

ed, will conclude more naturally than such a man as Job,

that his cause is good; for although prudence bind up

your tongue from speaking in the ears of a fool, yet there

is no man that reckons himself less a fool than he, or

 

*2 Tim. 2:26, Gal. 6:1    †Jude    ‡Job 27:1

716          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVI.

 

has less conception of a man's holding his peace, when

he is not baffled in argument.

It will be doing a good piece of service to the world,

and to the fool himself, if you can answer him accord-

ing to his folly, so as to humble his vanity, and make

him ashamed of himself. Our Lord triumphed by his

wisdom over his insolent enemies. When they blamed

him for curing distressed persons on the Sabbath day,

he exposed their self-inconsistency and inhumanity, to

the conviction of the people, and their own shame.

When Pilate insolently pretended to a sovereign power

of life and death, and thereby entrenched on the pre-

rogatives of the God of heaven, our Lord (who did not

open his mouth, because he knew it was to no purpose,

to vindicate his own injured character,) gave his assuming

judge an answer which reminded him that he was but

a man.

Let us seek wisdom from God, that we may know

when we should speak, and when we should be silent;

and that we may be preserved from speaking such things

as are improper for the mouths of saints, and taught to

give an answer with meekness and prudence to the

words of wise men or fools, as occasion requires.

Ver. 6. He that sendeth a message by the hands o f a

fool, cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage.

It would be very ridiculous in a man when he sends

a servant on an errand, to cut off his feet, and disable

him from doing that business in which he was employ-

ing him. It is equally foolish to employ an unwise or

unfaithful man in a business of importance; for he is

like a man whose feet are cut off, for any good he can

be expected to do, and his employer not only meets

with damage in his affairs, but he drinketh damage in

great abundance, losing his reputation for sense, and

suffering great loss in his important interests.

This proverb, like many others of them that were co-

pied out by Hezekiah's men, is instructive chiefly to

CHAP. XXVI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              717

 

princes and other great men; but it is not without its

use to us also in the management of our less important

concerns, which we ought for our credit and comfort to

manage with prudence; and one great branch of pru-

dence, consists in employing those to assist us in any

affair, who will discharge that trust like wise and honest

men. Have we a vote in the election of the legislative

body? We are accountable for the use we make of it.

If we choose for our representative, one that is likely to

betray the interests of the nation, for serving his private

interest, or the purposes of a faction, we concur, in his

person, in all the public mischief that he does. Do we

choose a minister to take the oversight of our souls?

We must beware of fixing our choice upon an ignorant,

or erroneous, or graceless man, otherwise we cut out

the tongue, (to use Solomon's style,) and bring great

damage, for ought we know, not only upon our own

souls, but upon the souls of thousands of our fellow

men.

Ver. 7. The legs of the lame are not equal; so is a pa-

rable in the mouth of fools.

A lame man is very untowardsome in his manner of

walking. But a fool appears with a still worse grace

when he presumes to talk of subjects beyond his reach,

or to speak in praise of those virtues to which he is a

total stranger in his practice. A clown would be laugh-

ed at, if he were to talk about Greek and Hebrew, and

navigation, and court breeding; but it would fill a per-

son with indignation, to hear a thief speak in praise of

justice, a drunkard commend temperance, or a hypocrite

talk in praise of the uprightness of David. Our tongues

and our lives must be of a piece, otherwise all our pro-

fessions will serve no other purpose but to condemn

ourselves, and to procure us a portion in the other world

with hypocrites. A grave and wise sentence becomes

the mouth of a wise and holy man. It is very unbe-

718          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVI.

 

coming in a Christian to be silent on occasions when

he is called to glorify God or edify men, and it is still

more unbecoming in a saint, to allow himself on any

occasion in foolish and vain talking; but when open

sinners profane the scripture and religion, by their un-

hallowed mouths, they are like an ass dressing him-

self in a lion's skin, or a devil transforming himself into

an angel of light.

There must be a conformity between every part of

our character and conduct, if we wish to be upright in

the way of the Lord, and like Caleb and Joshua to follow

the Lord fully. No man in this world is perfect in

wisdom and goodness, but an uniformity of conduct in

the general course of life is attainable. Although we

cannot all run in the way of God's commandments, or

mount up with wings as eagles, yet we may walk on

with an even course in the way of holiness, shewing an

equal respect to those precepts which regard our speech,

and to those which regulate our heart and conversation.

God denounces vengeance upon those hypocrites that

take his covenant into their mouths, whilst they join

with the wicked in their sinful courses; but to him that

ordereth his conversation aright, he promises to shew

the salvation of God*.

Ver. 8. As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he

that giveth honour to a fool.

Honour is not seemly for a fool, and he that gives

him honour is himself a fool, for he acts like one that

means to sling a stone at some mark, and yet binds it

up in the sling that it cannot get away from it. He

disappoints his own intentions by taking the most ab-

surd means in the world to accomplish them. When

we give our applause to foolish persons, expecting their

favour, or hoping that our praise will induce them to

 

*Ps. 50:16-23

CHAP. XXVI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              719

 

respect their own honour in their manner of conduct,

we only make them more self-sufficient and domineer-

ing, and swell that pride in their hearts which makes

them insufferable to all about them. If those that have

the disposal of high offices bestow them upon unde-

serving men, they are only preparing disgrace and re-

pentance for themselves; as king Ahasuerus found to

his great vexation, when he was deceived so far by that

wicked minister whom he had foolishly advanced, that

he ignorantly signed a death-warrant for his much lov-

ed queen and her whole nation. Men cannot search

the hearts of their fellow creatures, and if they are the

means of advancing some to public offices who disap-

point the hopes that were entertained of them, they

cannot help it. But we can form some probable opin-

ions of the dispositions of men from their behaviour,

and ought to do so, before we take any share in placing

them in those stations where they are likely to do much

good or much hurt. Besides, we should pray to the

Searcher of hearts to direct our judgments on all such

occasions, as we find the disciples did in the choice of

an apostle. Without consideration and prayer, we run

a great risk of sharing in other men's sins, when we

contribute to the elevation of men to places, where, if

they be fools, they will find great scope for their folly.

But does not God himself often give honour to fools?

Yes. But who art thou, O man, that settest thy heart like

the heart of God? God is the absolute sovereign of the

world, and is not bound to give an account of any of

his matters. He is, the judge of nations, who has a

right to punish men by subjecting them to the power

of fools. He is the infinitely wise God, who brings

good out of evil. We must be holy, as God is holy;

but we must not pretend to claim the prerogatives of

sovereignty, because God is the sovereign of the world.

Our business is to acquiesce in the disposals of God, to

720          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVI.

 

adore where we cannot comprehend him, and to regu-

late our conduct not by his secret, but his revealed

will; and we are thereby taught that bad men ought

to be despised in our eyes, and that we must honour

them that fear the Lord*.

Ver. 9. As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunk-

ard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

Wise and holy sayings, especially on deep and mys-

terious subjects, are riot only improper for the mouth

of fools, but often hurtful to themselves and others.

They are like thorns, or sharp-pointed weapons in the

hands of drunkards, which wound the hands that hold

them, and may be used to wound others that happen to

be in company with them.

Proverbs have sometimes been hurtful even in the

mouths of wise men, through the imperfection of their

wisdom. Job's friends dealt much in parables, which

they had learned by tradition from their wise ancestors,

but they misapplied them to the case of Job; and al-

though they meant to plead the cause of God, yet they

displeased him so much by their uncharitable speeches

against Job, which they drew, by unjust inference, from

undoubted truths, that he told them they had not spo-

ken the thing that was right concerning him as his

servant Job had done. If Job had not been a strong

believer, their management of truth must have sunk

him into despondency.

If wise and holy men have done hurt to themselves

and others, by meddling with parables beyond their

capacity, or by unjust comments upon them, what mis-

chief may a fool do by dealing in them! When he

speaks of the wonderful mercy of God, he will praise

it at the expence of divine justice, and maim the at-

tributes of God by dashing them one against another.

 

*Ps. 15:4

CHAP. XXVI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              721

 

When he speaks of the necessity and beauty of holi-

ness, he will bestow on it a part of that glory which is

due to Christ: When be speaks of the efficacy of the

atonement, he will insinuate encouragements to sin in-

to the minds of his hearers. Every doctrine will be

perverted by his management; or, if he speaks correct-

ly and properly on any religious subject, yet the in-

consistency of his life with his words, will bring sus-

picions to the prejudice of truth into the minds of

those that converse with him. And if he shews the

true way to heaven, and yet takes the road to hell,

those who pay any regard to him, will be disposed to

think that the way in which he chooses to walk is pre-

ferable in his eyes to that of which he only talks.

From this proverb we learn, that all ministers of the

gospel must be men of knowledge, soundness in the

faith, and a pious conversation. Without the former

qualities, they cannot handle the word of God in an

edifying manner, and may pervert precious souls. With-

out the latter, their conversation will do more evil than

their sermons can do good.

Christians ought to have their speech seasoned with

salt. Knowledge of the form of sound words is neces-

sary to furnish their lips with this kind of discourse;

and their practice must correspond with their words,

otherwise they make themselves, and, perhaps, their

profession likewise, to be abhorred.

Ver. 10. The great God that formed all things, both

rewardeth the fool and rewardeth transgressors.

Sinners shall in due time be punished, whether their

wicked courses are the effect of folly and inconsidera-

tion, or of stubborn and hardened dispositions. Fools

will not be excused, because they did not know, or

did not think upon the evil of their courses; for men

are accountable not only for the knowledge they pos-

sessed, but likewise for that which they might have

722          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVI.

 

got, if they had not wickedly neglected to make use

of the means of grace, and to improve those talents

which were given them; as our Lord clearly shows in

the parable concerning the talents, where he tells us,

that the man who had received but one talent was pu-

nished, not for spending it in riot and dissipation, but

for hiding it in a napkin.

Those that have been eminent transgressors, that

have rebelled against the light, and stifled the loud

clamours of their consciences, and led others in the way

of sin, shall be rewarded in proportion to the greatness

and aggravations of their offences. Every sinner that

continues impenitent shall receive from God that re-

compense of his error which is meet; and divine om-

niscience and justice shall shine in proportioning the

severity of punishment to the nature and number of the

offences that have procured it*.

The judge of all the earth is the great God, who is

clothed with terrible majesty. His greatness shews the

greatness of the evil of sin, for the greater that any su-

perior is, the more aggravated is any instance of disre-

spect shewed to him. God is infinitely great, and there-

fore we are under infinite obligation to obey him; and

if we transgress his laws, that grandeur which was in-

sulted by our disobedience, must be vindicated and

glorified by inflicting a vengeance worthy of itself. It

is a terrible thing to provoke the wrath of a prince, but

who knoweth the power of God's anger? According

to his fear so is his wrath.

God is the former of all things, and he made all

things for himself, and will not suffer his creatures to

frustrate his purpose of glory to his own name. Ra-

tional creatures may abuse the gifts of reason and free

will to the dishonour of the Almighty; but if he is not

 

*Luke 12:47,48

CHAP. XXVI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              723

 

glorified in the obedience of his laws, he will be glori-

fled in the execution of the penalties denounced in them

against transgressors, who shall be punished with ever-

lasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and

from the glory of his power. Revenging justice belongs

to the great Creator. He punished sin even in his own

beloved Son, who never knew sin; for the Lord made

the iniquities of all his people to meet in Christ, and

he was oppressed and afflicted, and bruised, and put to

unspeakable grief. He pardons no sin to any man,

that was not first punished in Christ; and if the great

God dealt in this awful manner with his own Son, and

with his chosen people in the person of their surety,

how can impenitent and hardened sinners escape the

damnation of hell? They sometimes indulge hopes that

the God who made them will not finally destroy them;

but their obligations to God as their Creator and pre-

server, make their sins inexcusable, and therefore he

that made them will not have mercy upon them. It is

true he gives them space for repentance at present, and

loudly calls them to turn and live, and swears by his

own life that he has no pleasure that they should die*.

But the words of this gracious oath are a plain evidence

that the glorious mercy of the Lord will not exempt

from punishment the obstinate sinner who goes on still

in his trespasses. To those that are found unbelieving

and impenitent, the precious displays of grace will at

last be like rivers of oil to enrage those flames in which

they are tormented.

This text has a very different translation in the mar-

gin, which appears agreeable enough to the original:

A great man grieveth all, and he hireth the fool, he hireth

also transgressors. This makes it a political instruction,

teaching us what mischief a prince does to the country

 

*Ezek. 33:11

724          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVI.

 

by employing foolish and wicked ministers. This was

exemplified in the administration of Saul, who did great

hurt to the nation, and grieved the hearts of all lovers

of their country, by employing such ruffians in his

service as Doeg the Edomite. We are accountable not

only for the mischiefs which we do with our own

hands, or by the orders which we give, but likewise

for those which we do, by enabling persons of corrupt

dispositions to gratify them, to the hurt of other men.

If one puts a sword into the hand of a drunkard, or

madman, he deserves to be punished for all the mis-

chief that follows upon it.

Ver. 11. As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool re-

turneth to his folly.

Sin is called by the worst names in Scripture, and

the vileness of it is represented by comparisons taken

from the most loathsome objects. It is folly, it is the

vomit of a dog, it is the poison of asps, it is the super-

fluity of naughtiness; but no words are sufficient to de-

scribe, no images are sufficient to represent, the malig-

nity of sin. The worst thing that can be said of any

sin is, that it is exceeding sinful. Sinners are fools and

dogs. All sinners are unclean beasts; and some have

so much of the temper of a surly dog, that Christ for-

bids us to admonish them, lest they should turn and

rend us.

When sinners hear of the vengeance of the great

Creator against themselves, they are sometimes startled,

and in some degree convinced of the necessity of re-

formation; and therefore they will stop short in their

wicked course, and forbear those gross sins which press

hard upon their consciences, and, like Herod, do many

things which they are commanded to do, that they may

obtain some ease to their minds, and reputation among

saints; but, unless their nature is renewed by the grace

of the Spirit, which turns dogs into sheep, their hearts

CHAP. XXVI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              725

 

are still much the same as formerly. Their awakened

consciences resist sin; but their love to it is not dimi-

nished; and for the, most part their corruptions obtain

the victory over their consciences, and they return to

their former course of life with redoubled eagerness.

The sight of a dog returning to his vomit is very

loathsome; but it is much more detestable for sinners

to return to their former wickedness. Nothing is more

dishonouring to God, or insulting to his majesty; no-

thing is more hurtful to the souls of men, and especi-

ally of the sinner himself; for if any man draw back, it

is to perdition of the most terrible kind. Impenitent

sinners, that never shewed any disposition to repent,

shall be severely punished; but not so severely as those

who, after they have known and tried the way of righ-

teousness, have turned aside from the holy command-

ment delivered unto them. The reproach which they

cast upon God, as if iniquity were to be found in him,

is intolerably provoking; and God, in righteous judg-

ment, suffers the devil, when he returns into these

wretches, to take with him seven devils, and the last,

state of that man becomes worse than the first.

Turn, O ye fools, at the reproof of wisdom; but it

ye will return, return unto the Lord, and put away all

your abominations; make to yourselves a new heart,

and a new spirit; and if ye cannot perform this great

work, (as indeed ye can no more make to yourselves a

new heart than a new heaven and earth) give the Lord

no rest till he perform his great promise of making you

a new heart and a new spirit. A dog chained, and si-

lenced from barking, is a dog still, and cannot find en-

trance into heaven*. You must be created anew in

Christ Jesus, otherwise your partial reformations will

only tend to your greater security in your present con-

 

*Rev. 22:15

726          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVI.

 

dition, to your greater reproach, when your convic-                                                         

tions are stifled by the rage of your corrupt passions,                                                     

and to your greater condemnation in the day of the                                                          

Lord.                                                  

Ver. 12. Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit?

there is more hope of a fool than of him.                                                

When a man has left some of his follies, he thinks

himself a new man; old things, he imagines, are passed

away, and all things are become new; for there is no-                                                      

thing in which the power of folly appears to a greater                                                      

degree; than in the judgment which a fool passes on                                                        

himself. For this reason those fools are in the most                                                        

dangerous condition of all others, who persuade them-                                                   

selves, either from some change in their conduct, or                                                       

from any other cause, that they are become wise. Many  

of the publicans heard with pleasure the sermons of                                                        

John Baptist, and of Christ, concerning repentance;                                                         

whilst the self-conceited Pharisees and scribes rejected            

the counsel of God against, themselves. The Gentiles                                                     

in like manner were made to see the folly and wretch-                                                    

edness of their former course of life, and to receive with

thankfulness the offer of a better righteousness than                                                       

their own, whilst Israel, trusting to their own righte-                                                       

ousness, did not submit to the righteousness of God.                                                      

There is some hope of a fool and a sinner, if you can

make him really to believe that he is what he is. The                                                        

first lesson to be learned in the school of wisdom, is our

own folly*. And when we are deeply sensible of this                                                       

truth, the revelation of Christ, as our wisdom, and our                                                     

salvation, will be pleasant to our ears; but if we still                                                        

think ourselves wise, when we are fools, we shall des-                                                    

pise Christ as much as the pharisees did, and the dis-                                                      

coveries of the Gospel will be either idle tales, or taste-

less stuff, in our apprehension.                                           

 

*1 Cor. 3:18                                     

CHAP. XXVI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              727

 

Woe to them that are wise in their own conceit, and

prudent in their eyes. They depend on wind and va-

nity; or if they really possess some of that kind of wis-

dom which a fool may have, they lean on a broken reed,

which will go into their arms and pierce them, and rend

their souls with eternal remorse, because, in their vain

opinion of their own understandings, they rejected the

light of the world. "For judgment," says our Lord,

"am I come into this world, that they which see not

might see, and that they which see might be made

blind." None are more blind than those who are readiest

to say, with the Pharisees, "are we blind also?" They

say that they see, and take away all excuse from them-

selves, and shall have the mortification, at the great

day, to find that God has revealed those things unto

babes which he has hidden from the wise and prudent*.

Ver. 13. The slothful man saith, there is a lion in the

way, I shall be slain in the streets.

Solomon published many proverbs against slothful-

ness in his own edition of this book. The men of He-

zekiah repeat some of them, and join some others to

them on the same subject.

The slothful man is reduced to such pitiful shifts for

excusing his conduct, that he saith, contrary to all rea-

son and experience, that there is a lion in the way, and

that he may be killed in the very streets of the city if

he should go forth to his work. This sign of sloth is

in nothing more observable than in the excuses that peo-

ple make for excusing themselves from the duties of re-

ligion. The first Christians never minded lions, when

they were in the path of duty †, for they were deeply

impressed with the love of Christ, who regarded nei-

ther the bulls of Bashan, nor the lions of the pit, in

 

*Matt. 11:25, 1 Cor. 1:26,27          †Acts 20:24, 2 Tim. 4:17

728          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVI.

 

working out their salvation; but when we make reli-

gion our smallest concern, a frown, or a jeer, or a few

drops of rain, will be a sufficient reason to us for de-

clining the most important services. We should re-

member that our consciences are God's deputies in our

bosoms, and not bribe them to sustain any plea that will

be rejected by our Judges.

Ver. 14. As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth

the slothful upon his bed.

How dearly does the sluggard love his sleep! but, to

his great vexation, he cannot sleep always. When he

finds himself half awake, and wearied with lying so

long, he tries to get a little more sleep by changing

his posture. As the door turns upon its hinges, but still

continues in the same place, so the sluggard turns from

one part of his bed to another, and from his right side

to his left, and then he turns himself on his back, and

on his face; for to put on his clothes is a dreadful and

intolerable toil. But when every part of his body is

wearied with the fatigue of lying and turning, he slow-

ly draws to his clothes, and with great difficulty gets

them thrown about him, and perhaps necessity or wea-

riness drives him to some kind of work; but still he is

like a door moving upon its hinges, for he only trifles

about the most serious affairs, and the night finds his

work in much the same state as the morning.

In this manner do sluggards trifle and sleep, not only

in the things that concern their present happiness, but

in things of awful and eternal consequence. As if they

could work out their salvation with faint wishes, and

spiritless endeavours, their hearts sleep when they are

calling on God for the pardon of their sins, and when

they come to church, the words of the preacher are for-

gotten almost as soon as they are heard; and it is ten to

one but their pew serves for a bed and the book-board

 

*Chap. 22:13

CHAP. XXVI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              729

 

for a pillow to them; and, as if the devil had given

them some opium on the Sabbath morning, they can

scarcely be awakened out of their sleep by the united

voices of the congregation in the praises of God.

Alas! how do men loiter and doze away their time,

which can never be recalled, whilst their grand adver-

sary is ever busy and watchful for their ruin. Awake,

sleepers, and call upon your God. Who knows but

God may think upon you, that you perish not!

As drunkards and gluttons enjoy less pleasure it

eating and drinking than the sober and temperate,

so the sluggard never enjoys that sweet and delightful

sleep by which the labourer is refreshed; for his excess

in this bodily indulgence, makes his slumbers broken

and interrupted; nor can he taste that pleasure in eat-

ing which other men enjoy, for although he could pro-

cure meat without work, eating is a toil to him.

Ver 15. The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom, it

grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth.

This is a strong expression of the power of laziness,

and yet it is literally true of the spiritual sluggard, who

will not put forth his hand to receive the richest bless-

ings, nor open his mouth to eat that which is good*.

But when laziness is so prodigiously foolish, and pro-

ductive of such mischiefs, may not the sluggard be rea-

soned into another kind of behaviour?

Ver 16. The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than

seven men that can render a reason.

He reckons himself wiser than all the seven wise

men of Greece put together. The wisdom of Chalcol

and Darda, and Ethan and Heman, and Solomon, in

one man, could not convince him of his folly. "What,"

says he, "if I should go forth to work in such a sultry

day, I might catch an headach; and an headach cost

the Shunamite's son his life. If I should expose my-

self to the terrible cold of winter, I might catch a cold

 

*Chap. 19:24

730          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVI.

 

that would bring on a fever or a consumption; for cold

is the beginning of almost all diseases; and what is a

little worldly gain compared to one's health or life? Is

not a life of ease and tranquillity incomparably better,

though attended with poverty, than a life of toil and

anxiety with riches?" These and the like reasons for his

behaviour, appear to him demonstrations, and his dis-

ease is incurable, because he cannot be made to believe

that he is sick.

Self conceit never fails to attend, spiritual sloth; for

it prevents the receiving of those instructions that tend

to the humiliation of the soul. Kings were command-

ed by Moses to read the Bible with care, that their

hearts might not be lifted up above their brethren; for

truths abound in the Scripture, of sovereign efficacy to

mortify pride; but the sluggard never learned them, or

will not take the trouble of thinking upon them. He has

perhaps heard or read, that wisdom's ways are plea-

santness, and from thence concludes that they are fools

who are at the pains to enter into the strait gate, or

walk in the narrow way. He expects, by the gift

of grace, to obtain heaven, as well as the most labori-

ous Christian; and thinks himself a far happier and

wiser man, than those who work out their salvation

with fear and trembling.

None are more foolish than those who have the high-

est opinion of their own wisdom. Those only are truly

wise, whose understandings and wills are regulated by

the wisdom and will of God, revealed in his word.

Ver. 17. He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife,

belonging not to him, is like a man that taketh a dog by

the ears.

He that takes a dog by the ears, can scarcely escape

without a wound, for the enraged cur will be sure to

leap at him as soon as it finds itself at liberty; and he

that interests himself in quarrels that he has no busi-

ness with, can as little expect to escape unhurt.

CHAP. XXVI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              731

 

It is foolish for us to quarrel about our own concerns

if we can possibly avoid it; for contention is like an

unfathomable gulf, into which a man may easily leap,

but will find it a great difficulty to get out; but it is the

height of folly for men to engage in quarrels where

they have no interest, for we cannot derive any advan-

tage, and are very likely to get much damage from it.

If we can make peace, by interposing between con-

tending parties, and persuading them, in the spirit of

meekness, to compose their differences, we are doing a

very good work, and are in little more danger than a

man that is casting a piece of bread to a dog; and yet,

if either of the parties have a contentious spirit, his an-

gry passions may lead him to say very disagreeable

things to the most friendly mediator, as the quarrel-

some Israelites did to Moses in a like case. But if we

become a partner in the dispute, by taking one of the

sides, we will either receive blows, or hear something

to inflame our passions into rage, or suffer some mis-

chief on another occasion, from the person whom we

have offended. The apostle Peter insinuates to us that

men are very liable to suffer by this means, and that

sufferings of this kind do not become saints. "If any

man suffer, let him not suffer as a thief, or as a busy

body in other men's matters."

Let us therefore study to be quiet and to do our own

business, and this will keep us from thrusting ourselves

into the business of other men.

Ver. 18. As a mad man who casteth fire-brands, ar-

rows, and death;

Ver. 19. So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour,

and saith, Am not I in sport?

The apostle forbids all that kind of jesting, which is

not convenient. A jest is not in every case unlawful;

but it is unwise and wicked, under pretence of jest-

ing, to expose our friends and neighbours to scorn, or

to say something that will inflame their passions, and

732          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVI.

 

kindle up strife and contention. It is still worse to

deceive and flatter them into something that will prove

hurtful to their interests, or prejudicial to their souls,

and then to pretend that we were only amusing our-

selves with a little harmless diversion! No diversion

is harmless that puts an honest man to the blush, or

wounds his spirit or his interests. He that sports him-

self in this rude and unchristian manner, is like a real

or pretended madman, that amuses himself with cast-

ing about at random firebrands, and arrows, and other

instruments of death.

Let those that would be wits at the expence of friend

ship and charity, consider in what class of men Solo-

mon so justly places them, and be ashamed. He

counts them not only fools but madmen, and ranks

them with the worst kind of madmen, in the height of

their rage.

But may not a man use freedoms with a friend? Yes.

But such freedoms only as cement friendship, and

not those freedoms that turn a friend into an enemy.

To carry on a scheme of imposition, under the mask

of friendship, is the worst kind of wickedness, and places

a man in the same black list with Joab and Judas.

There are some men with whom it is safer to be at va-

riance than to possess their friendship. From such

friends may the good Lord deliver us; for open ene-

mies are far less dangerous.

Ver. 20. Where no wood is, there the fire goeth

out, so where there is no tale bearer the strife ceaseth.

A tale bearer is one who tells stories that ought not

to be told, whether true or false, whether fairly or un-

fairly represented; and the worst kind of tale bearers

are those who tell their stories to those who are most

likely to be provoked by them, and at the same time

do not wish to be mentioned as authors of the story,

or witnesses in it.

There is sometimes a propriety in telling secret sto-

CHAP. XXVI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              733

 

ries; and Gedaliah lost his life by carrying his contempt

of this mean vice to excess; but the most part of those

that carry tales of their neighbours are to be number-

ed not only with the basest, but with the most pernici-

ous of mankind. They are serpents in the way, and

adders in the path; they are firebrands kindled from

hell, that kindle a fire among men, which spreads from

one to another, till parishes and counties are in dan-

ger of being set on fire.

He that listens to tale-bearers, is like a man that

sees a house ready to be set on fire, and uses no means

to prevent it. He that turns an angry countenance to

the back-biter, is the friend of mankind, who carries

water to quench the burning.

It were happy for society if such pernicious mem-

bers could be banished from it, for they are like mad-

men that cast around firebrands; but as we live in a

world where such incendiaries are still going about, we

should do what we can to prevent them from carrying

any coals from our own houses, or fetching them with.

in our walls.

Tale bearers little consider the evil they are doing,

and the extent of that mischief which may be justly

charged upon them, or the misery they are heaping up

for themselves, for they shall (unless pardon interpose)

be cast into a deep pit, and a fiery furnace, from whence

they shall never get out*.

Contentious men are the brethren and friends of the

tale bearers, and merit the same censure and condem-

nation.

Ver. 21. As coals are to burning coals, and wood to

fire, so is a content-jots man to kindle strife.

Men of proud, and passionate, and selfish spirits,

give scope to their corrupt dispositions in kindling

strife and debate, which seem to be as agreeable to

 

*Ps. 141

734          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVI.

 

them as a fire to one who is ready to perish with cold.

We ought to avoid the society of such persons. If we

are cast into their company, it is absolutely necessary

for us to keep a strict guard over our hearts and our

tongues; for their provoking or seducing words, have

the same tendency to kindle strife, as burning coals

have to kindle dry wood into a flame. The conflagra-

tion that was raised by Korah, and that which was,

kindled by Sheba the son of Bichri, soon spread itself

through all the armies of Israel.

Let none who calls himself a Christian give any

occasion to call him a contentious man, for Christ is

the prince of peace; his gospel is the gospel of peace,

and all that believe it in truth are the sons and the lov-

ers of peace; but the lovers of strife are children of the

wicked one.

Ver. 22. The words of a tale bearer are as wounds,

and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

This proverb was inserted by Solomon himself, chap.

xviii. 8. but the men of Hezekiah annex it to the former

proverbs about contention; for they wished if possible

to banish tale-bearing, that grand engine of mischief,

out of the world.

Ver. 23. Burning lips, and a wicked heart, are like a

potsherd covered with silver dross.

Every thing that glitters is not precious metal. You

may sometimes observe a piece of metal that you take

to be silver, and yet, when you examine it, there

is nothing but a thin surface of silver dross, which

conceals a worthless piece of potsherd below it. Like

to this is a wicked disposition concealed under the

mask of a tongue that flames with holy zeal, or burns

with professions of the most ardent friendship.

The Pharisees, in the time of our Lord's humbled

state, were men of this disposition, and therefore he com-

pares them to whited sepulchres. They were enemies

to all goodness, and yet their zeal for religion was so

CHAP. XXVI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              735

 

great that Christ himself was a profane person, if their

testimony was of any worth. These abominable hypo-

crites are a smoke in God's nostrils, a fire that burneth

all the day.

There are some that practise the like hypocrisy to-

wards their fellow men, and they are the most danger-

ous members of society that can be found in the world.

Absalom was a perfect master in both these kinds of

hypocrisy, and therefore his name will be infamous

whilst the world stands*. Against those who cover

their malignity with professions of kindness, we are

warned in the following verses.

Ver. 21. He that hateth, dissembleth with his lips, and

layeth up deceit within him.

Ver. 25. When he speaketh fair, believe him not; for

there are seven abominations in his heart.

A passionate man is dangerous; but, if you are on

your guard, the danger will soon be over; the malici-

ous man is far worse, and much more dangerous, for his

hatred ferments in his heart, and his head is, in the mean

time, projecting methods for wreaking it in such a man-

ner as will be safest to himself, and most stunning to

its object. He is not like the dog that barks before

it bites, otherwise you might stand to your own de-

fence; but he is a dog that fawns upon you, and,

when you are never dreaming of it, falls upon you,

and inflicts an unexpected and dangerous wound. So-

lomon warns you that your safety lies in refusing to

trust him, even when he makes the largest professions

of friendship. When he speaketh fair, believe him not,

although he should swear to the truth of all he says. If

you have any reason, from your knowledge of a man's

disposition, or from his former behaviour, to think that

he is one of this stamp, and capable of such wicked con-

duct, his ardent professions of love should rather con-

firm than remove your suspicions of him; for the dark-

 

*2 Sam. 13:22-26, 14:3

736          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVI.

 

est designs are always covered under the greatest shows

of virtue and friendship. You may as safely believe the

devil himself as one that joins malignity of heart with

flattery and caresses, for he is a man after the devil's

own heart. His character is a compound of all those

vices of the blackest and the meanest kind, that make

a consummate villain, and render a man a disgrace to

human nature, by his exact resemblance to those infer-

nal fiends who are to be dreaded equally for their ma-

lice and subtilty. Abner and Amasa lost their lives by

believing a man of this character.

But the providence of God will not always bear with

such abominable wretches.

Ver. 26. Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wick-

edness shall be shewed before the whole congregation.

He is ashamed or afraid to discover his malice, but

God shall bring it to light in the view of all men, and

make him the object of universal abhorrence. This is

often clone by his own agency, for malice ordinarily dis-

covers itself sooner or later. When Saul could not des-

troy David by the hands of the Philistines, or by his jave-

lin in private, his hatred became too violent to be smo-

thered by his prudence. Sometimes God, by a strange

train of providences, exposes the wicked purposes of

men's hearts, and if it continues hid through the whole

course of this life, there is a day that will declare it.

Let us never harbour any thing in our minds that we

would be ashamed if all the world should know it; for

all the world shall certainly know it, in the day when

the secrets of hearts shall be judged; for,

God will not only discover, but punish the maligni-

ty of men; for,

Ver. 27. Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein, and

he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him.

"Whatsoever ye would that others should do unto

you, do ye even so to them," says our Lord, "for this is

CHAP. XXVI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              737

 

the law and the prophets." But if neither Moses, nor

the prophets, nor Christ himself, can prevail upon us

to observe this golden rule, our own interest may be ex-

pected to work us to a compliance with it; for the mis-

chief that we do to others, must at last recoil upon

ourselves, with a heavy aggravation of remorse and

self-condemnation attending it. When Haman was

hanged on his own gallows, his miserable end must have

been attended with anguish and self-reflections a thou-

sand times more grievous than any thing that Mordecai

could have felt if Haman's malice had been accomplish-

ed on him.

Here is encouragement for the faith and patience of

the saints, Here is ground for the highest praise to

the righteousness of God*.

Ver. 28. A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted

by it, and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.

It might be expected that when a man has wronged

his neighbour, by his lies or flatteries, he would be

filled with remorse, and try to make some reparation;

but the loss is, that he judges of other men from him-

self; he does not believe that there is enough of gene-

rosity in any man to forgive him, and therefore per-

sists in his hatred. It is not easy for us to forgive the

injuries we receive; but it is far more difficult to for-

give the injuries we do.

Flatterers are the worst kind of liars, and the most

likely to be believed, because self-love favours their

deceits. Flatterers are commonly men that intend to

betray with a kiss; but, although they should only de-

sign to gain our favour by their fair speeches, yet they

are very pernicious, because they are the friends of

our pride, which is the worst of our bosom enemies.

 

*Rev. 13:10, 16:5,6

738          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVII.

 

 

Proverbs 27

 

Ver. 1. Boast not thyself of to-morrow, for thou know-

est not what a day may bring forth.

In God we live, and move, and have our being; but

we too often forget this important truth, and speak, and

act, and think, as if we lived, and moved, and had our

being in ourselves. We boast of what we will do, or

of what we shall enjoy at the distance of days, and

months, and years. This presumption is forbidden in

this and in many places of Scripture; and a reason is

given for the prohibition that every person must ac-

knowledge to be a true and good one, that we cannot

tell what a day may bring forth; for every new day

brings forth the accomplishment of some decree of the

Most High; but these decrees are written in a sealed

book, and no man can loose the seals, nor open the book,

nor read what is written therein.

We know that the sun will rise to-morrow; but we

cannot tell whether he will rise to us, or to our survi-

vors. We can guess what the weather will be; but we

cannot say whether we shall be rich or poor, sick or in

health, left in the possession of our friends, or bereav-

ed of them that are dearest to our hearts. In the morn-

ing Haman went forth from his magnificent palace,

expecting to be gratified before the evening came

with the blood of his hated enemy, which would have

been sweeter to him than wine; but, before the evening

came, he was hanged like a dog, and went to the

place appointed for him.

We ought to boast of nothing; for what is our life but

a vapour? What are our bags of gold but a glittering

CHAP. XXVII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              739

 

nothing?* What are our honours but a puff of wind?

Or what are our earthly hopes, when their basis is a

shadow that fleeth away, and never returneth? But

the hopes that are founded upon the rock of ages can

never fail us, and the believer in Christ can, upon so-

lid ground, triumph in the expectation of eternal joys,

and unfading crowns. He boasts not of himself, but

glories in the Lord, whose promises are more stable

than the everlasting hills, or the pillars of heaven.

The same reason that should check our boasting of

to-morrow, may preserve us from desponding fears. It

may be stormy weather today; but storms do not last

all the year. We are filled and tormented with fears

of some impending evil; but we often give ourselves real

pain by the prospect of calamities that never were ap-

pointed to us by the providence of God. This is now

the spring of the year, (1785,) and within the last twelve-

month, the country has been three times alarmed with,

anxious fears, all of which have been most agreeably

disappointed.

Ver. 2. Let another man praise thee, and not Mine

own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.

For a man to search his own glory is no glory; and

when a man publishes his own praises, it is a sign that

he has none else to do it for him, and that there is only

one fool in the world, and no wise man that knows

his merit. Suppose a man has really done some good

things, yet when he boasts of them, he destroys all

their credit; for no man will think himself obliged to

praise the man that has face enough to publish his own

praises; and every one will believe that he did those ac-

tions which are the subject of his talk, not from any

principle of love to God or man, but merely with a

view to his own honour. The Pharisees had but a

poor reward for their alms and prayers, in the praise

of men, but the vain boaster has a poorer reward, for

 

*Chap. 23:4

740          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVII.

 

he is his own paymaster, and must be content to want

the praise of other men as well as of God.

But we ought to do those things which deserve

praise. Our hands, and not our tongues, must be em-

played to publish our worth, and thus we shall comply

with the precept*, and follow the example of our Lord.

He had a good title to praise himself, for he was not a

mere man, yet his right to bear testimony to himself

was excepted against by his enemies; but he could ap-

peal to his works, which bare witness continually on

his behalf, and published his praise through the world,

in spite of all the rage and cunning of his adversaries.

In some cases a man is at liberty, and has a call to

speak to his own praise; but these cases are few. When

Paul was laid under a necessity of this kind, he often-

reminds us that he speaks like a fool; and blames the

Corinthians that they had reduced him to this necessi-

ty, by neglecting to interpose in the behalf of his injur-

ed character; for although we must be very cautious

how we praise ourselves, yet when we are called to

speak in the praise of another man, we are not only at

greater liberty, but may expose ourselves to just blame

by unseasonable silence.

Ver. 3. A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but

a fool's wrath is heavier than them both.

Ver. 4. Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but

who can stand before envy?

The wrath of a wise man is sometimes very heavy.

If David had not been prevented, he would have mas-

sacred the whole family of Nabal; but the grace of

God, and a principle of conscience and charity, disposed

him to calm his resentment at Abigail's remonstrances.

A wise man endeavours to live under the influence of

that meekness so strongly recommended, and so won-

derfully exemplified by our Lord; but a fool has no

 

*Matt. 5:16

CHAP. XXVII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              741

 

government over his passions, and it is better to meet a

bear bereaved of her whelps, than a fool in his folly;

for his wrath is heavier than the sand of the sea, it is

fiercer than the rage of tigers, it is more stubborn and

inflexible than the rocks. May we never come within

the reach of a fool when his passions are roused; for

they must be gratified and satiated if they should bring

him to a gibbet. May we ever possess our souls in pa-

tience and calmness; for boisterous passions are a whirl-

wind in the soul, that threaten to rend it in a thousand

pieces.

But terrible as wrath is, envy is a great deal worse.

Envy is the grief that a man feels for the prosperity of

another person; it is a compound of pride and malice

it derives misery to a man from his neighbour's happi-

ness. The blessings and mercies of God are turned

by it into curses; and the life of another man is the

envious man's death. As the devil fell by pride, so he

wrought the fall of man by his envy; and when envy

takes possession of a man, it makes him a devil to his

neighbours. The envious man is far blacker than the

passionate man; for the outrageous behaviour of an

angry person sounds an alarm to his neighbour to be

on his guard; but the envious man conceals his malig-

nity, till he has a fit opportunity to strike a mortal blow

without danger of missing his aim. The one is a dog,

that barks before he bites, the other is an adder in the

grass, that stings the traveller when he is dreading no

hurt; for the malice of the envious man is generally

unsuspected, because no occasion was given for it. It

is the good and happiness of the envied object that ex-

cites his malignity, and he does not so much as pretend

(unless he adds lying to envy,) that he has received any

provocation. Anger may generally be appeased; but

envy is the vice of a dark and hellish spirit, that has

not the least spark of generosity to give any hope of

742          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVII.

 

pacifying it. The only way you can take to soothe

envy is to be miserable; for it makes a man such a per-

feet devil, that evil is his only good.

The fall of man, the murder of Abel, the slavery of

Joseph, the persecutions of David, the crucifixion of

our Lord, are monuments of the rage of envy, and the

danger incurred by being objects of it. But the curse

of the serpent, the miserable end of Saul, the horrors

that pursued Cain, the desolations of Jerusalem, and

the torments prepared for devils, are terrible proofs

that envy is infinitely worse for the person that har-

bours it, than for the innocent object of it.

Ver. 5. Open rebuke is better than secret love.

There are two qualities very requisite in a friend,

love and faithfulness; the last as necessary as the first

to make our friendships really beneficial to us. There

are some that love us with sincerity and warmth, and

yet want the courage that is necessary to make them

faithful in reproving us when we deserve to be reproved.

But reproof, although it should be severe and cutting,

is better than love which does not discover itself in

needful rebukes. A true friend will not disclose our

faults to the world, but he will not justify them to

save our credit; for virtue is the soul of true friend-

ship, and must not be entrenched upon, out of regard

to our dearest friends; and therefore that friend is to

be valued, who makes his reproofs as public as our

faults are, and who does not spare to tell us roundly to

our faces, wherein we have erred; for he gives good

evidence that he esteems our real welfare above his own

interest in our regard. A friend that loves, but is afraid

to reprove us when we deserve if, does not discover a very

high esteem of our sense and temper; for he seems to

think us incapable of bearing reproof, and rather chooses

to enjoy our smiles than to do us an essential service.

Our Lord loved his Apostles with a tender regard;

CHAP. XXVII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              743

 

and with admirable prudence and kindness he rebuk-

ed them when they spoke or behaved amiss. He would

never suffer sin upon them, and yet he reproved them

in such a manner as to increase and not diminish their

love to himself. Let us learn, from this proverb, to

exercise the fidelity of friendship to those whom we

love, and to thank our friends when they discover the

sincerity of their regard in their concern for our souls.

We ought to value honesty above politeness, and to ex-

cuse a little defect in the last quality, for the sake of

the first.

Ver. 6. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the

kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Friends are not to be loved chiefly on account of the

pleasure they give us, although nothing earthly is more

pleasant than a true friend. Their integrity and faith-

fulness is their most valuable quality, and they will some-

times have occasion for them, by speaking to us things

that are a great deal more useful than pleasant. David es-

teemed a friend that would wound and smite him to his

profit, as much as a wise man values a chirurgeon that

makes needful but painful incisions in his flesh, for the

restoration of his lost health. Abishai, who discovered

such zeal for his honour, was not dearer to him than

Nathan the prophet, who reproved him, in the plain-

est manner, for the murder of Uriah*.

All men allow that the kisses of an enemy are deceit.

ful and detestable. "An enemy speaketh sweetly with

his lips, but in his heart he imagineth how to throw

thee into a pit: he will weep with his eyes, but if he

find opportunity, he will not be satisfied with blood.

If adversity come upon thee, thou shalt find him there

first, and though he pretend to help thee, yet shall he

undermine thee." The caresses of an enemy are very

 

*Ps. 141:5

744          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVII.

 

base and dangerous; but it deserves to be considered

whether we have not a greater quantity of revenge

than generosity in our temper, when we hate the kiss-

es of an enemy more than we value the wounds of a

friend. If we value the image of Christ, it is certain

that faithful reprovers express a friendship that resem-

bles his love to his people to a greater degree than those

who withhold from us this plainest token of real re-

gard.

Ver. 7. The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to

the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

The poor generally reckon the rich a great deal hap-

pier than themselves, because they are clothed in fine

apparel, and dwell in elegant houses, and feed upon

the richest dainties; but the envy and discontent of poor

men is very ill founded, for the rich, being accustomed

to these things, receive no more gratification from them

than the poor derive from their homely fare, and mean

raiment, and poor accommodations; or, if the sight of a

well furnished room, and of fine paintings, could give

any considerable pleasure to those that are accustomed

to see them, the poor might enjoy as much pleasure by

looking at the verdant clothing of the earth, and the

glorious canopy of heaven.

The man that fares sumptuously every day, has no

more relish for honey and wine than the poor man has

for bread and water, for he seldom experienceth hun-

ger, and so he wants the best sauce that any food can

have; or, if he denies himself so far as to be hungry,

he puts a force upon himself, because he has the means

of gratification always at hand, and therefore it costs

him more pain to prepare himself for relishing his or-

dinary food, than it costs the man to whom necessity

renders abstinence habitual, and hunger easy to be en-

When a man's appetite is excited by hunger and la-

CHAP. XXVII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              745

 

bour, every kind of food is welcome and pleasant to

him, and whilst the rich are exposed to weariness and

listlessness in their abundance, the poor have strong

excitements to be cheerful and thankful although scan-

ty meals are all they can afford.

The children of Israel loathed the manna, although

it was bread given them immediately from God, and was

called the food of angels. They wished to be in Ca-

naan, and eat common bread in the sweat of their

brows; for the plenty of manna made them to despise

it. If we have fulness of bread, we ought to be cauti-

ous lest we despise the mercies of God, and the giver

of them.

We ought especially to be on our guard against des-

pising our spiritual privileges, which we enjoy in so

great abundance without molestation. Estates have

been given in former days for a few leaves of the Bi-

ble, and gospel ordinances were attended at the hazard

of life; for those that know what spiritual hunger

means, will break through stone walls for the bread of

life; but those who are full in their own apprehen-

sion, will despise the riches of divine goodness, and

God will send them empty away.

Ver. 8. As a bird that wandereth from her nest; so is a

man that wandereth from his place.

When a bird wanders from her nest, and flies about

at random, she is in danger of becoming the prey of

the fowler, or the hawk; and when a man abides not

at home, when he ought to be employed in his busi-

ness, or when he leaves his calling without a sufficient

reason, he exposes himself to great inconveniences, and

sometimes to dangers. He loses his good name, and his

estate is likely to go to ruin; he learns habits of idle-

ness and dissipation, and gets into company that may

very probably corrupt his morals.

Let every man abide with God in that calling where-

746          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVII.

 

with he is called, endeavouring to perform the duties

of it conscientiously, that the doctrine of God our Sa-

viour may be adorned. God assigns to every one of us

our station in life, and we ought to keep it till the call of

Providence warrant us to make a change in it. When

our health, or the necessities of our families, or a well-

grounded respect of doing greater service to God, or

some other important consideration, will justify our

change of place, we come not under the censure of the

wise man, nor do we run the risk that others do who

wantonly and causelessly change their place. We are

safe in following Providence, although it is dangerous

to run before it, or to attempt to set ourselves free from

it, as Jonah did, who sought to flee from the presence

of the Lord by wandering from his place, but soon

found that the way of duty is the only way of safety

and comfort.

Paul joins with Solomon in testifying against those

that abide not in their place to fulfil the duties of it*.

Ver. 9. Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart; so

doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel.

Ointments and perfumes diffuse their fragrant odours

around, by which men's spirits are refreshed, and their

hearts cheered; but the sweetness of a well chosen

friend cheers the soul better than the sweetest flowers,

or the most precious odours prepared by the art of the

apothecary. His amiable virtues, and his affectionate

fondness beaming from his eyes, and breathing in his

words and actions, make him the joy of our hearts, and

diffuse the sweetest sensations of delight into our bo-

som.

Friends are at all times useful. They give a relish

to the pleasures of life, and their society makes the la-

bours of it delightful; but at the times when we need

advice, or meet with perplexities, the advantage of

 

*2 Thess. 3:11,12, 1 Tim. 1:7

CHAP. XXVII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              747

 

their friendship is best understood. Other men often

give us such advice as suits their own interest or hu-

mour; they cannot, at least, enter into our interests,

and judge what advice is most proper to be given to

us, so well as the friends of our bosom, who are ac-

quainted with our business and our dispositions, and

whose fidelity will dispose them to give us advice, ac-

cording to the best of their understanding. In many

cases advice is necessary for us, as Solomon frequently

tells us; for a man perplexed with difficulties, or sur-

prised by some unexpected accident, is not so well qua-

lified to judge what is fit to be done, as another person

would be that has no superior degree of wisdom, but

has the advantage of more composure and sedateness.

To have a bosom friend at such a time to take a share

of our sorrows, to direct our behaviour, to assist us in

our time of need, is a great relief to the mind, and a

restorative to the disquieted heart.

We ought to value a wise and faithful friend more

than gold and silver; for how small a part do they con-

tribute of our comfort in life, in comparison with our

friends who turn even our days of sorrow into joy, and

lighten our heaviest burdens?

If we expect the pleasures of friendship in their full

extent, let us remember that our friends have the same

claims upon us, and the same grounds for them, that

we have on the other side, and we ought to take the

same pleasure in giving as in receiving happiness. For

this end we must be furnished, not only with an honest

and a feeling heart, but with such a measure of wisdom

as will qualify us for conversing with our friends to our

mutual improvement, and for giving them counsel in

the time of their perplexity. He that bath friends

must show himself friendly, and must continue to do

so till the end of his life.

Ver. 10. Thine own friend and thy father's friend,

748          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVII.

 

forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day

of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near,

than a brother far off.

Clothes and houses are valued for being new, but

old friends, like old wine, are entitled to the greatest

share of our esteem, and we must not forsake them

when they give us no good reason for it. To exchange

an old friend for a new is to betray a fickle disposition,

unfit and unworthy to enjoy the blessings of friend-

ship. Some persons cool in their friendships through

an instability of mind, and can give no reason for it

but their own humour; others are no less unfit to taste

the pleasures of a cordial and lasting friendship, be-

cause they are so peevish that they can bear with no

manly freedoms, or so credulous that they give ear to

every whisper, and so unforgiving that they cannot

love those by whom they think they have been offend-

ed. The son of Sirach gives us a good advice on this

point, "Admonish a friend; it may be he hath not done

it, and if he have done it, that he do it no more.

Admonish thy friend; it may be he hath not said it, and

if he have, that he speak it not again. Admonish a

friend; for many times it is a slander, and believe not

every tale. There is one that slippeth in his speech,

but not from his heart, and who is he that hath not of-

fended with his tongue?"

The faults that we ourselves have been guilty of to-

wards our friends are more likely than any thing to

cool our affections to them, through an apprehension

that they must stick in their breasts; but if we can for-

give the trivial offences of our friends, why may we not

believe that they can forgive ours also? Do we imagine

that all generosity is confined to ourselves? Let us hear

what the same wise author says on this point. "Whoso

CHAP. XXVII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              749

 

casteth a stone at the birds frayeth them away; and

he that upbraideth his friend, breaketh friendship.

Though thou drewest thy sword at thy friend, yet des-

pair not, for there may be a returning to favour. If

thou hast opened thy mouth against thy friend, fear

not, for there may be a reconciliation, except for up-

braiding or pride, or disclosing of secrets, or a treacher-

ous wound; for, for these things every friend will de-

part." But those who are capable of such unpardon-

able faults were never fit for being friends to any man.

If the faults of our friends, or the differences that

may take place between them and us, will not justify

us in giving up with them; it is a scandalous thing to

desert them in the time of their distress, when they

have most need of our friendship. A brother is born

for adversity, and a friend loveth at all times; and he is

no genuine friend who proves to us in our time of ca-

lamity like a broken tooth or a foot out of joint. "A

friend cannot be known in prosperity, and an enemy

cannot be hidden in adversity."

We must not forsake our own friend, for that would

be to forsake our second self; and we must not forsake

our father's friend, for that would make us guilty of a

double ingratitude of the basest sort that we can prac-

tise towards men. Our father's friends, if they are ho-

nest, are the best possessions that they can leave us,

and if Naboth would not sell, for any price, the inhe-

ritance left him by his fathers, but kept it in spite of

an Ahab and a Jezebel, till he was stoned, shall we

show such irreverence to the memory of our fathers, as

to give up, without any price, the most precious pos-

sessions which they have bequeathed to us. Solomon

carried on his father's friendly intercourse with Hiram,

and spared a traitor to his crown and dignity, because

750          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVII.

 

he had shared with his father in all his afflictions. Re-

hoboam would have been a wiser and happier man, if

he had followed the example and precept of his fa-

ther.

Trust in our friends is a duty which we owe them,

as well as fidelity, and our confidence will be made to

appear in the use we make of their kindness in the

time of our distress. The house of a constant and

warm friend is then preferable to that of a cold and in-

constant brother. Brethren by birth, have, for the

most part, less attachment to one another than those

friends who single out one another, not from accident,

or relation of kindred, but from the harmony of their

minds, and their mutual kind affections. Greater acts

of heroism have been performed by those who have

been knit by such voluntary and endearing ties, than

by any kind of relations for one another. There is a

friend that sticketh closer than a brother, and we do

him honour by placing an entire confidence in him when

we need his assistance. At his house we shall meet

with a more cordial reception than we can expect from

a brother, and shall hear none of those upbraidings

which the unfortunate too often hear in the houses of

their near relations. When David's brethren of the

tribe, of Judah proved treacherous, his gallant friend,

the son of his great enemy, maintained his cause against

his own father, when he was persecuted by him for the

sake of Jonathan himself.

If we must not forsake our own and our father's

friend, shall we ever forsake our own God, and the God

of our pious father, who is infinitely the best of friends,

and disdains not to call us by the endearing name of

friends to himself*.

 

*John 15:14, 1 Chron. 28:9, Ps. 90:1

CHAP. XXVII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              751

 

Ver. 11. My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that

I may answer him that reproacheth me.

Wise children are not only the joy but the crown of

their parents. Foolish children are their disgrace as

well as their torment. How unnatural are those chil-

dren that bring grief and dishonour on those to whom

they are under obligations that can never be cancelled!

As is the mother, so is her daughter, was a very an-

cient proverb*. As some vices, like some diseases, run

in the blood, the father will be liable to the suspicion of

those vices which disgrace his son, or if his character is

so clear that there is no room for this, yet it will be

judged that the father is in part accessory to his son's

faults, by neglecting his education, by imprudent ri-

gour, or foolish indulgence, or by carelessness in the

example which he set before him. Although men are

frequently guilty of great injustice, by making a whole

family accountable for the behaviour of those who are

the blemishes of it, yet there is often too much reason

for concluding that some neglect or mismanagement of

the father has afforded scope for the irregularities of

his family. David was justly chargeable on this ac-

count, in his behaviour towards the three eldest of his

sons, of whom we have any particular account. God

himself ordered that the harlot who imposed herself as

a virgin upon an husband, should be stoned before the

door of her father's house †; and under the New Tes-

tament none are to be admitted into holy offices, that

have disorderly children, because a man must be unfit

to rule the house of God that cannot rule his own house.

Parents ought to inculcate wisdom on their children

for their own credit, as well as the benefit of their

children ‡.

 

*Ezek. 16:44     †Deut. 22:21          ‡Chap. 17:6

752          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVII.

 

Ver. 12. A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth

himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

Ver. 13. Take his garment that is surety for a stran-

ger, and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.

These instructions were already given us by Solo-

mon*. Perhaps there is a new motive to enforce them

implied in the connection of them with the foregoing

verse; that the wisdom by which men are preserved

from these mischiefs will tend to the comfort and ho-

nour of our parents, and if we are so foolish as to run

into needless dangers, or to ruin our substance by our

connection with strangers or harlots, the comfort of our

parents will be ruined, and their credit impaired, as

well as our own. If we are wise, we are wise for

ourselves, and if we are foolish, we alone must bear it;

and yet by consulting our own happiness, we give hap-

piness to those whom we ought to love, and by our

own voluntary misery we bring down sorrow and dis-

honour upon those grey hairs and hoary heads which

are well entitled to our reverence.

Ver. 14. He that blesseth his friend with a loud yoke,

rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse

unto him.

We cannot tell whether morning levees were in use

among the Israelites in Solomon's time, as they after-

wards were among some other nations. If they were,

there is no doubt that persons who wished to thrust

themselves into favour with their superiors would take

the opportunity to appear among the first to pay their

court.

The blessing or praising of one's friends is not here

absolutely condemned. When praises and blessings are

a proper expression of gratitude, when they are a pro-

bable means of exciting to virtuous conduct, when they

 

*Chap. 22:3, 20:16

CHAP. XXVII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              753

 

are needful to vindicate a character unjustly attacked,

and when they are needful to revive a spirit over-

whelmed with a false humility and groundless terrors,

they deserve no blame*.

But he that blesses and praises his friend in high

swelling words, and seeks opportunities for that pur-

pose, letting no time pass, however unseasonable, for

loading with commendations the person whose friend-

ship he affects, is to be suspected of flattery and base

designs, and therefore his blessings shall be counted for

a curse either to his friend, or to himself, or to both.

If his friend is wise, he will be as much displeased

with these blessings as if they were curses; for they

are an evidence that the fulsome flatterer has a very

mean opinion of the person whom he hopes to gratify

by such methods, and that he looks upon him to be a

man so weak and self-conceited as to swallow gross

flattery without knowing it.

If those whose favour is thus solicited have their

judgments so much biassed by self-conceit as to relish

it, every one of their vices is strengthened, their pride

in particular is swelled, and their character is ruined

by it, for all men will look upon them to be fools over-

run with vanity and self-esteem.

Such flatteries will be a curse to those that utter

them; for they are guilty of spreading a net for their

neighbour's feet, and whether they are entangled or

not, the crime is the same.

Ver. 15. A continual dropping in a very rainy day,

and a contentious woman, are alike.

Ver. 16. Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and

the ointment of his right hand which betrayeth itself.

"The contentions of a wife," saith Solomon, in one of

his former proverbs, "are a continual dropping." He

 

*Chap. 31:22, Josh. 22, Luke 22:28

754          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVII.

 

goes farther in this passage, and tells us that they are

like a continual dropping in a very rainy day. When

a man is exposed to the weather in a very rainy day,

he finds his situation very unpleasant, only he has this

great comfort that an house is not far distant, and

therefore he will soon find a shelter; but how much is

the man to be pitied who is joined for life to a conten-

tious wife! His ears must be stunned, and the whole

time of his life, for ought he knows, embittered by cla-

mour and noise beating constantly upon him like a

tempest. He may sometimes obtain a respite, by ab-

sence from his house; but a man cannot be always from

home without leaving behind him the means of his sub-

sistence, and his beloved children, and every thing dear

to him; and when he is in the field, or in the house of

some friend, yet the noise he has heard, and is still

doomed to hear within his own walls, rings constant-

ly in his ears.

But may not a man subdue the haughty spirit of a

vexatious wife? He may as soon tame the fierce spi-

rit of a lion. The grace of God, and nothing of less

power, can do this great work. May he not then conceal

his dishonour from the world? He may as soon shac-

kle the wind, and command it to blow where he pleases,

or hinder the ointment which is poured on his right

hand (which is almost constantly in motion) from

spreading its fragrance through the whole room where

he sits. The clamours of an imperious wife will be

heard, not only in the house, but in the street, and

through every corner of the town. It is impossible to

force into her so much sense, as to make her regard

either her own honour, or the credit of her husband;

for if she had the least degree of common understand-

ing, or if she were capable of receiving any advice, she

could never bear the thought of being the scourge and

torment of that man to whom she is bound by every

motive of duty and interest to be a comfort and a

crown.

CHAP. XXVII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              755

 

The uninspired sages of ancient days concur with

Solomon in condemning the behaviour of bad wives

with great severity. "I had rather," says the son of

Sirach, "dwell with a lion and a dragon, than to keep

house with a wicked woman. An evil wife is a yoke

shaken to and fro, he that hath hold of her, is as though

he held a scorpion. A loud crying woman, and a scold,

shall be sought our to drive away the enemies." And

nothing better can be said of a tyrannical husband. If

a king deserves to be branded with the most odious

names when he oppresses his subjects, what words can

paint the baseness of that man who tyrannizes over the

wife of his bosom, his other self.

We wish for comfort in our various relations; but

to obtain it, we must in the first place mind the duties

of them, and endeavour to be a comfort to those with

whom we are connected.

Ver. 17. Iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth

the countenance of his friend.

When iron tools were blunt, it seems they used to

be whetted and sharpened by files or some other in-

strument of iron. In like manner, when the heart is

dull, and the countenance overcast with melancholy,

the pleasing society of a friend infuses gladness and

new life into the heart, and scatters the gloom that

sat upon the countenance.

"A faithful friend is a strong defence, and he that

hath found such an one, hath found a treasure. No-

thing doth countervail a faithful friend, and his excel-

lency is invaluable. A faithful friend is the medicine

of life". The intercourses of friendship cheer the spi-

rit, brighten the understanding, and inspire us with

alacrity and vigour for every useful employment of the

756          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVII.

 

mind. If we are dejected with grief, their kind atten-

tions, and seasonable discourse, have an happy effect in

alleviating our distress, and softening our sorrows. They

keep the soul from sinking into despondency, and en-

liven it with hopes of better days.

What reason have we to be thankful that this evil

world affords some that are qualified to afford such

pleasure and advantage to us; but in choosing our

friends, we ought to consider religion as one thing

necessary to be regarded, for that alone, attended with

the blessing of God, will effectually serve all these

valuable purposes, and others of equal importance. A

religious friend will be of great use to animate our

souls in the service of God, to assist, us in combating

the difficulties that meet us in our Christian course,

and to warm our souls with holy zeal. "They that

fear the Lord shall find him. Whoso feareth the Lord

shall direct his friendship aright; for as he is, so shall

his neighbour be also*."

Ver. 18. Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit

thereof; so he that waiteth on his master shall be hon-

oured.

It is the business of a servant to wait on his master

with respect, to obey his orders with cheerfulness and

fidelity, to promote his interest and happiness by all

proper means, and to prevent, as far as he can, every

thing that may tend to his prejudice.

But perhaps those who are in this humble station

may think that they have very little encouragement to

perform the duties of it, because the meanness of their

condition places them below the hope of any valuable

reward. In answer to this, the Spirit of God tells

them that they shall have a very good and honourable

reward for their service however mean. Who planteth

 

*1 Sam. 23:16

CHAP. XXVII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              757

 

a vineyard and eateth not of the fruit, or who takes

care of the fig trees, and is not allowed to share in their

delicious product? And if the care of fig trees be thus

recompensed, shall not that servant be honoured who

shows a zeal for every thing that concerns the comfort

and interest of his master? Certainly: he will be re-

pected by all wise men who know him; his master

especially will show him that respect which his fidelity

deserves, and will find occasions perhaps to serve him

more than he expected. Servants are indeed often un-

noticed by their masters, when the time of their service

is over; but that is owing, perhaps, as much to the

want of merit in the servants, as the want of gratitude

in their masters.

Masters are bound by the law of God, to behave

not only justly, but kindly, towards honest servants;

but if they should prove ungrateful, there is a master

and Lord in heaven, who shall recompense with divine

liberality those servants that performed their duty, not

as eye servants, but as the servants of Christ, adorning

the doctrine of God their Saviour by the religious per-

formance of their duty to men*.

Ver. 19. As in water face answereth to face; so the

heart of man to man.

The water is nature's looking glass, in which we

discern our faces; and the face which is seen in the

water has a resemblance, though not an exact and per-

feet image of that face which looks into it. So like-

wise there is a resemblance in one man's soul to

another. As God hath fashioned the bodies of men

like one another, so the soul of every man has the

like faculties and passions, and none of the human

race is born a brute or an angel. There is, indeed, a

difference of faces, although in water that difference is

 

*Deut. 15:13, Col. 4

758          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVII.

 

not well discerned, and there is likewise a natural dif-

ference in the tempers and understandings of men.

And yet none of us have reason to be proud or in-

solent, for we are but men, and our neighbours are

men also. Some of them have miserably disgraced

the human nature, but they have only improved upon

that corruption of human nature which is common to

them and to us, and instead of triumphing over them,

we ought to mourn over the ruins of our condition,

and to adore that mercy which has kept us from sink-

ing down, by our natural weight of corruption, to

the same deplorable depth of wickedness. When

the holy martyr Bradford heard of any person that had

been guilty of an atrocious act of guilt, he used to strike

his hand upon his breast, and say, "here is the seed

of all that wickedness."

There is a mighty change made upon the heart by

the grace of God creating it anew in Christ Jesus.

But the saints will not boast on this account, for they

well know what they once were, and who made them

to differ from others, and from their former selves.

They still feel the body of death within themselves,

and heartily sympathize with them who are yet nothing

but flesh.

As the corrupt heart in one man is like to the same

heart in another man, so there is a resemblance in one

Christian to another. There is a difference between

Christians, as there is a difference of stature and

feature and understanding among men. But there

are the same outlines of character among all real

Christians, so that the representations made of the

hearts of David, and Paul, and other good men, in

Scripture, are of great use to us, not only to direct

our course of life, but to assist us in searching our own

hearts. We have not the same degrees of faith in

Christ, and love to God, and delight in his word, as

CHAP. XXVII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              759

 

these holy men; but if we are true saints, the same

dispositions, though with less vigour, will rule in our

lives, for every Christian has the same sanctifying

Spirit, though his operations in all are not equally

signal*.

Ver. 20. Hell and destruction are never full, so the

eyes of man are never satisfied.

Although heart answereth to heart, yet there are

such varieties in the hearts of men, that we cannot

search out the secret workings of the hearts of our fel-

low men, and it is a happy thing that we cannot do it;

but because it is of importance to us to know in some

degree the thoughts, and wishes, and designs of others,

we have some means of discovering them. They can

inform us by their tongues what is in their hearts, and

when they think proper, for reasons of their own, to

dissemble with their tongues, their eyes often betray

them, for in the eyes love, and anger, and envy, and

desire, often paint themselves so visibly, that they can-

not but be perceived in spite of every endeavour to

conceal them.

One of the many things in which men agree with

one another is the insatiableness of the desires of the

heart, (which are discovered in the eyes.) The in-

visible world is never full of souls, and the grave is

never satiated with the carcases of men. After the in-

numerable millions that have been buried in death,

they are still crying, give, give, and will continue their

importunate demands till that day when death and

hell are to be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.

The heart of the sons of men is equally clamorous for

something to satisfy it. They enlarge their desires as

hell, and cannot be satisfied. If you should give them

a world, they will weep for another world. They

 

*Rom. 8:9

760          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVII.

 

think if they had this and the other object of their

wishes they would be happy; but they find that the

gratification of their desires, is but like drink to one in

a dropsy, which does not allay, but increase his thirst.

The improvement of this truth is taught by Solomon

himself, at great length, in the book of Ecclesiastes.

The insatiableness of men's desires is one of the argu-

ments by which he proves the vanity of the world,

and the unsatisfactory nature of its richest enjoyments.

Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him

for ever, and he will never be happy till his heart is

suited to his end. To seek happiness in this world, is

to seek the living among the dead. It is to seek to be

happy in opposition to the irreversible determination of

the author of happiness, who framed our souls with

such large and boundless desires that they never can

he filled, but by him that filleth all in all. The only

way of being happy is to comply with the gracious in-

vitation of our Redeemer, "If any man thirst, let

him come unto me and drink*."

Ver. 21. As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace

for gold; so is a man to his praise.

The fining pot tries silver, and the furnace discovers

whether gold be genuine and pure, so praise bestowed

upon a man, discovers the reigning temper of his

mind. If a wise and humble man is praised, he will

not be thereby elevated in his own mind. If the

praise conferred upon him is not just, he will not think

himself warranted to lay any stress upon it, for it is an

evidence of pride when a man despises undeserved re-

proaches, and yet piques himself on commendations

which are equally groundless, and therefore equally

vain; and if it is a piece of meanness to be dejected by

the one, it is a piece of vanity to be puffed up by the

 

*John 7:37, 4:14, Prov. 8:21

CHAP. XXVII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              761

 

other. But if a wise man is commended upon good

grounds, he does not consider himself as entitled to the

chief praise of those good qualities which he is possess-

ed of, or those good actions which he hath performed,

because it is God alone that makes him to differ from

other men, and every thing that is of him, and through

him, ought to be ascribed to him*.

When a bad man is praised for those qualities that

he has, or those actions that he has done, he spoils all

their value and credit by the greediness with which

he swallows the commendations; he does not ascribe

the praise of them to God, but like Herod wishes to

appropriate all the glory to himself, or if he gives it to

God, he does it only in words and professions, like the

self-conceited Pharisee. But when a fool receives praise

that is founded only on falsehood, or on flattering mis-

constructions of his actions, he is so fond of every

thing that tends to his own advancement, whether right

or wrong, that he is well pleased; and as if other people

knew him better than himself, he can prevail on him-

self to believe every thing they are pleased to say in his

favour. Darkness will be light, and vice will be vir-

tue in his eyes, when it serves to nourish his self-es-

teem.

There is one good effect which may arise out of un-

deserved commendations to a wise man. They will be

a motive to him to deserve them, that men may not run

into mistakes by their good opinion of him; but praise

ought to be administered with great caution to the best

of men, for as it discovers some men to be nothing but

dross, so it shews good men to have too much dross in

their composition. The compliments of the ambassa-

dors of Babylon were prejudicial to no less a man than

Hezekiah. But to Herod the praise of men proved

pernicious.

 

*I Cor. 15:11,     Acts 12:21-23,     Hos.14:2,3

762          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVII.

 

Ver. 22. Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mor-

tar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolish-

ness depart from him.

How deplorably perverse are the hearts of fallen men!

Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will they not

learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness they

will deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of

the Lord. Let them be afflicted, and bruised, and crush-

ed under the judgments of God, or punishments in-

flicted by the hand of men, as wheat is bruised in a

mortar, or between the upper and nether millstones,

yet they will refuse to part with their folly. Pharaoh

was broken by the terrible plagues which God inflict-

ed upon him, and sometimes he confessed his folly, and

promised amendment, and yet he returned to his folly,

like the dog to his vomit, till he was utterly destroyed;

for when God fights against a man he will be sure to

overcome. Ahaz had the sermons of the prince of the

later prophets to enforce the language of the rod.

Isaiah preached with celestial eloquence. God smote

him with a succession of the most alarming judgments,

yet in the time of his distress did Ahaz sin more and

more against the Lord. This was that king Ahaz; and

multitudes walk in his paths, refusing to receive cor-

rection, and thereby exposing themselves to tenfold

condemnation.

To what purpose then serves the rod for the fool's

back? Does not the rod of correction drive foolishness

away from the heart? It does when the blessing of

God accompanies it, and it must be used with a de-

pendence upon him that has appointed it. Without

the concurrence of divine grace, the rod will not drive

away folly from the hearts of young persons, and far

less from the hearts of those in whom corruption re-

ceives double strength, from the superadded force of

custom*.

 

*Jer. 13:23

CHAP. XXVII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              763

 

The judgments of God against sinners tend greatly

to aggravate sin, when they have not a reforming ef-

fect; and therefore when they are in the earth, we ought

to pour out fervent supplications to Cod that he may

subdue, by his almighty grace, the stubbornness of the

hearts of men, and make them to learn righteousness.

If we are under the rod, let us consider the design

of it, and the intolerable load of guilt which we must

contract by continuing unhumbled; and under a sense

of the hardness and instability of our spirits, let us

turn unto the Lord with those supplications which God

himself puts into our mouths*.

Ver. 23. Be thou diligent to know the state of thy

flocks, and look well to thy herds.

To the precepts so often given us about diligence in

the business of our calling, some will object that they

have plenty of servants to manage their affairs, and

they have no occasion to toil their own bodies, or fa-

tigue their minds with them. But Solomon tells them

that they may soon come to poverty, if they will not

take the trouble of minding their own affairs, and in-

specting their servants. Every man ought to be ac-

quainted with the state of his own business, and look

to it with his own eyes.

I am in affluent circumstances, you will perhaps

say. But if you will not mind your business you

may soon be as poor as Lazarus.

Ver. 21. For riches are not for ever, and doth the

crown endure to every generation?

You have not the riches of a crowned head, but if

you had, they might be wasted and scattered by care-

lessness, which has often turned princes into beggars

or bankrupts. Although there was never a richer

king than Solomon, yet he was sensible of the necessity

 

*Jer. 31:18,     Hos.14:2,3

764          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVII.

 

of attending to his affairs, and acquired a part of his

reputation for wisdom from the management of his

domestic concerns.

Solomon tells us in another place, that the instabi-

lity and uncertainty of earthly things, after all our

care, is a motive to draw off our hearts from them, and

to fix our eyes upon nobler objects; but he tells us, in

this place, that the perishing nature of earthly things

is likewise a reason for bestowing a moderate and

lawful share of our attention upon our temporal inter-

ests. Let us do what we can, the world cannot be se-

cured to us, and therefore we must choose a more dur-

able portion; but by the blessing of God upon our ho-

nest labours, we may in most cases expect to enjoy a

competency of earthly blessings; whereas negligence in

our earthly business will in all probability reduce us to

those straits which would embitter our days, and those

shifts which would prejudice our credit and our con-

sciences.

God's bounty is a great encouragement to our in-

dustry.

Ver. 25. The hay appeareth, and the tender grass

showeth itself, and the herbs of the mountains are ga-

thered.

God has given us great testimonies of his goodness,

in giving us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons.

By his kind providence the springing of the earth is

blessed, and the mountains are covered with herbage,

which may be gathered for the use of those beasts that

serve for the use of man. Does God stretch out his

hand with blessings, and shall man, ungratefully and

foolishly despise the bounty, and lose the benefit of it

by his own neglect and sloth? If God puts a price into

our hands, to get either heavenly wisdom or the need-

ful blessings of life, we are fools if we have not heart

to employ it for the intended purpose. The valleys

CHAP. XXVII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              765

 

and the mountains, which rejoice and sing to God,

cry out against sluggish men. The necessity and ad-

vantage of industry and care are very visible;

Ver. 26. The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats

are the price of the fold.

Ver. 27. And thou shalt have goat's milk enough for

thy food, for the food of thy household, and for mainten-

ance for thy maidens.

By industry you shall have clothing, and food, and

rent for your fields, or money to buy new possessions.

You shall not perhaps be able to procure the luxuries

of life, but these are not to be sought after; you shall

have a comfortable maintenance for yourselves and

your families; your maid servants shall have plenty of

that food that is proper and convenient for them. On

the other side, if you neglect your business, you bring

want not only upon yourselves, but upon those for

whom you are bound to provide. "If a man provide

not for those of his own house, he is worse than an

infidel," or even a robber in the Arabian desert*.

But how does our Lord say, "Labour not for the meat

that perisheth, but for that which endureth unto ever-

lasting life?" His meaning is, that we are to labour in

the first and chief place, for that enduring bread. If

we must not be careless about our bodies, and the in-

terests of this life, which passes away like a cloud,

what care can be too great about our everlasting in-

terests †?

If men must look well to the state of their flocks

and herds, they are guilty of insufferable negligence

who have some of Christ's flock committed to their

care, as masters, or parents, or teachers, or pastors, and

yet thoughtlessly suffer them to perish ‡.

 

*Job 24:5       †1 Cor. 9:25, 2 Cor. 4:18    ‡Ezek. 34:4

766          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVIII.

 

 

Proverbs 28

 

Ver. 1. The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but

the righteous are bold as a lion.

The wicked are so desperately hardened that they

have no fear of the most horrible dangers, at least they

have not such an apprehension of them, as to flee to

that sure and only refuge which Divine grace has pro-

sided. At the same time they are so wretched that

that they are never in security, and are liable to the

most distressing terrors, when there is no reason for

them. The Syrians that besieged Samaria heard the

noise of chariots and horsemen, which threw them into

such a panic that they fled away, and left their bread

and clothes behind them. In like manner, sinners are

liable to terrors which sometimes encompass them like

waters, when no reason can be given for them; for the

objects which ought to alarm transgressors, and have

a tremendous reality in them, are not the things that

take hold of their minds. They are like madmen who

fear not a drawn sword, but tremble at the shaking of

a leaf, as if it were a devil ready to hurry them away

to the bottomless pit. No passion is more tormenting

than fear, and a sense of guilt producing it. It was a

punishment threatened against the people of Israel, if

they revolted from God, that they should flee before

their pursuing enemies; but it is a sign of the utmost

wretchedness, when men flee away through terror

when there are no enemies, but such as are conjured

up by a timorous fancy.

Sinners have great reason after all to fear, even when

the objects of their fear are mere fancies. God is angry

CHAP. XXVIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              767

 

with them every day, and their anxious alarms are a

part of the punishment of their sins*. They cannot

expect tranquillity and happiness of mind but in Christ,

by whom we are delivered from the guilt of sin, and

enjoy that peace which passeth all understanding.

Those who are justified by his righteousness, and led

in the paths of righteousness by his Spirit, are bold as a

lion, the most courageous of creatures upon earth; for

they are delivered from all danger of condemnation;

they are at peace with God, and a league is made for

their safety with the stones of the field, and the beasts

of the earth, and the serpents of the dust. They may

have many enemies, but God is their friend, and no

weapon formed against them shall prosper. They

may meet with adversities and deaths, but they shall

meet with nothing to separate them from the love of

God, with nothing that was not designed for them by

an all wise and gracious providence, with nothing but

what shall contribute to their good.

The righteous are sometimes timorous like doves,

but they have reason to be bold as lions; they have

that spirit which is a spirit of power; they are par-

takers of those graces which have a native tendency

to expel tormenting fears, and to produce quietness

and assurance for ever. Their natural constitution,

their remaining corruptions, their unhappy falls, their

numerous enemies, may counteract their principles of

holy courage, but they are commanded to be always

strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus; and the

day is coming when every fear shall vanish away, and

be succeeded by eternal triumphs.

What effect righteousness has to produce boldness,

and to banish fear, appears from the history of the

elders who obtained a good report through faith† and

 

*Job 15:21     †Heb.11

768          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVIII.

 

of the apostles and first Christians, who triumphed in

the midst of daily deaths, and in the face of bloody

tyrants; nor have later ages been destitute of testimonies

to the truth of this proverb. Martyrs have rejoiced in

flames, as if they had been beds of roses; and Chris-

tians on a death bed have often said, "O death, where

is thy victory! Thanks be unto God who giveth us

the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Ver. 2. For the transgression of a land, many are the

princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and know-

ledge shall the state thereof be prolonged.

The providence of God suffereth not a sparrow to

fall unnoticed to the ground; how much less is it to be

supposed that the affairs of men, and of societies con-

sisting of millions of men, are unobserved by the great

God, whose kingdom ruleth over all.

We often rejoice, and often mourn, when we observe

the occurrences of public governments, but we attend

too little to the justice of God concerned in them.

When frequent changes happen in the administration

by the deaths of princes, or by those revolutions which

seat a new family on the throne, God is carrying on

his purposes of mercy or judgment; and although the

same princes continue sitting on the throne, when the

ministry is in a fluctuating state, and public measures

continually changing, we may see the justice of Pro-

vidence, and the provocations of the land calling down

that vengeance which is executed in the miseries

brought upon a land by these means. For the trans-

gressions of Israel and Judah we find many princes,

sometimes cut off in a very short space of time; and

even the good Josiah was removed from an earthly to

a heavenly kingdom, to make way for that punishment

which was due to the guilt of the land*.

 

*Isa. 5:7, 2 Kings 15:24,25, Zech. 11:8

CHAP. XXVIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              769

 

But a man of wisdom and piety is a great national

blessing. A private man of such a character may some-

times be a happy instrument of rescuing a nation

from destruction, or establishing its peace and hap-

piness*. But a prince furnished with skill to go-

vern a nation, and with religion to govern himself,

is an inestimable gift of God. His wise choice of

counsellors and magistrates, his good example, his

just and vigorous administration, the countenance he

gives to virtue, and the checks he gives to wickedness,

concur to establish the land in peace and prosperity,

and the blessing of God attends his government.

The history of the good kings of Judah, and of al-

most all the good kings with which any nation has

been blessed, are confirmations of this truth. Lord,

give thy judgments to our king, and thy righteousness

to the king's son.

Ver. 3. A poor man that oppresseth the poor, is like a

sweeping rain which leaveth no food.

One would naturally think that poor men, though

exalted to high stations, would, through their know-

ledge of the heart, and experience of the hardships of

a poor man, look down with tenderness upon the poor,

and use their newly acquired authority for the protec-

tion of those who are left in that state out of which

they were raised; but experience tells us that the

worst of all oppressors have ordinarily been the poor,

when they were advanced to rule. The poor that op.

press the poor, are like a sweeping inundation that

carries every thing along with it, and scarcely leaves

any thing in the ground to be the seed of a future crop.

When poor men are exalted to power, their new dig-

nity too often turns their brain. They know not

 

*Eccles. 9:13, 2 Sam. 20:16, Job 22:30

770          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVIII.

 

themselves, and they cannot be expected to know their

former brethren.

Their experience of the hardships of poverty meet-

ing with a selfish heart, disposes them to guard against

its return, by oppressing those below them, and drag-

ging every thing into their own possession, that they

may set their nest on high, and be delivered from the

power of evil. It is therefore very improper to place

the poor in stations where they may have an opportu-

nity to enrich themselves at the expense of others, un-

less they are well known to be men, like Joseph, of

inflexible integrity. Those that might behave well in

private stations, are often tyrants when temptation and

opportunity concur to make them so; and history is

full of the mischief's which arise from the unwise ne-

glect of the instruction given to nations and kings in

this text.

How lovely is the character of our Redeemer! He

made himself poor for our sakes, and he is now exalted

to an heavenly throne; but his heart is not exalted

above those poor men on earth, whom he vouchsafes to

call his brethren. He knows the heart of a poor man,

and he will deliver the needy when he crieth, the poor

also, and him that hath no helper.

Ver. 4. They that forsake the law praise the wicked,

but such as keep the law contend with them.

Sinners not only destroy their own souls, but contri-

bute to the ruin of other men, by praising their wick-

ed courses, and encouraging them in sin. No wicked

man wishes to be called wicked, and therefore he puts

false colours upon his own and other men's sins, bap-

tizing them with the names of those virtues to which

they seem to have most resemblance. Drunkenness is

called good fellowship, covetousness is called prudence

and frugality, courage in sin is called bravery, and

peevishness has the name of honesty and plain dealing.

CHAP. XXVIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              771

 

If no good quality can be found to put a gloss upon

their sins, then the wicked will flatter one another by

praising them for good qualities to which they have no

shadow of a title, and at the same time extenuating their

faults, as if they had no proportion to their good quali-

ties. To forsake the law of God is a very bad thing;

but to take pleasure in those that do the same, and to

strengthen their hands in wickedness, is to walk in the

ways of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel

to sin.

The practice of sin is praise to evil-doers. Our ex-

ample is of itself an encouragement to those who are

like us in their behaviour; and when those who have

fallen into sin through temptation, and resolve to re-

form, see others continuing in the practice of iniquity,

they will be emboldened to go on in the same path;

they see that they are no worse than other men.

Of all sinners, those that have left off to be wise and

to do good are the most pernicious enemies to holiness,

and give the most effectual encouragement to sin. The

language of their practice is, we have tasted of the new

wine of religion, and we find that the old wine of the

pleasures of sin is better. Why should I leave my pre-

sent practices, says the wicked man, to take the yoke

of religion on my neck; others have tried it, and they

find they are not able to bear it, and have been obliged

to shake it off. They that forsake the law, are living

infections to all around them, and little consider what

loads of guilt, their own and other men's, lie upon them.

But they that keep the law contend with sinners; for

they love God, and hate every thing that provokes and

dishonours him. God promised Abraham to be a friend

to his friends, and an enemy to his enemies. All the

children of Abraham are heirs of this promise, and can

they forbear to hate those that hate God, and to be

grieved with those that rise up against him? But their

772          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVIII.

 

hatred to them that hate God has no ill-will to their

persons in it. They wish well to their best interests,

and are zealous against their sins for the mischief which

they do to their souls, as well as the provocation they

give to God. Those that keep the law are in very dif-

ferent stations, and have very different degrees of influ-

ence. Magistrates and ministers, parents and masters,

if they have a zeal for God, contend each in their places

against sin; but even those pious persons that are in the

meanest rank of life have an opportunity of striving

against it, by their practice and prayers, and in many

cases by their admonitions.

God is well pleased with those that rise up for him

against the workers of iniquity. Great were the ho-

nours bestowed on the tribe of Levi for their impartial

zeal against sin*. Yet we must remember that we

ought to strive against sin with God's weapons, and in

our proper ranks, under the banner of him that was

manifested to destroy the works of the devil, and in the

imitation of that example which he left us, that we

might follow his steps.

Ver. 5. Evil men understand not judgment, but they

that seek the Lord understand all things.

Evil men may have great talents, and much learning,

but they understand not judgment, and therefore they

cannot be said to understand any thing that is worth

the knowing. Their corrupt affections spread a dark

cloud over their judgments, that they cannot under-

stand the way of wisdom and holiness. Their eyes are

disordered and darkened by the malignant influence of

sin, and therefore their whole course of life is full of

darkness. It is true, they know their duty in many

cases better than they practise it; but the knowledge

which they have is at best a learned ignorance, for they

 

*Deut 33:9-11

CHAP. XXVIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              773

 

are unacquainted with the necessity and excellency of

doing their duty, and with those means that would be

of for enabling and disposing them to do it.

The understandings of sinners are perverse as well

as their will. Some error is mingled with the know-

ledge they have, which, unknown to others, and undis-

cerned by themselves, misleads them continually. They

cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God, but their

minds and hearts are both sensual, and therefore there

is no judgment in their goings*.

They that know not judgment, know nothing at all;

they are more brutish in their knowledge than the stork,

and the crane, and the swallow †. But they that seek

the Lord know judgment, and therefore they know

every thing that is needful to be known by them. They

are acquainted with the method of salvation, and with

the way of being holy and happy. And what know-

ledge can be compared with this? All the things that

we can desire, all the things that are accounted pre-

cious on earth, are but loss and dung, compared with

the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our

Lord, and of the way of salvation through his blood,

and of being conformed to him in his death and life.

The persons blessed with this excellent knowledge,

are those that seek the Lord. They are set in opposition

to evil men; for they are all wicked who call not upon

the name of the Lord, and who do not seek his favour

as their chief happiness; but they that seek the Lord

with the desire of their souls, are haters of evil, and

lovers of goodness, and have their portion with the

saints. Perhaps they dare not say that they have found

him whom their souls love, but their desires shall not

be always disappointed; for those relishes which the Spi-

 

*Matt. 6:22,23          †Jer. 8:9

774          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVIII.

 

rit of God has excited in their souls shall be gratified in

due time.

They that seek the Lord search the Scriptures, and

make them the subject of their meditation; and God

blesseth their diligence by giving them wisdom through

his statutes. They pray with great fervency for the

promised spirit, and God gives the Holy Spirit to them

that ask him: this spirit is a spirit of wisdom and re-

velation to them, leading them into all necessary truth;

and therefore the spiritual man is said to judge all

things. If he is sometimes at a loss to know his duty

in particular cases, yet he has sure promises to plead

with God, and to encourage his own soul in the hope

that God will be pleased to reveal those things that he

knows not unto him*.

Ver. 6. Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity,

than he that is perverse in his ways though he be rich.

We had the sense of this proverb in the beginning of

the 19th chapter; but it is here repeated because of the

important instruction contained in it. Gold and silver

glitter in our eyes, and dazzle our sight to such a degree,

that a rich sinner appears more respectable than a saint

in rags; and the fatal consequence is, that men labour

rather to be rich than holy. To direct our practice

aright, it is necessary to have our unreasonable judge

ments of things corrected, and to esteem the poorest

saint above the most prosperous transgressor. Upright-

ness is so valuable in itself, that it gives a lustre to the

possessors of it beyond what all the dignity and wealth

of the world can do; but double-mindedness and in-

sincerity are so vile, that they stain the glory of th

highest man on earth. Let us therefore choose the por-

tion of God's people, however mean they are, and pray

that we may not have our portion with the men of the

 

*Ps. 25:8, 1 Cor. 2:15, 1 John 2:20,27, Phil. 3:15

CHAP. XXVIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              775

 

world, although their bellies should be filled with God's

hidden treasure*.

Ver. 7. Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son, but he that

is a companion of riotous men, shameth his father.

Let us suppose that two men have each of them a

son. The son of the first is polished in his manners,

has his understanding adorned with every liberal science,

and is placed in a way of life, wherein he has the

prospect of making a large fortune; but, after all, wants

the grace of God, and has no deep impressions of reli-

gion: the other man's son has none of these advantages,

but is so deeply impressed with a sense of religion, that

he shews a respect in his behaviour to all God's com-

mandments. Which of the two parents has most com-

fort and credit in his son? Solomon would answer,—

the second, because he is a wise son.

This wisdom will make a young man to choose good

company, and to avoid the society of riotous persons,

and every thing that might reflect disgrace upon him-

self or his father; but he that is unrestrained by a prin-

ciple of religion, is in great danger of associating him-

self with riotous and dissolute companions. And he

that is a companion of riotous persons, shameth his fa-

ther, for he will soon imitate those whose company he

loves; or, if he preserves himself from their vices, (which

can scarcely be expected,) he at least exposes himself to

suspicions, and loses his character.

Do you wish to have credit in your children? Let

your first and great care be to train them up in the nur-

ture and admonition of the Lord; for the wisdom in a

son whereby he honours his father, lies mainly in keep-

ing the law. Do you wish to give comfort to your pa-

rents, and to reflect honour upon them? Let religion be

your great business, and choose for your companions

 

*Ps 17:14

776          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVIII.

 

those that fear the Lord. But have no fellowship with

dissipated youths. Let not their mirth and humour al-

lure you into their company; for you may as soon touch

pitch and not be defiled, as have fellowship with bad

men, without being in a lesser or greater degree cor-

rupted.

Ver. 8. He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his

substance, shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.

The reason why men grind the faces of their poor

neighbours, by usury and unjust gain, is, that they ex-

pect to make themselves rich by such means. The

reason why men are averse from pitying the poor is,

that they fear poverty will be the consequence. These

hopes and fears are equally groundless. Solomon, in

many places of this book, teaches us, that oppression

and unmercifulness is the surest road to poverty, and

that liberality to the poor is the surest and shortest road

to riches; because God maketh men rich or poor at his

pleasure, and by his secret methods of providence

makes the money of the wicked to find its way into the

purses of the righteous and merciful. This is a truth

which experience often verifies. If it is not constant-

ly, it is generally the case, and when things appear to

be otherwise ordered, we ought to acquiesce in the

sovereignty of God, and to believe that his word has,

or will have, its accomplishment, though in a manner

as yet unknown to us. Job was reduced to extreme

poverty, after all his wonderful acts of generosity to the

poor*, and never expected to enjoy any more happi-

ness in this world, yet he never doubted of this truth.

Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare rai-

ment as the clay;—he may prepare it, but the just

shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the sil-

ver †.

 

*Job 29          †Job 27:16,17

CHAP. XXVIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              777

 

Let us not be afraid of bringing poverty upon ourselves

by well-doing, Do we not see multitudes of men en-

deavouring vainly to enrich themselves by unjustifiable

means? Do these men trust to the dictates of the devil

and the flesh, and shall we refuse our confidence to the

God of truth? These men are the stewards of merciful

men. They squeeze the poor to bring money into their

own pockets, but God will distrain upon them, and

bring their unjust gains into the possession of them that

are good in his sight*.

Ver. 9. He that turneth away his ear, from hearing the

law, even his prayer shall be an abomination.

If a subject refuses to grant the requests of his prince,

which have the force of commands in them, what face

can that subject have to appear with his own requests

before his royal master, or what hopes can he entertain

that they shall be granted? How strange then is it that

sinners can expect any favour at the band of the King

of heaven, when they are provoking him to anger every

day to his face!

The law of God signifies the whole revelation of his

mind, concerning our faith and practice. When we re-

ject the salvation revealed in the gospel, we are guilty

of the most ungrateful disobedience to God, and by re-

fusing an interest in Christ, we render all our prayers

unacceptable and abominable to God, who hears no

prayers but those which are presented in the name of

Christ. When we live in a wilful disobedience to any

of God's commandments, we declare all our professions

to be insincere, and our faith to be a dead faith, and

therefore we only impose upon ourselves, and we can-

not impose on the hearer of prayer, if we hope that any

of our requests will be acceptable to him. If we have

the genuine and living faith of God's people, and trust

 

*Eccles. 2:16

778          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVIII.

 

in God as the hearer of our prayers, we will surely hear

what the Lord God will say unto us, and regard every

one of his precepts as the apple of our eye.

When the wise man tells us that even the prayer of

the sinner is an abomination, he plainly insinuates, that

no act of devotion or charity can find acceptance from

such a person. He that disobeys the law of God may

be in some cases liberal to the poor, and in many things

lie may gain the praise of men, but every thing that he

does is detestable to God, who sees how corrupt his

principles and views are. Such a man is without Christ,

and can have no happy intercourse with God. His.

heart is under the reigning power of sin, and the best

thing that he does is sinful; he is a rebel to God, and

God is an enemy to him for his wicked works.

Ver. 10. Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in

an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit; but the

righteous shall have good things in possession.

He that digs a pit for any man shall fall into it †.

How then can they escape who dig a pit for the favour-

ites of God, or by their artful persuasions, and deceit.

ful misrepresentations, seduce the people of God into

those pits which have been digged for them by others?

The Lord is the protector of the righteous, and the

avenger of the injuries that are done to them by vio-

lence or deceit. Their enemies are considered by Christ

as his own enemies; and he must reign till he hath put

all enemies under his feet.

Those who contrive and execute mischievous designs

against the righteous, are contriving mischiefs for them-

selves, and drawing a sword out of its scabbard to be

sheathed in their own bowels ‡; for every event in the

world is over-ruled by a righteous providence. They

may indeed meet with success at first, for the righteous

 

*1 John 3:22      †Chap. 26:27         ‡Ps. 37:15

CHAP. XXVIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              779

 

falleth sometimes into the pits prepared for him, but

they have no reason to triumph; for if the righteous

should fall seven times in a day, yet he has an Almigh-

ty helper present with him, who will not suffer him to

perish, but will raise him up, and put him in possession

of all those good things which are promised by that

faithfulness which never could deceive. The wicked

man may soon bring abundance of mischief upon him-

self, by his malignity to those whom God supports; but

he can bring no evil upon them, that shall not be made

to work together with other things for their good, and

he shall not be able to keep from them any of those

good things which are the sure portion of the heirs of

God. Earth and hell may rage against the righteous—

all the force and cunning of the old serpent and his

seed may be exerted against them; but they have con-

stant encouragement to trust in God, and have no rea-

son to despond, for God withdraweth not his eyes from

the righteous, but with kings are they on the throne.

Yea, he doth establish them for ever, and they are ex-

alted*.

Ver. 11. The rich man is wise in his own conceit, but

the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out.

Riches are good in themselves, and are very useful

in the hands of a wise and good man; but the greatest

part of rich men, in the judgment of Solomon and of

Christ, are the worse men for their riches; because they

are a means of making them more proud and self-con-

ceited than they would otherwise be. They think them-

selves men of greater abilities than poor men, because

they attribute their wealth to their own skill in busi-

ness; or, if they possess it by inheritance, they take to

themselves airs of importance, as if they were men of

a superior species to the rest of the human race. The

 

*Job 36:7, Mic. 7

780          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVIII.

 

respect which is shewed them by discretion, and the

court paid them by flattery, they consider as a tribute

of praise to their great merit.

The importance which they assume, and the respect

which they exact, render them the objects of scorn or

pity to many of their poor neighbours. God has imparted

his gifts variously. To some he has given much wealth

and little understanding. To others, he has not given

riches, but what is of incomparably greater value, a sa-

gacious and comprehensive mind; and, therefore, no

man ought to be proud on the one hand, or dejected on

the other hand. Let each of us be thankful for the boun-

ties of God to ourselves and others; but it would be a

great presumption to grudge other men what God has

thought fit to bestow on them, or to be displeased be-

cause he has not given us every thing.

The poor that hath understanding sees through the

weakness and folly of his rich neighbour that boasts of

his wisdom, and despises him, not so much for his

want of sense, as for his groundless pretensions to it.

No man would make himself the object of laughter, if

he would be content with his due; but when one ex-

acts more respect than he is entitled to, he loses that

respect which he would otherwise have.

Let rich men consider, that much of that regard

which they think is paid to themselves, is in reality

paid to their purses; and that a horse might, with as

much justice, be valued according to the splendour of its

trappings, as a man by the extent of his possessions.

Let them take care lest they expose themselves to the

censure and scorn of their inferiors, by exacting re-

spect, and, what is worst of all, lest they make the gifts

of providence an instrument of their own destruction,

by turning them into nourishment to their vanity, and

obstacles in their way to the kingdom of heaven. Paul

enjoins Timothy to charge the rich not to trust in

CHAP. XXVIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              781

 

riches; pointing out to us that rich men are too much

disposed to trust in riches, and that trust in riches is a

very dangerous vice.

Ver. 12. When righteous men do rejoice there is great

glory; but when the wicked rise a man is hidden.

When righteous men are exalted to power in a na-

tion, the state of it is happy and honourable; for they

punish wickedness, and encourage virtue; they pro-

tect the liberty and property of their inferiors; and all

men rejoice in their administration.

But when the wicked enjoy the places of power, no

man thinks himself sure of his life and property. Vil-

lains may rejoice, because their crimes are countenan-

ced, but honest men run into corners to hide them-

selves; for many are oppressed, and all the rest are

afraid. Such was the situation of our own country an

hundred and fifty years ago. Let us bless God that

things are now on a very different footing: and let us

pray that our judges may be always peace, and our ex-

actors righteousness.

How valuable is a righteous man! If he is not a

blessing to all around him, the reason is because the

sphere of his influence is narrow. How much is wick-

edness to be abhorred! It is the ruin of a man's own

soul, and it makes him a plague to all that are connect-

ed with him. Bad men themselves hate wickedness,

when they find it pointed against themselves; and ty-

rants have been execrated by all nations.

Ver. 13. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper;

but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Sin is the source of misery and ruin: It has turned

angels into devils, and peopled the regions of horror

with those that once dwelt in the abodes of perfect

bliss. It has brought misery and woe into our world,

that might have been a lower heaven, if we had not re-

782          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVIII.

 

volted from God, and destroyed ourselves by our ini-

quity.

But, blessed be the Lord, our condition is not despe-

rate, like that of the angels who kept not their first ha-

bitation. God looked upon our race with an eye of

compassion, and provided us effectual relief. The Son

of God is our great atonement, and we are called to

the enjoyment of pardon through faith in his blood.

Under a deep sense of our guilt and danger, we are

warranted to claim salvation from sin and wrath from

that mercy that reigns through righteousness unto

eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord.

But such is the folly of many sinners, that they

would rather hide their sins from their own eyes, and,

if possible, from the eyes of God, than receive mercy

under the character of sinners. They will allow them-

selves to be sinners, but they will not confess their sins;

or, if they cannot altogether deny them, they endea-

vour to save their honour, or rather their pride, to the

ruin of their souls, by excusing and extenuating them,

or by transferring, like our first parents, the blame of

them to others. How foolish is it for those that pine

away under a mortal disease to conceal it from the

knowledge of the world, rather than seek a cure from

the physician?

Those who cover their sins shall not prosper; for

it is impossible to cover them from the eye of our

Judge, and to endeavour to shelter ourselves under co-

verings that are not of his spirit, is an additional pro-

vocation to the eyes of his glory. If we would judge

ourselves we should not be judged; but if we cover

our sins with excuses, and will not suffer ourselves to

be sensible of our absolute need of sovereign mercy,

how can we expect to share in that salvation, which is

bestowed on men to the praise of the glory of the grace

CHAP. XXVIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              783

 

of God? If we will not acknowledge our disease, we

refuse to the physician the praise of a cure.

There are some who expose themselves to the cen-

sure of this text, by hiding their sins from men, when

providence, by bringing them to light, calls for a pub-

lic confession as one evidence of repentance. Such

persons think it would be a dishonour to them to con-

fess their faults; but the dishonour lay in committing

them, and confession, with other proofs of repentance,

is the only possible means of wiping it away. They

stand upon a false point of honour, and expose them-

selves to disgrace and misery; for they shall not pros-

per, because they refuse to give glory to God by take-

ing shame to themselves*.

Those that hide their sins shall not prosper, because

they reject that mercy without which they must be mi-

serable. They prefer their own fig-leaf coverings to

that covering of sin by pardoning mercy which is the

ground of blessedness to the guilty †. But if we con-

fess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us

our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Under the law, the offerer of an atoning sacrifice was

appointed to lay his hands upon the head of the victim,

as a token of the translation of his guilt unto his sacri-

fice. In like manner, we are to confess our sin, with

a dependence on that blessed sacrifice which takes

away the sin of the world, claiming the pardon of our

iniquities through the Messiah, whose soul was made

an offering for sin; and through him all that believe

are justified from all things from which they could not

be justified by the law of Moses.

But what shall we say of those who confess their sins,

like Pharaoh, and again return to the practice of them?

These persons are not partakers of mercy, for their

 

*Josh. 7:19    †Ps. 32:1

784          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVIII.

 

confessions were never sincere. They were never pro-

duced by a genuine humiliation, nor mingled with

faith in the atonement, and therefore they are not ac-

companied with reformation. They are provocations

to God, because he is mocked and insulted by such de-

ceitful professions. But he that confesseth and forsak-

eth his sins shall have mercy. It was divine mercy

that wrought in him such a happy temper. The sin-

cerity of his repentance is an evidence of his interest in

the blessings of saving mercy. That mercy which he

has already experienced shall still follow him, till he is

crowned with loving-kindnesses and mercies*.

Ver. 14. Happy is the man that feareth alway; but

he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.

"The righteous is bold as a lion," says the wise

man. How then does he pronounce a blessing upon

the man that feareth alway? Christian courage is very

consistent with an holy and child-like fear of God,

although it is opposite to that slavish and dispiriting

fear which often possesseth the hearts of the children

of disobedience.

The believer in Christ trusts in God as a father; but

his confidence is mingled with a deep veneration of the

holy name of God, which makes him to dread the

thoughts of sinning against him more than death, and

to tremble at the word of God, lest he should break

any of its precepts, or deserve the execution of any of its

threatenings, or seem to come short, through unbelief,

of any of its promises. Paul was a triumphant believer,

who feared neither men nor devils, and reckoned him-

self perfectly secure against every charge that might

be produced against him; and yet he lived in the con-

stant exercise of holy fear, which disposed him to bring

down his body, and keep it in subjection, lest when he

 

*Ps. 32, Luke 15

CHAP. XXVIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              785

 

had preached the gospel to others, he himself should

be a castaway.

He is not an unhappy but a blessed man whose heart

is continually governed by this fear. It has a happy in-

fluence upon his soul, to guard it from the temptations of

satan and the world, and to keep it close to the Redeem-

er. It tends not to obstruct, but to promote the ex-

ercise of faith, and hope, and joy in the Lord. Thus

fear is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, and a blessed means of

establishing the heart in the love of God. It is a hap-

py sign of an interest in the everlasting covenant of

mercy, and in that special favour of God which is the

source of all our joys*. Josiah's heart was made ten-

der by this fear; and judgment could not light upon

that land where he reigned, till he was removed out of

it to a better kingdom.

But wretched is the man who is not afraid to sin

against his maker and judge. His heart is hard as the

nether millstone. He thinks himself a man of courage,

but his courage is the bravery of an infernal fiend. He

is not impressed with the awful authority of God, nor

melted with the astonishing declarations of his mercy,

nor terrified at the tremendous thunders of the threat-

ening law. Shall such a man escape the vengeance

which he defies? or, in other words, is he stronger than

the Lord?

Let Pharaoh's ruin in the Red Sea, and the destruc-

tion of Israel in the desert, and the misery of that na-

tion which rejected our Saviour, be considered by stupid

sinners, that they may judge whether a man can har-

den himself against God and prosper. Wherefore, as

the Holy Ghost saith, "to-day, if ye will hear the voice

of Christ, harden not your hearts †.” Do you find your

hearts stubborn and insensible, after all God's dealings

 

*Jer. 32:40, Isa. 66:2            †Heb. 3:7-11

786          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVIII.

 

with you by his word and providence; put them into the

hand of God, that he may take away from you the

hearts of stone, and give you hearts of flesh*.

Ver. 15. As a roaring lion and a ranging bear, so is

a wicked ruler over the poor people.

The lion and the bear are two of the fiercest kinds

of animals; but they are doubly dreadful when the one

is roaring, and the other ranging about for prey, seek-

ing in the rage of hunger whom they may devour. No

less dreadful is a tyrant who spreads desolation and ter-

ror through the country, by oppressing his poor sub-

jects. He is a general enemy; but his cruelty is felt

most by the poor, who have no means of resistance in

their power, and who can least bear his exactions.

Oppressors are called benefactors by their slavish

flatterers, but they are called wild beasts in Scripture.

The fiercest of animals, at the time when they surpass

themselves in fierceness, are used by Solomon as em-

blems of their savage nature. But these emblems were

insufficient to represent the monstrous barbarities that

have been often exercised by those that were at the

head of the Roman empire in its pagan or antichristian

state; and, therefore, Daniel and John represent them

under the figure of monsters more dreadful than any

that were ever beheld by the eyes of men †. The lan-

guage of inspiration could not furnish out more terrible

images for the devil himself, than those which have been

used to represent the wickedness of tyrannical and per-

secuting powers.

We ought to be thankful for the wounds that have

been given to the beast with seven heads and ten horns,

and for the civil and religious liberties which we en-

joy; and to pray with fervency, that those nations which

groan under the oppressions of civil or spiritual tyranny,

 

*Jer. 31:18    †Daniel 7:10, Rev. 13

CHAP. XXVIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              787

 

may be rescued from their bondage, by that great king

of whom it was promised, that he would judge the

poor and needy, and break in pieces their oppressors.

Ver. 16. The prince that wanteth understanding is also

a great oppressor: but he that hateth covetousness shall

prolong his days.

Those princes are cursed with a blind mind as well

as an iron heart who oppress their subjects; for other-

wise they could not, for the gratification of a senseless

lust of having, make themselves the plague and curse,

the abhorrence and execration of thousands and mil-

lions, and expose themselves to those plots from men,

and that vengeance from heaven, which seldom suffer a

tyrant to fill a throne for many years.

Want of understanding is the root of covetousness

in any man, especially in a sovereign prince, whose

proper treasure lies in the breasts of his subjects. A

wise prince not only abstains from oppressive exactions,

but hates covetousness, and would far rather deny him-

self the pleasures and splendours of royalty, than im-

pose excessive burdens on his subjects. Happy is the

prince who is possessed of this disposition. He shall

live and reign for many years. He has a throne in the

heart of every subject; and there is not one in his do-

minions, who has any sense of gratitude and generosity,

that will not venture his life in his defence.

Ver. 17. A man that doth violence to the blood of any

person shall flee to the pit, let no man stay him.

As he that digs a pit falls into it, so the murderer of

his neighbour is his own murderer, God commands his

blood to be shed by men, and his providence seldom

suffers a murderer to escape. The pit of destruction is

prepared for him, and he is driven to it by vengeance

which will not suffer a murderer to live.

Let no man conceal the destroyer of his fellow-men;

let no man plead for him; let no man solicit a pardon

788          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVIII.

 

for him; let no man do any thing to hinder his just pu-

nishment; but let every man contribute his endeavours

to bring the assassin to the gibbet. Whatever have been

his merits in other respects, whatever excuses he may

plead for his crime, whatever connections you may have

with him by relation or friendship, you make your-

selves sharers in his guilt, if you help him to escape jus-

tice. The land is defiled with blood, if the murderer

(when he can be found, and the crime can be proven,)

escapes unpunished; how deeply then must they be de-

filed, who stay him from fleeing to the pit! Justifying

the wicked is a crime of the same nature with condemn-

ing the righteous; and saving the life of a murderer has

the same relation to the guilt of slaying the innocent.

Is God so severe in his laws and providence against

murderers; let us give no indulgence to any of those

passions or dispositions, that lead to such a black and

atrocious crime. Hatred and wrath do not always end

in blood, but blood commonly begins with hatred and

wrath. These malignant passions are viewed as mur-

der by the holy eyes of God; and the man who indulges

them has committed murder already in his heart*.

Ver. 2 8. Whoso walkelh uprightly shall be saved; but

he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once.

He that walketh uprightly walketh surely. But may

he not stumble and fall into calamity? Solomon never

meant to deny that he may; but although he fall, he shall

not be utterly cast down. He shall be preserved and

rescued by the power of God, who looketh upon the

upright with complacency, and glorifies his power and

faithfulness by the salvations which he bestows on

them. The upright are exposed to the same calamities

with other men, and sometimes they meet with special

hardships and dangers for the sake of their uprightness;

 

*Matt. 5:21,22

CHAP. XXVIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              789

 

but if they should die for the sake of a good conscience,

they are safe, for Christ hath assured us, that he who

loses his life for bearing an upright testimony for the

sake of Christ shall save it.

The double-minded man expects safety from his

pliable temper. He is not like the inflexible oak, but

like the pliant osier, which bends with every wind,

and therefore he thinks that no tempest shall blow

him down; but God hath said it, and his word will

stand that he shall fall at once. His arts may succeed

for a time to spin out an infamous life, or to preserve

his property and credit; but the ruin which he en-

deavours to avoid, shall seize upon him when he is

not expecting it, and to his great mortification, he shall

find himself ruined by those very arts which he em-

ployed for his security. He is cast into a net by his

own feet, and he walketh upon a snare, and his de-

struction, when it comes, shall be complete and ir-

remediable. It may be delayed for a time, but when

it comes it shall not need to rise up the second time*.

Ver. 19. He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of

bread, but he that followeth after vain persons shall have

poverty enough.

We must seek from God our daily bread, but we

must not expect to have it rained down like manna

from the clouds without any labour of our own. Let

us join industry to our dependence upon God, and we

shall have bread enough for ourselves and our families,

and something to give to the poor.

But the man that loves idle company has no relish

for the business of his calling; he learns habits of idle-

ness and dissipation, which will soon bring him to po-

verty. He behaves as if he were hungering and thirst-

 

*Nah. 1:9

790          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVIII.

 

ing after poverty, and he shall soon be filled with that

which he is so eagerly seeking after*.

Ver. 20. A faithful man shall abound with blessings,

but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.

He is a faithful man that prefers his duty and his

conscience to his interests, and would rather suffer po-

verty and disgrace a thousand times, than obtain

riches as the reward of iniquitous compliance with the

wicked, or any violation of his duty to God or man.

Covetousness is absolutely inconsistent with faithful.

ness; for when men are more eagerly solicitous to be

rich, than to be approved of God, their ruling passion

will on some occasions hurry them over the belly of

their consciences to iniquity; and by a course of bad

actions their consciences will be hardened, and they

will be reconciled to every thing, however unfair and

unjustifiable, that promises to put money in their

pockets. As the men that love God with a supreme

affection will displease their dearest friends, and mor-

tify their most eager desires rather than offend God,

so those that are determined to be rich will venture on

every danger, and displease all the world and God

himself, rather than want that shining metal which

darkens the splendour of every other excellency in

their eyes.

The faithful man, like Job, shall abound with bless-

ings, for men will bless him, by applauding his inte-

grity, and by prayers in his behalf; and the blessing is

not causeless, but shall come upon him. His faithful-

ness, when it is a fruit of the spirit †, is an evidence

that he is blessed of God, and an heir of blessings of

the richest kind.

But the man that loads himself with guilt, by endea-

vouring to lade himself with thick clay, shall be heavy

 

*Chap. 12:1     †Gal. 5:23

CHAP. XXVIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              791

 

laden with well-earned curses, that shall sink him deep

in perdition and destruction*.

Ver. 21. To have respect of persons is not good, for,

for a piece of bread that man will transgress.

When judges are first perverted from integrity, it is

owing to some powerful temptation addressed to them,

which they think irresistible; at the same time, they

think that they will never transgress the rules of justice

for any paltry consideration. If justice is to be violat-

ed, said Julius Cesar, it is to be violated for the sake of

empire. Few of the covetous or ambitious hold their

integrity at such a high price, but they must have some

valuable consideration in exchange for their conscience

and honesty. Some will sell justice for an estate or a

title, that would scorn to barter it away for a trifle of

money, or to sell their souls at such a pitiful price as

that which Judas Iscariot had for his master.

But there is great danger in yielding to any tempta-

tion, however great; for besides that it is the sign of a

corrupt heart, the conscience that is once violated, will,

in time, be prostituted and debauched, and the most

trifling temptation will become a sufficient motive for

the greatest iniquities. The second step in wickedness

will not raise such a conflict in the soul as the first, and

the third will be easier than the second; and the most

detestable villanies will appear less horrible to a man

hackneyed in iniquity, than the slightest deviations

from justice once did to the same person. He that

would not transgress without the offer of thousands,

will at length transgress for a piece of bread; and he

that once refused a whole estate, if he suffer himself at

last to be perverted, will become so degenerate, that he

will sell the righteous for a few pieces of silver, and

the needy for a pair of shoes.

 

*1 Tim. 6:9

792          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVIII.

 

Oppose the beginnings of sin, and give no place to

the devil. If he can prevail upon you to comply now

and then with his temptation, he will expect to bring

you by degrees into such a compliant humour, that he

will have no occasion to put himself to the trouble of

tempting you at all.

Ver. 22. He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye

and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.

They that will be rich fall into temptation and a

snare. An evil eye is one of the products of a heart

governed by the love of riches. A man of this temper

is so tenacious, that every thing he can catch sticks to

his fingers, and he cannot look with a bountiful eye

upon the distresses of the poor, or stretch forth his

hands for their relief. It is an eye-sore to him to see

any man prospering but himself; or to behold any fish

coming into the net of his best friend. He is so tho-

roughly immersed in selfishness, that he can hear no

good news, except of some profitable bargain for him-

self, or of some deceased friend, who has left him a

sum of money.

Such a man shall be baffled in all his labours, and

all his hopes will be disappointed; for poverty shall come

upon him. He lies under the curse of God; and since

it is the blessing of God that maketh rich, poverty must

be the fruit of his curse. He makes both God and men

his enemies; and if either the injustice of the one, or

the just vengeance of the other can rifle his stores, he

must be reduced to want.

The covetous man will not believe that poverty is

coming upon him, for he imagines that he is taking the

most effectual way to become rich; but it will bring

upon him so much the greater distress and pain that he

was not expecting it. Those calamities, which are af-

flicting if they are expected, are shocking when they

were unlooked for. Saints themselves find great dif-

CHAP. XXVIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              793

 

faculty in bearing sudden reverses of fortune; but what

a terrible impression must they make upon wicked

men, who have none of those consolations that mitigate

every distress to the people of God!

If the covetous man does not feel the assaults of po-

verty whilst he lives, death will turn him out naked

and stript of every thing, to another world. His sins

alone shall cleave to him, and the curses which he was

collecting to himself in greater quantities than gold,

shall cleave to him through eternal ages.

Ver. 23. He that rebuketh a man, afterwards shall find

more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue.

A desire of enjoying the good graces of our friends

and neighbours, is the reason that we are so averse to

give them faithful admonitions when they do amiss,

and so ready to flatter them with our tongues. But is

the neglect of faithful reproof, or a fair and flattering

tongue, the true way of gaining the favour of our

friends? By no means; God has declared otherwise,

and God turns the hears of men at his pleasure. If

our ways please the Lord, we have reason to hope that

he will turn the hearts of our enemies to love us; but

if they displease him, he will make those to become

our enemies whose favour we courted by unworthy

means.

Flattery may gain us a transient flow of kindness,

and faithful reproof may excite a temporary disgust;

for the unbridled self-love of men makes them unwill-

ing to hear any reflection on their own conduct, and

disposes them to swallow down their own praise, with-

out examining whether it is just or not. But the force

of truth and reason will in time appear, and flattery

will render the person that presented it odious, when

the bad effects of it are found by bitter experience. On

the other side, the faithful reprover is still esteemed,

794          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVIII.

 

when he is not loved so well as formerly; and in time

it will be found that his faithfulness will procure him

a greater measure of that good-will and friendship

which he seemed to forfeit. If we wish to enjoy a per-

manent interest in any man's love, we should make it

our first point to secure his esteem by deserving it.

But, that we may experience the truth of this pro-

verb, we ought to administer needful reproofs in a

friendly manner; for if we behave like enemies in do-

ing the office of a friend, we must not think it strange

if we are taken for enemies.

Ver. 21. Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and

saith it is no transgression, the same is the companion of

a destroyer.

Some graceless youths imagine there is little harm in

robbing their fathers; and would take it very much

amiss if you should class them with common thieves,

for applying to their own use their father's money,

without his knowledge or consent. They say in their

hearts, that they are guilty of no transgression; but

the corruption of their principles is no extenuation of

the badness of their practice. In the judgment of God

they are to be ranked with the worst sort of villains,

for they are guilty of violating, in a gross manner, the

strongest bonds of nature. They waste the estate, and

wound the spirit of one whom they are bound to love

and honour, by the greatest benefits that one man can

receive from another. And their relation to their pa-

rents is not an extenuation, but a grievous aggravation

of their crime.

Parents should take care not to tempt their children

to this sort of behaviour, either by withholding from

them what is meet, or by foolishly indulging them in

expences which they may find themselves afterwards

obliged to restrain.

CHAP. XXVIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              795

 

To say that we did not look upon a thing to be a

transgression, will be no just excuse for any piece of

conduct that we might have known to be criminal. It

will only shew us to be so depraved, that even our

minds and our consciences are defiled.

Ver. 25. He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife;

but he that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made

fat.

Only by pride cometh contention, and pride never

comes without contention. The proud man has an high

opinion of his own merit, and cannot bear with those

who have not the same respect for him, that he has for

himself. When he finds a man that does not cringe to

him, or submit implicitly to his opinions, he is instant-

ly alarmed as if an attack were made on his honour,

and by his angry words and overbearing behaviour

kindles up the fire of contention.

The proud man trusts in himself, and not in the Lord.

He that trusts in the Lord is not high-minded and in-

solent. He has a low opinion of himself, and although

he is not careless about his own reputation, yet he trusts

God with his honour, as well as all his other concerns;

believing that if his righteousness should be eclipsed,

God will in due time bring it forth to the light. The

weapons he uses for the support of his character, are

the meekness and gentleness of Christ; and the conse-

quence is, that he lives at peace, and rather pacifies than

stirs up strife.

The proud are much to be pitied, for they have a

poor wretched life. They can scarcely enjoy one day's

tranquillity, because there are never wanting some to

mortify their pride, and cross their ambition. But they

that trust in the Lord enjoy an inward tranquillity and

outward peace. The God whom they trust takes care

of all their concerns, so that every thing which they do

796          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVIII.

 

shall prosper; or if any thing happens to cross their

wishes, they know that it is agreeable to the appoint-

ment of God whose will they prefer to their own.

Their souls are like a watered garden, and like a well

of water, whose waters fail not, for they are refreshed

with the manifestations of the love of God, and the

communications of his grace, and their hopes are full of

immortality. O Lord God of Hosts, blessed is the man

that trusteth in thee! But miserable are the proud, and

they that trust in their own hearts.

Ver. 26. He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool;

but whoso walketh wisely shall be delivered.

We must not trust our own prudence, even about

our worldly business, without acknowledging God in

it, for it is a piece of folly to neglect him in whom we

live and move, and whose blessing is absolutely neces-

sary for our daily labours, and our daily bread.

It is still more foolish to trust our own hearts in our

spiritual concerns; and yet we are guilty of this folly

in a thousand instances. When we consult with our

own judgment what worship we ought to give to God,

instead of consulting with implicit submission of heart

the oracles of God, who best knows what service will

please himself—when we form our apprehensions about

the doctrines of religion, without searching the Scrip-

tures, and supplicating God to send forth his light and

truth to direct and fix our judgments—when we try some

other way of salvation than the way revealed in the gos-

pel—when we form resolutions in our own strength, or

persuade ourselves that we are able to keep them in

opposition to temptation—when we endeavour to purify

our own hearts, by closely applying to them moral per-

suasions, or even divine truths, without a sense of our

absolute need of Christ as our sanctification:—In all

these cases, and in many others, we are chargeable with

CHAP. XXVIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              797

 

this folly; and how gross the folly is may appear upon

a slight examination of it. If any cheat had deceived

us an hundred times, we would certainly deserve the

character of fools if we trusted him any more; and we

are great strangers at home, if we are not sensible that

it has been the common practice of our hearts to impose

falsehoods on us from our youth up. The idolatrous

heathens and Roman Catholics, the falls of saints, and

the general wickedness of mankind, might be adduced

as proofs of the danger and folly of this carnal confi-

dence.

The only way of walking wisely is to have no con-

fidence in ourselves, but to trust in the Lord with all

our hearts, and to follow his counsels whithersoever

they lead us. They that trust in their own hearts lean

upon a broken reed, which will soon fail under them,

and they will fall into mischief. Those that trust in

the Lord and walk wisely, may fall into calamities

and temptations; but, for their comfort, they have a

sure promise of deliverance. Their distresses are the

trial of their faith, and they shall end in joy and hap-

piness*.

Ver. 27. He that giveth to the poor shall not lack; but

he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.

Look upon the distresses of the poor, and your hearts

will be melted into tenderness. If the sight does not

affect your hearts, listen to their complaints and peti-

tions; if you disregard the voice of the poor, hear the

voice of God commanding you to give to the poor. Do

you grudge to give a little at the command of him that

gave you all? God has answered every objection against

his precepts in his promises. He condescends to assure

you that you shall be no losers but great gainers, by a

 

*Verse 18

798          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVIII.

 

cheerful compliance with his will. The poor cannot

recompence you, but God will do it liberally. Are you

afraid of bringing poverty upon yourself by your boun-

ty? Many have been ruined by withholding, never any

by giving according to the will of God. Giving to

the poor is the best preventive of poverty, for it is

putting your money into the bank of heaven, which

can never forfeit credit. The best securities on earth

will not hinder your money from making wings and

fleeing away. But he that giveth to the poor lendeth

to the Lord, and shall surely receive it again when he

needs it, with abundant increase.

The uncharitable man hides his eyes from the poor,

lest his eyes should melt his hard heart, and tempt him

to sin against his god, the unrighteous mammon. He

is as much afraid of any thing that might excite him

to goodness, as a saint is of temptations to sin*. But

shall he save his money by his unrighteous withhold-

ing? Will this procure him the blessing of God, which

maketh rich? He can expect nothing but curses as his

reward. The curse of him that is ready to perish shall

come upon him. The curse of God is upon his hard-

ened soul, and upon his basket and his store. He is

miserable upon earth, in the hatred of God and men,

and he takes the way to be cursed at the last day, and

to secure himself an abode in that place where judg-

ment without mercy shall be executed upon them that

show no mercy.

Ver. 28. When the wicked rise men hide themselves;

but when they perish the righteous increase.

The reign of wicked princes is a general calamity,

more dreadful than war and pestilence. Those that are

not cut off, or stripped of their property, live in con-

 

*Job 31:1

CHAP. XXVIII.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              799

 

tinual terror, because they know not how soon the

overflowing scourge may reach themselves. These

enemies of mankind are like ranging bears, or roaring

lions whilst they live, and when they die their end is

no more regretted than the death of a mad dog; for it

is a deliverance to the nation, and a blessing to the

church. The righteous are then freed from their re-

straints, and take courage to themselves, to support

and spread the interests of religion and virtue. It is

well known what happiness was caused by the death

of Ahaz in the kingdom of Judah, and how Christian-

ity was advanced in the Roman empire by the death

of Julian; and how the death of Queen Mary of

England, and the abdication of James II. tended to

the restoration of happiness and religion in our own

island.

How wretched are wicked rulers! They are hated

whilst they live above the ground, and the curses of

a nation pursue them to their long homes. They are

accountable for the wickedness of thousands whom

they draw or drive into sin; and they lie down in the

dust loaded with innumerable iniquities of other men.

The mercy, as well as the justice of God, is engaged

to chace them out of the world; and those who are per-

verted by their influence upon earth will load them

with execrations through eternity.

800          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXVIII.

 

 

Proverbs 29

 

Verse 1. He that, being often  reproved, hardeneth his

neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

Asa, king of Judah, was a good man, and yet when

he was reproved by a prophet, he stormed instead of

repenting. This piece of history shews us that we must

not despair of reforming those that depart from the

path of duty, although they are not reclaimed by the

first admonition. Perhaps they may relent at the se-

cond or third admonition, and then we are richly re-

compensed for our trouble*.

But woe to that man that is stubborn and obstinate

after many reproofs. He despises a merciful appoint.

ment of God for his recovery, and tramples upon pre-

cious pearls †. He refuses to bow before the Lord, and

he shall be dashed in pieces like a potter's vessel. He

perhaps designs to reform at some other time; but he

is hardened in sin, and puts off his intended repentance

till judgment comes upon him unexpectedly, and he is

ruined for ever. The reproofs which he received will

then be like hot thunderbolts to him, and the remem-

brance of them will feed the worm that never dieth.

All of us meet with many reproofs from God. The

warnings of his word, and the addresses made to sin-

ners by the ministers of Christ; the kind advices of

ministers and friends, the crosses which providence

brings upon men in the way of sin, and even the fa-

vours which are showered down from heaven upon

transgressors, are admonitions to them to leave the

 

*Matt. 18:15              †Matt. 7:6

 

 

 

CHAP. XXIX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              801

 

ways of sin; and how shall they escape the most ag-

gravated condemnation who continue impenitent?  All God’s dealings with them are aggravations of their guilt, and they are not to expect that the day of God’s patience will continue for ever, or that he will strive with them for

so long a space as he did with the old world.  To day, O sinners, if ye will hear the voice of God, harden not your hearts as in the provocation.  Those that fell in the wilderness are ensamples unto you; your guilt will be heavier than theirs if you harden your hearts, when such a monument of vengeance is placed before your eyes in the word of God.  The oath of God still stands in force against those that always err in heart, and refuse to know God’s ways; and unless God can lie, they shall never enter into his rest.

    Ver. 2.  When the righteous are in authority the people rejoice; but when the wicked beareth rule the people mourn.

    Like the ointment that was poured upon the head of Aaron, and flowed down to the skirts of his garments, is the administration of a wise and pious prince.  He diffuses peace and happiness around him.  He is blessed, and he is a blessing to thousands.

    But the people groan under the oppression of a wicked prince, and all the comfort they have is, that he is not immortal, and that either a kind providence will cut him off, or some provoked stroke of violence will rid the world of such an intolerable burden.  Let us bless God for the establishment of our happy constitution of government, by which princes are at liberty to do much good, and have their hands bound up, in a great measure, from mischief, if they were disposed to do it; and let us rejoice in that blessed administration of grace, under which it is promised that the mountains shall bring forth peace to the people, and the little hills by righteousness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

802          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIX.

 

    Ver. 3.  Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father; but

he that keepeth company with harlots, spendeth his sub-

stance.

    It is not the youth who has got much knowledge; it

is not he that complies with the precepts of wisdom in

many instances, but he that loves wisdom, and takes

more pleasure in it than in all the delights of sense,

that is truly a wise son, and gives joy to the hearts of

his parents; and he that loves wisdom will regard the

happiness of his parents as his own, and he will have

no greater joy than in giving them pleasure.

    The love of wisdom will be a preservative from those

dissolute courses to which young men are too much dis-

posed *.  But he that follows them discovers himself

to be and under the reigning power of folly.  He spends

his father's substance, and grieves the hearts of those

who are the means of his existence.  There are indeed

stronger motives than the loss of substance, but this is

a consideration fitted to work on the minds of the

thoughtless, unless they are so deeply plunged in sen-

suality as to be almost beyond hope of recovery. The

everlasting world is at a distance, and, therefore, it ap-

pears to young men a piece of superfluity to think much

about it at present, but poverty, and the unhappiness of

those that love you, are miseries that follow hard upon

a dissolute course of life. You are double fools, fools for

time and fools for eternity, if neither present nor eter-

nal punishment can convince you of the danger of lewd-
ness and bad company†.

    Ver. 4.  The king by judgment establisheth the land; but

he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.

    Would you practise integrity, take heed and beware

of covetousness; for the love of gifts is sufficient to per-

vent even a king from the paths of judgment.

    The prince that hateth covetousness shall prolong

 

*Chap. 7:4,5  †Chap. 24:24,25

CHAP. XXIX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              803

 

his days ; but that is not all his happiness.

He has the pleasure of seeing millions made happy by his

means, and rejoicing under the shadow of his government.

He establishes a land, and bears up the pillars of it:

for religion and righteousness, which are the safety and

honour of a nation, are effectually promoted and en-

couraged by him.  His uthority and influence, his ex-

ample, and his proper choice of inferior magistrates,

are unspeakable advantages to his people, and a race

yet unborn shall rise up and call him blessed *.

    But the fountains of justice are poisoned, and the

pillars of it subverted by a prince that is too fond of

money.  He perverts law into oppression, and makes

his subjects unhappy.  He destroys the foundations of

his own throne, and plunges himself and his people in-

to inexpressible miseries.  He brings down the judg-

ments of God upon a land, and is himself one of the

greatest judgments that an angry God can inflict upon

a nation.

    Ver. 5.  A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth

a net for his feet.

    Solomon was a great enemy to flattery. He tells us

that the flatterer worketh ruin †; that he is as bad

as the man that curses his friend‡; and here he illus-

trates the mischief which he does, by comparing him to

a fowler that catches the unwary birds with his net

The flatterer sometimes intends to ensnare the person.

whom he praises, and to persuade him to serve the flat-

terer's interest to his own damage. You are a man of

a generous and friendly disposition, says the fawning

hypocrite, and I am sure that you will serve me in this

matter. Such arguments win upon a man's vanity, and

seduce him to do himself the greatest hurt, or to expose

himself to very great dangers that he may not disap-

 

 *Ps. 75         †Chap. 26:28          ‡Chap. 27:14

804          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIX.

 

point the expectations that are formed of him.  Many

have been cheated into poverty, and many have been

cozened into sin and hell by such artifices.

    But although the flatterer has no other selfish design

but to insinuate himself into the friendship of the per-

son whom he caresses, he may be justly said to spread

a net for his feet, by betraying him into the hands of

his worst enemy.  We all flatter ourselves; and our

self-flattery makes the praises of other flatterers wel-

come, and these gratify and feed our pride, so that we

are in double danger of falling into the condemnation

of the devil.

    If flattery be a net, we ought to be on our guard

against it, and to keep a suspicious eye upon those that

praise us to our faces.  Birds are silly animals, and there

is no wonder that they suffer themselves to be catched

in the snare of the fowler; and yet when they find

themselves fast in the snare, they flutter, and use every

possible effort to escape.  Men are like silly birds when

they are caught in this net, and they are sillier than

birds, when, after all, they make the flatterer welcome

to their houses, and his fair words welcome to their

ears.

    Ver. 6.  In the transgression of an evil man there is a

snare; but t e righteous doth sing and rejoice.

    Wicked men are ensnared, either when they are se-

duced to sin, or when they are involved in miseries

from which they cannot deliver themselves, and in both

these sense they find a snare in their transgression.

One act of sin makes way for another act, and the se-

cond for a third; and the repetition of many sinful acts

produces a settled habit, which gains an irresistible pow-

er over the soul, so that the sinner who meant to repent

after he had indulged himself for a time in the plea-

sures of sin finds himself quite indisposed to put his

CHAP. XXIX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              805

 

resolutions in practice, and walks on in his trespasses till

destruction comes upon him without remedy.  Besides

this, one kind of sin prepares the way for another that

is worse, because the natural effect of sin is to stupify

the understanding, and harden the heart; and he that

entered into the way of the ungodly, proceeds, in the

next place, to stand in the counsel of the wicked, and

then sits down in the seat of the scorner.

    Wicked men find the thorns and snares of inevitable

and irremediable calamity in the way of sin, and this

will make them at last to curse themselves for their

folly, in drinking down the delights of sin, which they

find, too late, to be sugared poison.  They think that

they walk at liberty, because they have broken the

bands of the Lord, and cast away his cords from them,

but they will groan at the last, when they find them

selves entangled in the cords of their own sins.

    But the righteous are free from these snares, and can

not but sing and rejoice, and praise the name of the

Lord, when they think of I that sovereign grace which

hath delivered them, like a roe from the hunter, and a

bird from the snare of the fowler.  They walk in a safe

way, and the sins and miseries which others meet in

the way of destruction, excite at once their sorrow for

the miserable creatures that expose themselves to such

tremendous dangers, and their joy at their own happi-

ness in escaping them all *.

The way of sin is broad:  the way of holiness is

narrow; but those have reason to mourn that are tra-

velling to the gibbet, although their path should be

strewed with flowers.  And those have reason to sing

and rejoice who are walking over a rugged path to take

possession of a throne.

 

            *Ps. 138:4

806          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIX.

 

    Ver. 7.  The righteous considereth the cause of the

poor; but the wicked regardeth not to know it.

    The wise man does not say that a righteous judge

will countenance a poor man in his cause, for that would

be to respect persons in judgment, and to consider his

poverty rather than his cause; but he tells us that a

righteous man will endeavour so to investigate and ma-

nage the cause of a poor man in judgment, that he

shall not lose it, for his inability to defend himself.  Such

a man was Job.  The cause which he knew not he

searched out.  He delivered the needy when he cried,

the poor also, and him that had none to help him.  He

broke the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil

from his teeth.  Thus he put on righteousness as a

breast plate, and his judgment was as a robe and a dia-

dem.  All just magistrates will endeavour to follow the

example of that venerable prince, for this is one article

of the commission which they have from the great king

who entrusts them with this power.  Lawyers, and

people in every station, as opportunity offers, are bound

to testify their righteousness and charity in like man-

ner, as far as it consists with the station in which they

are placed *.

    But the wicked regardeth not to know the cause of

the poor.  It is the person that he regards and not the

cause.  He considers which of the two parties will give

him most money, and passes such a decision, if he dares,

as he thinks will tend most to his own interest; or, if he

is not yet so far gone in the ways of sin as to pervert

justice in the most open manner, yet he will not be at

the trouble of searching out the cause of a man that

has no money to pay for it, and if his sentence should

happen o be right, he is entitled to no thanks for it.

 

*Ps. 82, Prov. 24:11,12

CHAP. XXIX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              807

 

    Let judges remember that they must give an account

of every act of their administration to him by whom

kings reign.  Let the poor that suffer oppression com

fort their souls by considering the grace of the Re-

deemer's administration.  He shall spare the poor and

needy, and he shall save the souls of the needy.  He

shall redeem them from deceit and violence, and pre-

cious shall their blood be in his sight.

    Ver. 8.  Scornful men bring a city into a snare *; (or

rather, scornful men set a city on fire,) but wise men turn

away wrath. 

    The proud in heart stir up strife; and the fire which

they kindle is not confined within the narrow circle of

their own immediate connections, but often spreads

with fury through every part of the city where they

dwell.  They are public incendiaries, that must have

every thing done in their own way, or, if their pride

and honour is not gratified, they excite universal dis-

order, drawing over as many as they can to their own

party, by all the methods of fraud and villainy, and

provoking other men by their conduct, till there is a

kind of civil war raised within the bowels of that so-

ciety to which they belong, and the city or country is

in great danger of destruction. 

    These proud and scornful men are the bane of the

place where they live; but divine providence has scat-

tered some wise men through many places, who coun-

teract their mischiefs, and by prudent management,

keep under or extinguish the flames of contention; to

such persons, the places where they dwell are under

the greatest obligations, and they ought to be respect-

ed as much as the haughty and insolent deserve to be

abhorred.

 

*         MyHp certainly means burning coals. Josh. 11:7

 

808          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIX.

 

    There is another sense in which this proverb is ve-

rified.  Men that despise God and goodness, and laugh

at instruction and admonition, kindle the wrath of God

against the country to which they belong; for they not

only provoke the displeasure of God against them-

selves, but their example corrupts their neighbours, and

those that do not follow their pernicious ways are in a

lesser degree sharers in their guilt, when they do not

mourn for the abominations of the land, nor bear a pro-

per testimony against them, and thus the whole com-

munity is involved in guilt, and exposed to punish-

ment *.

    But wise and holy men turn away wrath by their

fervent prayers, and by the success with which their

endeavours are sometimes blessed, to stem the torrent

of corruption.  Such men stand like Moses in the gap,

and prevent the execution of deserved indignation,

and they justly deserve that glorious character of the

chariots and horsemen of the nation.  The wicked

may call them the troublers of the land, but that is no

strange thing, for Ahab reproached Elijah in such

words.

    The holy seed are the substance and strength of a

land.  The wicked of a land are its most dangerous

enemies.  Have we any love for our native country? 

Let us discover our patriotism by endeavouring to

turn away wrath.  If this cannot be done, it may

be we shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger;

and it is certain that we shall in no wise lose our re-

ward.

    Ver. 9.  If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man,

whether he age or laugh, there is no rest.

    They that keep the law contend with the wicked;

 

            * Ezek. 9

CHAP. XXIX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              809

 

and prudence must direct us in what manner we should

contend with them.  Men have very different disposi-

tions; some must be addressed with severe and sharp re-

proofs, that they may feel the iniquity of their conduct,

but others are to be addressed in the language of mild-

ness and gentleness, and will be won to goodness, al-

though they could not be driven to it *.

    We find that the prophets sometimes thundered, and

sometimes wept, and sometimes allured men by the lan-

guage of love to repentance.  God, who is well acquaint-

ed with all the springs of conduct in human nature, taught

them to deal with men in these various ways; but experi-

ence proved how generally this proverb agreed with the

temper of foolish men; for the prophets seldom had

much success in their exhortations, though diversified

with all that wisdom and prudence in which God

abounded towards men.  The forerunner of our Lord,

who was greater than the former prophets, lamented

unto the people of his generation, and yet they did not

mourn.  Our Lord himself piped unto them, and the

people wondered at the gracious words which proceed-

ed out of his mouth.  But they only wondered and

did not generally repent.

    Let us endeavour to turn sinners to the wisdom of

the just by all the prudent methods competent to our

station.  If we do not succeed in our charitable endea-

vours, our reward is with the Lord, and obstinate sin-

ners must give an account to the Judge of the living

and the dead.

    This proverb teaches us to avoid all personal con-

tentions with foolish men; for whether we are angry at

them, or endeavour by gentle means to reason or laugh

them out of their folly, they will give us no rest, but

 

            *Jude 22, 23

810          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIX.

 

behave in such a manner as may throw us off our

guard, and deprive us of the possession of our own

souls.  When conscience and charity do not oblige us

to enter into disputes with them for their own good,

it is best to let them alone, except when the object of

strife is sufficient to compensate our loss of peace.

    The last words of the verse are by some interpreters un-

derstood of the fool, who is so intractable, that he either

storms against the wise man that contends with him, or

laughs him to scorn, and treats him with contempt.  If we

enter into dispute, we ought to behave with temper.

Fury and scorn are the fool's weapons of warfare, but

a wise man scorns to make use of them.  As he wishes

to do all things with charity, so he can carry on a ne-

cessary dispute, either about religion, or property, or

any thing else that will justify a dispute, with that

meekness of wisdom which becometh saints.  The ene-

mies of our Lord were remarkable examples of the

fool's method of managing disputes.  Our Lord him-

self is the great example whom Christians are to imi-

tate in this and in every other point.

    Ver. 10.  The blood-thirsty hate the upright; but the

just seek his soul.

    "If the world hate you," says our Lord to his dis-

ciples, "ye know that it hated me before it hated you."

If God's people are conformed unto Christ in suffer-

ing the hatred of men, they need not think it a strange

thing, nor suffer themselves to be dispirited on that

account.  There are some men whose hatred is bet-

ter than their love, and such are the haters of the up-

right.  They are blood-thirsty men, the successors of

those who have been drunk with the blood of the

saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.

Every man that hates his brother in his heart is a

murderer, and those are murderers of the worst kind

who hate men for that which is good.  They are the

CHAP. XXIX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              811

                   

true children of him that was a murderer from the be-

ginning; for the just are of an opposite disposition.

They seek his soul, (or care for it, as the word is

translated*,) and it is a comfort to the upright to con-

sider who they are that hate, and who they are that

love them, and care for their welfare. 

    "Hereby know we the children of God and the chil-

dren of the devil.  Whosoever doth not righteous-

ness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his bro-

ther;" and he that loveth his brother will be zealous

for his welfare, and will endeavour to screen him from

the malice of the wicked.  It is the duty of all men,

and the disposition of the just, to deliver them that are

drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain. 

Justice is not a lazy inactive virtue; it does not rest

satisfied with doing no evil, but it will dispose men to

do good, and to prevent evil to the utmost of their

power. 

    Do we profess to be just?  We must remember that

love is a debt which we owe to men, and especially to 

the upright; and that we must love, not in word and

in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

    Ver. 11.  A foot uttereth all his mind; but a wise man

keepeth it in till afterwards.

    There are many people who boast of their honesty

in telling what they think, and concealing nothing

that comes into their mind.  Such persons may call

themselves by any honourable names they please, but

Solomon calls them fools.  Some things come into our

minds that we should never speak, but suppress the

very thought of them; and other things may be very

fit to be spoken at a fit season, and yet very improper

to be spoken at present.

 

            *Ps. 142:4

812          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIX.

 

    The fool's thoughts lie at the tip of his tongue; and

there is no door at his mouth to keep them in.  The

thoughts of the wise man lie in his heart; and there is

a door upon his tongue, which he keeps close barred,

that nothing may get out of his mouth that may preju-

dice himself, or other men.  Some things occur to him,

which he will never utter to the wife of his bosom, be-

cause they could do no good; other things he thinks

proper to be spoken at a fit time, and then he keeps in

his thoughts till afterwards.  He will never speak against

his mind, but he will not always speak his mind; and

when he speaks it, he does not think that honesty

obliges him to peak all that is in it.  Samuel told the

elders of Bethlehem a part of his design in coming to

their town; but he concealed the principal part of it by

divine direction.  There is a time to be silent, and a

time to speak; there is a time to be silent even from

good, because he wicked are before us; there is a time

to speak a part of our mind, and a time to declare all

that is in our hearts; and the wise man's heart knoweth

both time and judgment.

    When a fool is in a passion he pours forth all his

mind in a torrent of ill language, and speaks words

which afterwards cut him to the heart.  Does he mean

to reprove?  He will do it at the most improper season,

and inflame with rage the person whom he reproves. 

He may shew something of the temper of the dove;

but he imitates it rather in silliness than harmlessness. 

The wise man is sensible that it is as much his duty to

practise the wisdom of the serpent as the harmlessness

of the dove; he will take care what he says, when he

finds himself or sees others under the influence of pas-

sion, and will abstain from speeches wherewith he can

do no good *.

 

            *Job 15:3                  

CHAP. XXIX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              813

 

    Ver. 12.  If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are

wicked.

    Great is the account which rulers must give; for

they are accountable for thousands of actions which

they never committed, and of which it is possible they

never heard.  Their behavior has such a mighty in-

fluence, that we find, in the history of the kings of Is-

rael and Judah, the nation behaving well or ill accord-

ing to the example and influence of their sovereign. 

    If a ruler take pleasure in flattery, the greater part

of his servants will be so wicked as to poison him with

their fulsome and ill-grounded praises.  They will

make him glad with their lies, but at the same time

they make him more wicked, whilst they are polluting

their own hearts, and debauching their consciences, by

prostituting themselves to such base means of ingratiat-

ing themselves with their prince.

    The servants of a ruler are still more wicked, if he

hearken to slander and false accusations; for some of

them through fear, and others of them to gain his fa-

vour, will join in persecuting the innocent, and encou-

raging that pestilent vermin of a nation, called inform-

ers or spies.  The reigns of those princes who gave an

easy belief to accusations, are stained with the most

atrocious crimes.  Tiberius Caesar put to death the

greater number of his own privy councillors, by giving

ear to lies, and encouraging his servants to be wicked; 

and it is probable that the worst action that ever was

committed since the fall of Adam, the murder of the

Prince of life, was occasioned by Pilate’s wicked and

cowardly regard to the temper of that tyrant, and his

fear of being accused as an encourager of treason, if he

had suffered our Lord to escape.

    It is a mean and unmanly vice in any person to

hearken to idle tales, that may very likely turn out to

be lies, or misrepresentations of truth.  The man that

814          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIX.

 

encourages people to tell him what this or the other

person says of him, can never live in peace and friend-

ship with his neighbours; and he makes other people

wicked, by he countenance which he affords to slan-

der, and whispering, and evil speaking in all its differ-

ent kinds.

    Ver. 13.  The poor and the deceitful man meet together;

the Lord lighteneth both their eyes.

    The word which we translate deceitful, is not found

in any other place of Scripture, and therefore the mean-

ing of it cannot be exactly ascertained.  The most an-

cient interpreters render it creditors; and if we take it

in this sense, the meaning of the proverb is the same

with that which we have in the second verse of the

xxii. chapter.

    The poor too often look with an envious eye upon

the rich, specially those to whom they are in debt,

and the creditor looks with an eye of contempt upon

his poor debtor.  But what has the rich more than the

poor, or why should the poor grudge at the riches of

another man?  The Lord is the maker of them both,

and gives them equally the light of understanding.  He

bestows comfort upon the poor as well as the rich; and

although they have not the pleasure of looking at

splendid ceilings, and fine furniture in their dwellings,

yet the cheerful light of day shines upon his eyelids,

and he beholds those wonderful glories of the firma-

ment, which darken the lustre of all earthly pomp.

    If the rich man has acquired his fortune by deceit,

he has no advantage from it above the poor to put in

the balance against that guilt with which he has

loaded his soul.  The light of life, and reason, and

comfort, is granted to the poor, at least as much as to

himself.  And the light of grace, which is enjoyed by

the poor, is hid from his eyes.  He cannot think that

the poor man is hated by God, because he is not worth

CHAP. XXIX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              815

 

so great a sum of money as himself, nor can he flatter

himself, unless he is sunk in stupidity, that God loves

him because he is worth a thousand a-year.  God con-

tinues with him the light of life, for his patience and

mercy is very great, and he waits for the repentance of

sinners; but the impenitent must soon have their eyes

closed in darkness, and their souls shut up in the place

of utter darkness, when the poor of this world, that

were rich in faith, shall no longer meet with the deceit-

ful man, because they are admitted to that world of

light into which no deceitful man, without pardoning

and converting grace, shall be permitted to enter.

    Ver. 14.  The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his

throne shall be established for ever.

    All kings are anxious to have their thrones esta-

blished, and their crowns transmitted to the latest pos-

terity.  But by what means shall they establish their

thrones?  By forming alliances, by fortifying their

cities, by providing powerful navies, and by support-

ing great armies?  These things may be useful; but 

good government is the best and surest way of esta-

blishing their thrones, for that will secure them the

love of their subjects, and render their kingdoms pros-

perous.  And what is of still greater consequence, 

the blessing of the Lord of hosts will attend that ad-

ministration, which is managed according to his own

directions.

    Kings are obliged to do justice to all men; but the

God of mercy gives them a special charge of the poor,

who are most liable to oppression and insult.  The

Lord looks down from heaven with an eye of compas-

sion to the poor and needy, and commands the princes

and judges of the earth to be very merciful to them,

and will not suffer the justice and kindness that is

showed them to pass unrewarded.

    The poor may expect good at the hands of all that

816          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIX.

 

regard the word of God; but if they are treated with

scorn by men they may safely commit themselves un-

to him that testifies so much kindness to them in his

promises and precepts.

    Ver. 15.  The rod and reproof give wisdom; but a

child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.

    "Though you should bray a fool in a mortar among

wheat with pestle, yet will not his folly depart from

him."  This is true, especially of old fools that are

hardened by a course of foolish conduct.  But the rod

of correction is a means appointed by God, and often

blessed by him, for driving away folly from the hearts

of young persons.  God never prescribed any vain or

unprofitable precepts; and he would not have insisted

so much on he duty of correcting children, unless he

had designed in general to give a blessing to it.

    But the rod of correction is of no use without the

concurrence of God, the great and only author of wis-

dom; those, therefore, who desire the blessing of God

to attend it, must administer correction in the manner

appointed by him, and he requires reproof to be join-

ed to the rod, that the child who is corrected may be

made sensible of the evil for which he is treated with

severity.  Some parents follow the dictates of their own

passion in correcting their children, and strike without

mercy, when they use no means to make them sensi-

ble that they deserve the rod.  They deal worse with

their children than shepherds with their dogs, who

beat them when they have done something that dis-

pleases their masters; but do it in such a manner, or

at such a time, that these animals may perceive the

fault for which they are punished.

    The rod, joined with reproof, is a means of giving

wisdom, and of making a child to behave in such a

manner that he may be a credit to his parents; but a

child left to behave as he pleases, will never, in all pro-

CHAP. XXIX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              817

 

bability, be a comfort or an honour either to his father

or to his mother.  Men are naturally corrupt, and those

that are left to follow the propensities of nature will be

a grief to their fathers, and bring their mothers to shame.

Their mothers deserved much blame for the indulgence

so foolishly given them, and when they feel the tor-

ment which the bad behaviour of their children can-

not fail of giving them, they must see their sin in their

punishment.

    Ver. 16.  When the wicked are multiplied, (or possess

authority *,) transgression increaseth, but the righteous

shall see their fall.

    When the pestilence rages in a country, multitudes

are infected with the dreadful distemper, and there is no

disease more fatal or more infectious than sin.  When

the generality of men are profane, the restraints of

shame are removed from sin; wicked men gain credit,

and they must possess a spirit like that of Noah or

Lot, who are untainted by the spreading contagion.

    When wicked men possess authority the danger is

extreme.  The countenance which they give to sin is

a dreadful temptation, which few have the resolution

and courage to resist.  One Obadiah in the court, and

seven thousand worshippers of the Lord in the king-

dom of Ahab, were more than Elijah dreamed of.  The

abundance of wickedness in such evil times is very dis-

tressing to the eyes of the righteous, but they have the

comfortable prospect of seeing the fall of the wicked. 

God is their enemy, and although he bears with them

for a time, yet he has doomed them to destruction.  Their

iniquity shall come into remembrance with the Lord,

and when the measure of it is full, they shall be swept

away with the besom of destruction.  The righteous

shall see their fall and shall rejoice, (not that they en-

 

            *Verse 2

818          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIX.

 

tertained hatred to the wicked, for they ardently desir-

ed their repentance, but) because their fall is a check

to wickedness and an evidence that there is a God who

reigneth in the earth, and has an invariable love for

Righteousness *.

    Ver. 17.  Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest: 

yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.

    Why does Solomon so often press this duty of cor-

recting children?  Because it is a necessary duty; and

yet many parents are very averse to the practice of it. 

When there is a great drought in the ground, it re-

quires many showers to make it fruitful, and when

there is a violent aversion to any duty, precept must

be upon precept, and line upon line, before we will

practise it.

    But correcting of children gives great pain to the

parent?  On the contrary, it gives great pleasure.  The

pain is transient, the pleasure is lasting.  The rod and

reproof give wisdom; and how delightful to a parent is

wisdom in a child!

    But what if a child still continue obstinate?  This

is not ordinarily the case.  Correct like a parent and

a friend, and your child will learn at length the duty

of a child.  Join prayer with your corrections, to that

God who has appointed them.  He never said to any

of the seed of Jacob, seek ye me in vain, and he never

appointed useless and unavailing means for any end. 

    But God is sovereign; perhaps he will not be pleas-

ed to communicate wisdom by the rod to my child?  

Make the trial.  If you should be unsuccessful, you

shall be free of those tormenting stings of remorse which

thousands of parents feel.

    Isaac was the beloved son of Abraham, and never

did a parent taste such pleasure in a son as the venera-

 

            *Ps. 58:11

CHAP. XXIX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              819

 

ble patriarch, except the Virgin Mary; but Abraham

did not refuse to sacrifice his son with his own hands,

when God gave the order; and shall we refuse to ad-

minister a little salutary correction to our children at

his command?  Abraham never found so much plea-

sure in his son, as when he shewed that he feared and

loved God above his son, in not withholding him from

God; and other parent may look for greater or lesser

degrees of comfort in their children, as they observe or

neglect the commandments of the Lord, about the ma-

nagement of them.  Eli honoured his sons above God,

and they proved the greatest of his crosses; "for them

that honour me," says God, "I will honour, and they

that despise me shall be lightly esteemed."

    Ver. 18.  Where there is no vision, the people perish*:

but he that keepeth the law happy is he.

    It is a distinguishing mercy to us that God has made

known in our land the great things of his law and co-

venant.  There are nations that never heard of the name

of a Redeemer, and under the influence of corrupt tra-

ditions or false prophets, they are serving those gods

that are no gods, with detestable ceremonies, or at least

do not worship the God and father of our Lord Jesus

Christ.  They are born, like ourselves, in a sinful and

wretched condition, but are left in utter ignorance of

that great Saviour in whose name our help lies.  They

are left naked and exposed to the assaults of their spi-

ritual enemies, who are still walking about seeking

whom they may destroy.

    Where there is no vision, the light of philosophy can-

not supply its place.  The Greeks were admirably en-

lightened by science, and yet Paul tells them, that be-

fore the gospel of their salvation was preached among

them, they were strangers to the covenant of promise;

 

            *Or, are made naked.

820          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIX.

 

without God, without Christ, and without hope in the

world *.

    Blessed be God who made light to arise in darkness

to us.  Britain was, in ancient days, one of the darkest

places of the earth, but through the tender mercies of

our God, the day spring from on high visited us.  By

the cruelty of the Popish clergy, the key of knowledge

was almost taken from us in later ages; but through

the good hand of our God upon us, we have now great

plenty of Bibles and sermons.  Let it be our daily pray-

er, that all the nations of the world who are perishing

through lack of knowledge, may be made to share in

our privileges.

    But what ill unimproved privileges avail?  He is

not the happy man who has a Bible, but the man is

blessed who delights in it, and meditates upon it day

and night; who believes the doctrines of it, trusts in the

Saviour whom it reveals, and respects all the precepts

of it in his practice.

    "Not every one that saith unto Christ, Lord, Lord,

shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that

does the will of Christ's heavenly father."  If those that

sin without the law perish without the law, there must

be a deeper perdition, and more intolerable torments for

those that despise both law and gospel.

    Ver. 19.  A servant will not be corrected by words:  for

though he understand he will not answer.

    The Seventy translators apply what is here said to a

stubborn servant only; and it is plain, from fact, that

Solomon meant this proverb only of such, for there are

many hired servants every way equal to their masters

in every generous quality, and the character of those

servants that must be corrected by blows does by no

means belong to them.  There have been even slaves

 

            *Eph. 2:12

CHAP. XXIX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              821

 

who have shewed a noble disposition, and have not on-

ly served their masters with fidelity, but performed acts

of heroism that might have done honour to any station.

But it is very probable, that in Solomon's days, when

servants were commonly bond slaves, the greatest part

of them had their spirits sunk and debased, so far as to

be of the temper here represented.

    The loss of liberty is often the destruction of every

thing good and noble; and servants that were treated

like cattle would need strict hand to govern them;

because words would not be much regarded by those

that had neither attachment to their masters, nor any

sense of honour.

    The proverb teaches us that masters ought to keep

up their authority in their families.  Without this every

thing must be in a state of confusion, and go to ruin,

and if they have servant that will not yield obedience,

they must either be compelled to do it, or dismissed

from the house.

    But it teaches us likewise, that methods of severity

are not to be used by heads of families, when milder

means are sufficient to answer the end.  It is only when

servants, though they understand the wishes of their

masters, will not answer by respectful words and due

obedience, that masters are warranted to use harsh me-

thods of dealing with them.

    Let servants learn from this passage, how much God

is displeased with them, when they are sullen and dis-

obedient to their masters.  God commands masters to

give unto their servants that which is just and equal;

at the same time he gives them commission to support

their authority over stubborn servants, by such means

as are sufficient to answer the end.  If servants are re-

proved with sharpness for their faults, they must blame

themselves and not their masters.  The apostle Peter

tells them, that they deserve no thanks, if they are pa-

822          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIX.

           

tient, even when they are buffeted for their faults. If

they deserve no thanks for their patience under just

Buffetings, they deserve very great blame when they

are impatient of merited reproof.

    Ver. 20.  Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words*?

there is more hope of a fool than of him.

    "Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is

more hope of a fool than of him."  But how shall we

know the man that is wise in his own conceit when we

see him?  This text gives us a sure mark of such a per-

son. When a man speaks rashly and inconsiderately,

every thing that strikes his mind, or when he is rash

and headstrong in the management of his business,

disdaining to take any advice from others, and so con-

fident of his own wisdom and abilities, that he takes

little time to consider the most important undertaking,

but pushes on in the way that seems best to his own

unadvised mind, hoping to command success by his own

power, it is evident that he is wise in his own conceit;

and he that is wise in his own eyes, is the greatest and

most hopeless of fools in Solomon's estimation.

    If rashness in the things of this life is a sign of great

folly, it is a great deal more dangerous to make too

much haste in matters of religion.  The Bereans are

commended because they candidly examined Paul's

doctrine by the Scriptures of the Old Testament.  The

apostle condemns those that are heady, and joins them

with the high minded; and it is certain, that persons

of that character have been the authors of those heresies

and divisions which have plagued the church of God,

and are still the fire-brands of Christian societies.

    There is another kind of rashness in religion forbid-

den by Solomon as a token of great irreverence to God;

I mean rashness in vowing or in praying.  God is in

 

            *Or matters, (the same Hebrew word signifying both.)

CHAP. XXIX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              823

 

heaven, and we are upon earth, and therefore our

words before him ought to be few and well consider-

ed *.

    Ver. 21.  He that delicately bringeth up his servant

from a child, shall have him become his son at the length.

    The greatest part of masters cannot be blamed for too

much indulgence to their servants, and yet some err on

that side; and Solomon, who wished us to stand perfect

and complete in all wisdom, guards us against it.  Men

must condescend to them of low degree; but they ought

at the same time to respect their own place and station,

and not to debase it, by such familiarities towards their

inferiors as may expose themselves to contempt, and

tempt their inferiors to forget their distance.  Joab, by

the indulgence of David, became such a great man, that

he presumed to kill the commander in chief of David’s

army, at the head of his troops.  As an officer in the

army would deserve to lose his place, if he did not

oblige his soldiers to obey him, so the man shews him-

self unworthy of his station in the family, or church, or

nation, who does not know the authority which God

has given him, and uses no care to preserve it.

    Servants are taught by this proverb, to respect, as

well as to obey their masters.  The apostle Peter en-

joins servants to obey their masters with all fear, whe-

ther their masters are forward, or good and gentle.

Whatever condescensions our superiors use in their be-

haviour towards us, we must not forget our distance,

but give fear to whom fear, and honour to whom ho-

nour is due.  Job was a prince of extraordinary good-

ness to his servants and all his inferiors, yet he never,

till the time of his severe trials, forfeited, or lost any

part of that respect which was his due †.

 

            *Eccles. 5      †Job. 29:24,25

824          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIX.

 

    Ver. 22.  An angry man stirreth up strife, and a fu

rious man aboundeth in transgression.

    Solomon has told us already, that the wrathful man

stirreth up strife *.  His anger pushes him on to bitter

contentions, and makes him the incendiary of the place

where he lives.  But strife is not the only evil produced

by anger, for when it is roused to fury, it becomes a

fruitful source of every iniquity.  We read in the 24th

chapter of Leviticus, that a man in his passion cursed

the name of the God of Israel, and was stoned for it.

David, although he was a meek man in the general

course of his life, swore a very rash oath, by the name

of the Lord, when he was incensed at Nabal.  Railing,

and reviling, and backbiting, and evil speaking, and

Lies, and wars, and duels, and murders, are only a few

of the transgressions to which men have been a thou-

sand times tempted by their unbridled anger.  He that

indulges anger gives place to the devil.  He puts that

malignant spirit in possession of the throne of his heart,

and commits to him the direction of his heart, and

tongue, and hands.  The wrath of man never works

the righteousness of God; it utterly disqualifies him for

praying, or doing any other holy action; but it works

the will of the devil with both hands earnestly.  Many

volumes of history might be written in proof of this

point; but the evidences of it are every day before our

eyes.  Cease from anger, and forsake wrath, and let the

meekness and gentleness of Christ be still before your

eyes.

    Ver. 23.  A man's pride shall bring him low:  but ho-

nour shall uphold the humble in spirit.

    Pride raises a man as high as heaven in his own ap-

prehension, but it shall bring him as low as hell.  All

men are the enemies of the proud, and proud men them-

 

            *Chap. 15:18

CHAP. XXIX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              825

 

selves are the bitterest enemies to one another; for other

vices unite men in confederacies and friendships, but

pride has often set fathers and sons, husbands and wives,

at variance.  God is the enemy of the proud, he looks

upon them with disdain and abhorrence, and will abase

them.  Pride itself is the enemy of the proud, and will

bring them down from the highest honours to the deep-

est pit of disgrace.  What was it but pride that brought

Haman to the gallows, and made angels devils?

    But those whose hearts are humble enjoy true and

solid honours.  The honours of the proud are feathers

and wind.  They soon fly away and never return; but

honour shall uphold the man of an humble spirit.  His

crown consists, not of such corruptible things as silver

and gold, but it is a crown of life and glory which

never fades away.  He is exalted to safety, and shall

reign with angels for ever and ever.

    Let us all beware of the devil’s first born sin, and 

learn humility from him who was meek and lowly in

heart.  There are remainders of pride even in believers,

which, if left unmortified, will do them great hurt; for

any man's pride (were he as good as Hezekiah) will

bring him low, till his spirit be effectually humbled.

    Why does the wise man insist so much on this point?

Not because he wanted new matter for instructing us,

for his soul covered the whole earth, and he filled the

world with dark parables.  But because humility is a

lesson which we must learn and yet are very backward

to learn.  Our Lord frequently repeats this proverb in

other words.  "He that exalteth himself shall be abased,

and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

    Ver. 24.  Whoso is partner with a thief, hateth his own

soul; he heareth cursing and bwrayethe it not.

    Stealing is an abominable crime.  It was to be se-

826          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIX.

 

verely punished by the law of God, and is still more

severely punished by our own laws.  Thieves, and all

that are partners with thieves, are haters of their own

souls, for they love money more than salvation.  They

are the enemies of all men; but they are worse enemies

to themselves than to those whom they plunder.  How

poor a recompense do they obtain by their ill-gotten

gains, for the mischiefs which they bring upon them-

selves here, and in another world.

    There are some who would be afraid to steal, and yet

they venture to partake with thieves in their crime, by

receiving a part of what is stolen as the price of con-

cealment, or by buying commodities which they have

reason to suspect for stolen goods, because they can have

them at a low price.  If we are but underworkers in

any good action, we will not fail to obtain our share of

the praise; but we are very unwilling to sustain any

blame for dishonourable actions unless we are principal

agents.  The Scripture however assures us, that men

may, bring such guilt upon themselves by partaking

of other men's sins; and that he who is a partner with

a thief is a hater of his own life and soul, as well as the

principal thief.

    The devil is not content with drawing men to single

acts of sin; but he makes one evil thing the preface to

another.  Julius Caesar was more celebrated for im-

proving than gaining victories; for he never thought

that any thing was done whilst any thing remained

undone.  The devil is a conqueror of this sort; he

makes one transgression a snare for leading the sinner

into another; and he that joins with a thief is prepared

for lying and perjury.  He heareth cursing, (being laid

under a curse by the magistrate that puts him on his

oath, though he will not conceal any thing he knows

about the crime,) and yet he does not make a discovery,

and thus he adds to the guilt of stealing the greater

CHAP. XXIX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              827

 

guilt of falsehood and concealment, when he is upon his

oath.

    Those that are under examination upon oath should

consider this text.  If they swear that they will tell

every thing they know about the affair before the judge,

or if they are required, by proper authority, to bear

witness about a crime which ought to be punished, they

are enemies to justice, and haters of their own souls, if

they do not give a faithful and honest declaration of the

truth.  Men may partake of other men’s sins, not only

by countenancing them, but by refusing to concur in

proper endeavours to have them punished, for a warn-

ing to others.

    Ver. 25.  The fear of man bringeth a snare:  but

whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.

    When men are more afraid of offending their fellow

men than of sinning against God, they are in great dan-

ger of being drawn or driven into some of the worst of

sins.  It was this fear which made David sometimes to

lie, although that good man hated lying.  It was the

fear of a woman that made Peter to deny his gra-

cious master; and the same passion afterwards induced

Him to behave in a very unedifying manner at An-

tioch, that he might not give offence to his bigoted

brethren.

    If the fear of man has sometimes misled such men as

David and Peter, (and we may add, the father of the

faithful, and Aaron the priest of the Lord,) how en-

snaring must it be to those who are entirely destitute

of faith in God.  Many are kept by it from performing

necessary duties, like those that believed Jesus to be

the Christ, and yet durst not confess him, lest they

should have been excommunicated.  Many are driven

to rebel in many things against the light of their judg-

ments, to gratify masters, or parents, or princes, or

friends, whom they wish not to displease.

828          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIX.

 

    It will be no sufficient excuse for sin that the fear

of men led us into the commission of it.  Who are we

that we should be afraid of men that shall die?  Are

men more worthy of fear than the Almighty?  Was it

right in our first parents to obey the devil rather than

God?  Do we not imitate their conduct when we pre-

fer the pleasing of men to the pleasing of our Maker?

If we rather choose to venture on the wrath of God

than the wrath of men, can we complain if we have our

choice?

    The great antitode against the fear of man is confi-

dence in the Lord.  The true believer, acting like him-

self, goes on in the path of duty, without fearing the

wrath of men or devils.  “The Lord,” says he, “is

my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?  The

Lord is my helper, what can man do unto me *?”  In

our tormenting and ensnaring fears, our Lord teaches

us to discern the weakness of our faith †.

    He that trusteth in the Lord shall be safe from the

snares of sin; for his faith is a shield to quench all the

fiery darts of temptation.  He shall be safe from every

danger which timorous men apprehend in the way of

duty.  He shall find that there is no lion, nor any ra-

venous beast in the way of holiness; or if there are,

that they are chained, and cannot do him any evil

which shall not turn out to his advantage in the end ‡.

    Ver. 26.  Many seek the ruler's favour, but every

man’s judgment cometh from the Lord.

    Confidence in men is no less dangerous than the

fear of man, and there is a dreadful curse pronounced

upon those who trust in man, and make flesh their

arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.  Princes

are the idols of those who are honoured with their

 

            *Ps. 27:1, Heb 13:6   †Matt. 14:31, Luke 22:32

            ‡Ps. 91, Dan. 3

CHAP. XXIX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              829

 

friendship; and men in lower stations make idols of

those who are most likely to do them any service, and

solicit their kindness oftentimes with greater earnest-

ness than the favour of God.

    This behaviour proceeds from a secret disbelief of

the providence of God.  Men seem to think that earth-

ly things are managed by a train of inferior causes,

without any superintendence of the Most High.  If

they have the favour of great men they are happy for

this life, whether they have an interest in the favour of

God or not. 

    But we ought to believe and remember this great

truth, that every man’s judgment cometh from the

Lord.  It depends upon his sovereign pleasure whether

we shall be prosperous or unsuccessful in any particu-

lar business; whether we shall be rich or poor; whe-

ther we shall enjoy the favour of men, or suffer the

effects of their displeasure.  Riches, and honours, and

friendship, and hatred, are under the controul of the

Ruler of the world, and not a hair can fall from our

heads, nor can the least addition to our comfort be

made, without his pleasure.

    A sense of this truth would dispose us to acknow-

ledge God in all our ways; to make our requests in all

things known unto him with fervency of spirit; to

thank him with greater cordiality for every happy

event, than those who were the instruments of his

kindness.  It would be a strong antidote against the

ensnaring fear of men, and every fleshly confidence. 

It would keep us from sinking under adversity, and

from abusing prosperity into provision for the flesh, to

fulfil the lusts thereof.

    A persuasion of this truth disposing us to cleave

unto God, is the best means of ensuring success in all

our undertakings.  Esther prayed more earnestly to

God than to Ahasuerus for the safety of her nation, and

her success is celebrated by the Jews unto this day.

830          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXIX.

 

Nehemiah acted upon the same principle, when he

petitioned his master for the place of his father’s sepul-

chres; the Lord gave him great favour with the king

of Persia, and his fame shall live for ever.

    All who place that confidence in any creature which

is due to the Sovereign of heaven and earth, are re-

proved by this precept, and directed to expect every

thing they want from God as the first cause, although

the warrantable means of obtaining our wishes, are not

to be neglected *.

    Ver. 27.  A unjust man is an abomination to the just;

and he that is upright in the way, is an abomination to the

wicked.

    That an unjust man abhors the just, we have already

heard †, and find no cause to doubt it.  But how can

the just abhor the wicked?  Christ commands us

to love our enemies, although our enemies, in all ap-

pearance, must be the enemies of God also; and we

are required to love our neighbours as ourselves, al-

though we know that great multitudes of them are un-

righteous men.  How then will the law of God per-

mit us to hold the unrighteous in abhorrence?

    The just man wishes no evil to the wicked, for he

would have them all to be saved.  Paul could have

wished that he was accursed from Christ for his brethren,

his kinsmen according to the flesh, although they were

the worst enemies of the gospel in the world.  But the

unjust man is detested by the just, as a rebel against

God, although, as a man, he is the object of charity.

The just man abhors the sins of the wicked, and shuns

their company and testifies by every regular method

against their iniquities, and joins his influence to bring

them under the salutary rod of discipline.  His abhor-

rence of them is a part of his conformity to Christ, who

 

            *Jer. 17:5-8   †Verse 10

CHAP. XXX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              831

 

exposed hypocrites, and spoke with a voice of thunder

against the wickedness of men, and yet called all to

repentance, and prayed for the wicked when they were

crucifying him.

    Hatred to sin in ourselves and other men, is one

necessary branch of the Christian temper *.  If we are

the friends of Christ we shall be determined enemies

to that which brought him to a cross.

    The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, are

ended.

 

 

                           Proverbs 30

 

           

    Verse 1.  The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even

the prophecy:  the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto

Ithiel and Ucal.

    Agur was honoured, like Obadiah and Jude, to write

a very small portion of the Holy Scripture; but every

part of the word of God is precious, however small.

the words of Agur are not a prediction of things to

come, yet they are called a prophecy or burden, for

they were indited by the Holy Ghost, and are profit-

able for our correction and instruction in righteousness.

This prophecy is added to the proverbs of Solomon,

because they treat on the same subjects, and are writ-

ten in a like form.  The name of Agur is not given to

a distinct book of the Bible, but his memorial shall be

everlasting, for he was furnished with that wisdom

which is from above.

 

            *Heb. 12:4

832          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXX.

 

    We can give no historical account of this wise man;

we only know the name of his father, and his two chief

disciples, who were doubtless men of credit in their

generation; but their names only live in our days, for

the current of time swallows up the names of the great-

est part of men, and leaves little or nothing but the names

of the rest.  It is an honour to these men that their 

names are mentioned in the book of God as the dis-

ciples of Agur.  If we are diligent learners at the

school of Christ, and of those men that were inspired

by the Spirit of Christ, although our names be not re-

corded in this blessed book, yet we may rejoice that

they are written in heaven.

    In this prophecy, Agur expresses his humble sense

of his own ignorance, and tells us what need we have

of a divine teacher to explain the glories of God to us.

He recommends the word of God to us, and calls us

to the exercise of that faith for which we have 

a foundation in the word of God.  He directs us by

his own example how to pray.  He warns us against

several dangerous sins, and makes several instructive

Observations on the manners of men, and the nature

and qualities of many of God’s creatures.  These are

perhaps a summary of what he spoke to Ithiel and Ucal

whilst he lived; and although he is now dead he speaks

them to us.

    Ver. 2.  Surely I am more brutish than any man, and

have not the understanding of a man.

    One of the best proofs of wisdom is a sense of our

own ignorance and folly.  Pythagoras would not suffer

himself to be called a wise man, but a lover of wisdom;

and Socrates, who far exceeded him in wisdom, said,

that he knew nothing, but that he knew nothing.  Agur

goes still further, and calls himself a brutish man.  All

men are naturally brutish in respect of spiritual things;

and Agur calls himself more brutish than any man.  He

CHAP. XXX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              833

 

was well acquainted with the fallen and degenerate

condition of men, and deeply affected with his own par-

ticular share in it.  Man is born like a wild ass's colt;

and a humble man is read to acknowledge that there

is none to whom this debating comparison can be so

justly applied as to himself.

    But did Agur speak truth, or was he sincere in speak-

ing so humbly of himself?  No doubt he uses very

strong language, but he was perfectly sincere in it; for

he thought about God and eternal things, but felt so

much difficulty in understanding them, he found him-

self naturally so much indisposed to the most impor-

tant duties, and was filled with such grief at the dark-

ness of his mind, and the perverseness of his heart, that

he could not find words strong enough to express his

inward sense of his own vileness and darkness.

    It is a literal truth concerning the wisest of us, that

we are more brutish in relation to the noblest objects

that can occupy our minds, than any man is about the

affairs of life.  Men have retained their wisdom about

things of small consequence; but surely every man is

brutish in his knowledge if divine things, till his mind

is opened by the Holy Spirit to receive the knowledge

of them.  "Surely there is a vein for the gold, and a

place for the silver where they fine it;" and the sons of

men have found methods of forcing their way through

mountains and rocks, and of binding up floods that they

may fetch out these shining metals; and bring cut to

the light of day the stores of darkness and of the sha-

dow of death.  "But where is wisdom to be found, and

where is the place of understanding?  Man knoweth not

the price thereof, neither is it found in the land of the

living."

    None are so ignorant, and so likely to continue so, as

those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in

their own sight.  None ale so wise, and so likely to

834          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXX.

 

increase in wisdom, as the humble souls who are deep-

ly conscious of their folly and ignorance.  They will

open their mouths, and pant for God's commandments.

They will rejoice to hear that Christ is made of God

unto us wisdom, and will sit at the feet of Jesus, and

receive from him the words of eternal life.

    Ver. 3.  I neither learned wisdom, nor have the know-

ledge of the holy (ones.)

    Perhaps Agur means the same thing with Amos,

when he says, “I was not a prophet, neither was I a

prophet's son.”  He was not trained up in the schools of

the prophets; but God lays up sound wisdom for the

righteous, and dispenses it with or without the ordinary

means, as he pleases; for although he has required us

to make a conscientious use of these means, yet he has

not restricted himself to them in the distributions of his

favour.

    Paul was of the same humble temper with Agur.  He

counted himself less than the least of all saints; and

Agur account himself inferior in divine knowledge to

other saints.  The spirit of Diotrephes is in those men

who court the pre-eminence among the brethren, but

the lowly temper of a true saint will dispose us in ho-

nour to prefer one another.

    When Elihu began to speak, in the dispute carried

on between Job and his friends, he prefaces his dis-

course with high, though just encomiums on the wis-

dom that God had bestowed on him.  Agur introduces

his discourse with confessions of his own ignorance;

but their situations were very different.  Elihu was

afraid that his friends would despise him for his youth,

and lose the benefit of his speech; Agur thought he

had reason to be afraid of the contrary extreme.  When

Ithiel and Ucal applied to him for instruction, they

discovered a high opinion of his understanding.  We

ought not to fleet too great a name for knowledge and

CHAP. XXX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              835

 

learning, nor to encourage men to expect too much

from us, lest they should be disappointed to our own

shame; or lest they should place too great a depend-

ence upon us, and too little on the Author of wis-

dom.  A good name is valuable, but a great name is

dangerous; and a wise man would rather decline than

desire it.

    "As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold,

so is a man to his praise."  A fool swells with vain con-

ceit, if he finds his wisdom admired.  A wise man is

humbled to find how far he falls short of the opinion

that is entertained of him.  A fool, when he is praised,

seeks more praise, for the wind after which he hun-

gers cannot fill him.  But a man of Agur’s spirit will

endeavour to moderate those high opinions that are

entertained to his advantage.  Herod was destroyed

by worms, for the vain joy which he felt in the ungod-

ly applause given to his wisdom and eloquence.  Agur

is recorded in Scripture as a pattern of humility to

those men whose wisdom is admired.

    As Agur himself was insufficient to satisfy his friends’

thirst of knowledge, so he directs them to look above

all men for instruction.

    Ver. 4.  Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descend-

ed? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath

bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all

the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his

son's name, if thou canst tell?

    It is just as impossible for men, without divine illu-

mination, to discover God, and to reveal him to their

fellow-creatures, as to ascend into heaven, or descend

from it; to bind up the waters in a garment, or to gather

the winds in their fists, or to establish all the ends of 

the earth.  Has any man ever been able to achieve such

wonders? where did he live? what was his name? or

what is the name of any man that has the honour to

836          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXX.

 

spring from such a wonderful ancestor?  If you can

tell me the name of such a man as this, or his son, then

I will confess that he is possessed of treasures of wis-

dom sufficient to supply all your wants, and to satisfy

all your desires of knowledge.

    The God, whose name is beyond our comprehension,

and whose Son's name is Wonderful, does all these

things.  Heaven is his throne, and the clouds are his

chariots, and the earth has often felt his awful presence.

"He makes a weight for the winds, and weigheth the

waters by measure.  He hangeth the earth upon no-

thing.  With him is wisdom and strength; he hath

counsel and understanding;" and from him, the Father

of lights, every ray of useful knowledge comes.

    It deserves to be observed that our great Teacher

makes use of the truth delivered in this verse to prove

his absolute perfection as our instructor *.  "No man

hath ascend d up to heaven," to fetch down the know-

ledge of God to men, "but he that came down from hea-

ven, even the Son of man who is in heaven."  He shew-

ed his mission, by issuing forth his commands to the

winds and the waves, which instantly obeyed him.  He

establishes all the ends of the earth, and by him all

things in heaven and in earth consist.  "He is the Lord

our God, who teacheth us to profit; and the Lord God

and his Spirit did send him."  Let us therefore acknow-

ledge with Agur that we have no knowledge of our

own, and wait for his instructions as the earth for the

latter rain.

    All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are laid

up in him, and these treasures are not sealed up, but

spread before us in the word of Christ, which we ought

to read with an humble dependence on him for his

 

            *John 3:13

CHAP. XXX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              837

 

light and truth, that we may learn to set our hope on

God.

    Ver. 5.  Every word of God is pure; he is a shield unto

them that put their trust in him.

    There are no superfluities in the word of God, as

we are too ready to imagine.  Every word of God is

useful and holy, righteous and true.  When we hear

the words of men, our reason must try them, as the

mouth tasteth meat, for any man may be a liar, or de-

ceive us by his own misapprehensions; but the words

of God are all worthy of himself.  As the power of the

Creator shines in all the works of his hands, his in-

violable truth and untained holiness, give dignity and

credit to every thing that he speaks; and the Bible has

the same impression of divinity upon it that appears

in the sun and the stars.

    Because the word of God is very pure, we ought to

love it, and to believe it with all our hearts, and to

trust in God, as he is revealed to us in it; for it dis-

covers him to be for ever possessed of all those infinite

excellencies that make him the proper object of confi-

dence to creatures, of all that mercy and grace, and

plenteous redemption, which are sufficient to encourage

the confidence of guilty creatures.

    Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.  The

world is full of mischief and miseries sufficient to des-

troy or embitter our lives, and of invisible enemies,

who seek to destroy our souls; but they that trust in

the Lord, are completely safe and happy.  His mercy

is their refuge from condemnation, through that atone-

ment which his word reveals.  His power will shield

them from every enemy, and they shall be kept in per-

fect peace whose mind is stayed on him, because they

trust in him.  “Fear not,” said the Lord to Abraham,

I am thy shield, and thine exceeding great reward."

All that walk in the steps of the faith of Abraham, en-

838          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXX.

 

joy the benefit and comfort of this promise.  They shall

travel in safety through armies of enemies, and at last

inherit the better country, where the father of the faith-

ful now dwells.

    But our trust must be in the name of the Lord, as

it is represented to us in the word of God; the seed and

the ground of our faith in him.  To alter or to add to

it is very dangerous.

    Ver. 6.  Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove

thee, and thou be found a liar.

    It is strange, but true, that men have been often dis-

posed to add to the words of God, by establishing some

rule of faith beside the Scripture, or intruding into the

secrets of God, and devising religious doctrines not

taught in the Scripture, or means of divine worship,

which never came into his mind.  Surely such pre-

sumption shall be reproved and punished by the Most

High.  Princes would require the blood of those dar-

ing subjects that presumed to insert some additions in

their laws of grants, and God will add unto them that

add to his words, all the plagues contained in the last

and most dreadful book of the Scripture.

    To add to the true meaning of the Scripture, in or-

der to accommodate its doctrine to our own prejudices

or taste, is a sin of the like kind.  If we do so, we shall

be reproved by God, and found liars, by saying that

God has to taught things which he never taught.

    Errors and sin are incident to man in his corrupted

state; but we ought to guard against the former as well

as the latter by perusing the Bible with diligence and

humility, and praying for that unction from the Holy

One, which is truth and is no lie, and will effectually

preserve us from every dangerous mistake.

    Ver. 7.  Two things have I required of thee, deny me

them not before I die.

    Agur has taught us faith in God.  He now teaches

CHAP. XXX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              839

 

us by his own example, to pray, although he does not

mention, by name, the object of prayer.  He never

dreamed that any person who professed to believe the

word of God, would think of any other object of prayer

than God himself; but, since his days, men have found

means to jumble together, in their systems of religion,

the most incompatible truths and errors.

    Two things comprised the objects of his petitions.--

David had one thing that he chiefly desired, and our

Lord sums up every necessary request in six petitions.

The great blessings that we need from God should be

habitually present to our minds, that when we have oc-

casion to appear before the Lord, without time to pre-

meditate, we may, in our requests, present the medita-

tions of our heart in the words of our mouth.

    The wisest of the heathens were at a great loss to

know what blessings they should ask from God; but

God in mercy has instructed us what we should pray

for, and hath promised the Spirit to help the infirmities

of our understandings and souls, in this duty.  When

we observe the directions of the Scripture about our

prayers, we know that ask things agreeable to

the will of God.  The gracious Hearer of Prayer never

said unto any of the seed of Jacob, “seek ye me in

vain;" and he will not refuse hearing to those prayers

that are dictated by his own Spirit.

    But when we pray, we must pray in faith, nothing

doubting.  This holy man used great boldness at the

throne of God.  He insisted for these two things, and 

requires them, and pleads against a denial.

    The revelations of the New Testament give us greater

encouragements than Agur had, to exercise boldness in

the presence of God, and to plead with unceasing ear-

nestness till we obtain the blessings that we need.—

God sits on a throne of grace, and we have a great High

840          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXX.

 

Priest, who is passed into the heavens, and there ap-

pears in the presence of God for us.  Therefore let us

come boldly to the throne of grace.  This great High

Priest is also our instructor, and teaches us to pray always,

and not to faint, assuring us that our importunity shall

at length prevail.  The most glorious name of any mere

man spoken of in the histories of the world, was ob-

tained by such importunate supplications.  Jacob wept

and made supplication at Bethel; yea, by his strength,

he had power with the angel and prevailed, and his

name was called Israel, because as a prince he had power

with God, and received the blessing for which he wrest-

led.

    Agur prayed to God with proper impressions of his

frailty and mortality upon his mind.  He spoke like a

dying man to the eternal God, and requested that he

might enjoy the blessings of God whilst he lived.  Spi-

ritual blessing were the grand object of his wishes; and

if we duly considered the uncertainty of our lives, and

the approaches that death is constantly making to us,

we should never ask these blessings with such cold-

ness as if we desired a denial.  Thoughts of death would

inflame our desires after heavenly things, and moderate

our exorbitant desires for the blessings of the present

life.

    Ver. 8.  Remove far from me vanity and lies; give me

neither poverty nor riches, feed me with food convenient

for me.

    His first petition is for deliverance from sin.  Whe-

ther he means particularly the sins usually known by

these names, or the sin of idolatry, or sin in general, he

no doubt desired freedom from all sin.  The best of men

need preservation from the worst sins, for they are con-

scious that the might fall into the deepest mire of ini-

quity, if God withheld his mercy *.  But all kinds of

 

            *Ps. 19:12

CHAP. XXX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              841

 

sin may be justly called vanities and lies, because it is

empty and unprofitable *, and imposes the most mis-

chievous falsehoods upon men, promising them plea-

sure and gain, and giving them nothing but disappoint-

ment and death.  An impression of the unprofitable-

ness and danger of sin would make us very earnest in

our prayers for the removal of it from us.  “O Lord,”

the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the

earth, and shall say, surely our fathers have inherited

lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit †.”

    The removal of sin includes in it both pardon and

sanctification, and therefore the petition may include

both the fifth and sixth petition of the Lord’s prayer.  

When God pardons sin, he removes it far from us as

the east is from the west, and casts it into the depth of

the sea.  When he sanctifies a soul, he removes sin from

its throne, and gradually drives it out of its residence

in the soul.  Both these blessings are absolutely neces-

sary for us.  They are to be the subject of our most

earnest petitions, and we have great encouragement to

plead for them, because they are graciously promised

in his word; and these rich promises are yea and amen

in Christ, who purchased them for us by his blood, and

gives us all possible assurance of obtaining them from

God.

    We are not only to pray for the removal of sin, but

for the removal of it at a great distance from us.  As

God removes it far away in pardon, the soul that ab-

hors sin desires to have it far removed from the heart

and life.  Our Lord teaches us not only to pray against

sin, but against temptation; for there is a strong incli-

nation in the hearts of men to comply with tempta-

tions when they are presented to the soul.  If a man

 

            *Job 33:27     †Jer. 16:19

842          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXX.

 

has a bag of powder in his hands, he will certainly

wish to keep at a distance from the fire.

    We must seek first the kingdom of God, and the

righteousness thereof; but we are not forbidden to seek

also those things that are needful for the body.  We

are forbidden to seek great things for ourselves,

but directed to seek daily bread; and accordingly

Agur pray for it in these words, "Give me neither po-

verty nor riches."

    Poverty is a very disagreeable thing to all men, and

none will wonder that Agur prays against it.  Yet our

Lord, for our sakes, endured extreme poverty.  If Pro-

vidence should appoint poverty to us as our lot, we

ought to be content with that situation in which Christ

himself lived among us; yet such is the kindness of

God to us that we are warranted to pray against it, as a

state of sore temptation.

    Had Agur prayed against poverty only, we would

have all joined with him; but few men would choose

to have him for their chaplain, because to poverty he

adds riches, as a thing equally undesirable to him.—

Riches are the desire of all men, except those who know

the weakness of their own hearts, and believe what our

Lord tells us of the danger of riches.  Riches are good

if they are rightly used, and have been the instrument

of much good when they were in the hands of very

good and wise men; but there are few even of the

saints that have a sufficiency of wisdom and grace, for

using, without abusing them.  Agur desired to have

nothing, however agreeable to the natural and ordinary

wishes of men, if it might prove injurious to his soul.

    What then would this good man have from God, if

he desires neither poverty nor riches?  He prays that

God would feed him with food convenient for him; be-

stowing on him whatever was needful for his support

and conveniency, and suitable to the station in which

CHAP. XXX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              843

 

he was placed.  Having food and raiment, and all that

is commonly included under the name of bread in Scrip-

ture language, he would be content and thankful, and

ask no more.

    Agur teaches us, in this account of his prayers, to

look upon God as the dispenser of the good things of

life, who gives riches or poverty at his pleasure; from

whom we receive our food and raiment; on whom we

ought to depend for the supply of all our necessities; to

whom we should pray for every good thing, and render

thanks for every blessing.

    We are taught likewise to offer our most fervent pe-

titions for the blessings of God's salvation.  Agur did

not think that vanity and lies could be removed too

far from him; but he thought that poverty might soon

be too far removed.  How opposite was his spirit to

the spirit of the world!

    The greatest part of men seek earthly blessings with

all the desire of their hearts, and the blessings of sal-

vation with more moderate desires, and only so far as

they may consist with the main objects of their affec-

tion.  But Agur desires outward conveniences for the

good of his soul, and only in such a measure as might

consist with his best interests.

    Ver. 9.  Lest I be full and deny thee, and say, Who is

the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name

of my God in vain.

    He prays for daily bread, that he might not be led

into temptation; and for the same reason he prays

against riches.  If his riches increased, he was afraid

that, through the depravity of his nature, they would

tempt him to the dangerous sin of luxury, to impiety,

presumption and arrogancy.  Such are the effects of

riches upon men of corrupt minds.  According to the

pasture of the people o Israel, so were they filled:

They were filled, and their heart was exalted.  Riches

844          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXX.

 

are the gift of God, but they are too often improved to

the prejudice of the giver; and those who receive those

common gifts in the greatest abundance, are generally

the most ungrateful of all men to him from whom every

good gift comes.  They do not perhaps deny the Lord

in words, or say with their tongues who is the Lord?

but deeds speak louder than words.  When men wil-

fully transgress the laws of God, they say in effect, “who

is the Lord that we should serve him?”  When they ne-

glect prayer to God, they say that they are lords, and

will come no more unto him.  Such was the practical

language of a great part of rich men in former ages,

and it is the same at this day.  “They spend their days

in wealth,” says Job, “Therefore they say unto God

depart from us; what is the Almighty that we should

serve him; and what profit shall we have if we pray

unto him?”

    But are real saints ready to be snared into such

sins by the influence of riches?  Saints have flesh as

well as spirit; and riches are a powerful temptation to

them as well as other men.  It requires more than a

Solomon’s wisdom and grace to preserve men from the

corrupting influence of prosperity.  Job was the best 

as well as the richest man in the East.  But where is

the saint who has  received such rich communications of

grace as Job?  God grant that we may never be so rich

as Job, unless he is pleased to make us as good and

upright.

    Some persons think they are in no danger of making

a bad use of riches, if they could but obtain them, be-

cause they feel no disposition to make a bad use of any

thing they have; “but he that trusteth in his own heart

is a fool.”  Is there a greater fool in the world than

the man that thinks himself wiser than Solomon or

Agur, or Christ himself, who tells us, that those who

have riches shall hardly enter into the kingdom of God?

CHAP. XXX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              845

 

A wise man will not choose to leave a country of ordi-

nary fertility, for another whose soil is far richer, but

the air very pestilential, although his constitution of bo-

dy is at present very healthful; nor will he choose to

walk in a flowery path where there are secret pits, and

where the country is infected with robbers, if he can

find another path, that is less pleasant and more safe.

    But poverty is not without its temptations also.

Pinching necessity may tempt a man to use unlawful

shifts for his subsistence, and even to steal.  And there-

fore this wise man prays that he might be kept from

poverty as well as riches for he had no confidence in

his own heart, which he knew to be so foolish and

treacherous.

    But what made him so much afraid of stealing?  Did

he think he would be disgraced and punished for it? 

That was not the thing for which he chiefly abhorred

stealing; but he knew that this sin brings a great guilt,

and a deep stain on the soul, and besides is a snare to

the soul, which brings it into the devil's power, and

gives him advantage for drawing on men to sins of

greater guilt.  One sin nee s to be supported by another

sin, and lying and perjury are the common refuges to

which thieves have recourse for screening themselves

from shame and punishment *.

    Agur abhorred all sin; but the sin of profaning the

name of the Lord was one of the most dreadful wick-

edness in his apprehension, because the Lord was his

God.  He believed in God and loved him with all his

heart, and he earnestly wished to be kept at the utmost

distance from every thing hat might lead him to dis-

honour or profane the name of his God.

    Ver. 10.  Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he

curse thee, and thou be found guilty.

 

            *Chap. 29:24

846          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXX.

 

    Agur teaches us not only to keep a good conscience

in the things that relate immediately to the worship and

service of God, he enjoins us, likewise, to exercise ourselves

to have a conscience void of offence towards men, not

excepting the meanest of them.  We must not hurt the

meanest slave on earth; for although he is not able to re-

venge the injury, yet God will do it with severe justice.

    As we must do no hurt to a poor servant, so we must

not tempt any other person to hurt him.  Agur forbids

us to accuse him to his master, lest we should expose

him to severe treatment at his hands.  But is accusing

a servant to his master in every case unlawful?  Did

not Abraham accuse the servants of Abimelech to their

master for robbing him of his wells?  He did; but there

was no danger in that case, for Abraham knew that

Abimelech was too selfish a man to punish his servants

because they exceeded the bounds of justice in their

zeal for his service.  There are other cases in which we

may lawfully accuse servants to their masters, but they

are not common.  Men are too ready to take too much

liberty in this point; and Agur does not think it neces-

sary to mention the excepted cases, because any man

can see them, and most men would take too great a

cense in applying them to particular cases.

    But what is the evil of accusing a servant to his

master?  It is inhumanity and cruelty.  It is adding to the

distress which we should rather relieve if it were in our

power, (for servants in those days were generally slaves.)

It is a sowing of discord in families; and it may pro-

voke the poor man to curse thee.  And what if he does?

It is his sin to curse me.  It is your own sin; or if the

sin be his, you are the devil that tempts him to it; and

the weight of his curses, aggravated with the guilt of

them, may come down from a just God upon your

head.  You may be found guilty of bringing a false

accusation against him; guilty of the poor man's re-

CHAP. XXX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              847

 

vengeful curses; guilty of his master’s tyranny, through

the bad opinion of his servant that you infuse into his

mind.  Men by their indiscreet and sinful conduct, do

often bring upon themselves the guilt of many more

sins than they ever think about.

    Ver. 11.  There is a generation that curseth their fa-

ther, and doth not bless their mother.

    Many of Agur's sayings are better remembered

than many other things, by his method of classing his

observations into a certain number of particulars.  His

petitions were two; and his observations on the man-

ners of men, and the qualities of creatures, are four on

each subject.  He begins at this verse to speak of four

sets of men, that deserve a particular remark on ac-

count of their extreme wickedness.

    "There is a generation of men that curseth their fa-

ther."  It is the disgrace of human nature that ever one

man was found that could be guilty of this sin.  Will

a man curse the instrument of his existence?  This is

the next degree of guilt to that of cursing the author

of it.  The prophet Isaiah pronounces a wo upon him

that striveth with his Maker, and proceeds next to pro-

nounce a wo against him that saith to his father, “what

begettest thou; or to the woman, what hast thou

brought forth."

    But there is a whole generation of men upon whom

this atrocious guilt may be justly charged, and there-

fore we find a law in the writing of Moses appointing

the punishment of it; and the punishment is the same

which was to be inflicted on the blasphemers of God

himself.

    Although men do not expressly make use of their

tongues to curse their fathers, yet they are to be rank-

ed with this cursed generation, if they do not bless

their mothers.  Mothers are to be honored as well

848          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXX.

 

as fathers; and the neglect of duty to parents is cri-

minal, as well as the commission of offences against

them.

    But perhaps you will say, my mother deserves not

to be blessed.  Is she not your mother?  Then she de-

serves your good will and tender affection, and prayers;

and if you cannot praise her, you have no call to say

any thing to her prejudice.

    Ver. 12.  There is a generation that are pure in their

own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.

    No man is truly pure unless he is washed from his

filthiness; for all men are naturally polluted with sin,

and rendered abominable by it; for nothing on earth is

comparable to sin for vileness, and no creature on earth

is so abominable and filthy as man, who drinketh ini-

quity like water *.

    We cannot be washed from our filthiness but by the

blood and Spirit of Christ.  The blood of Christ is the

fountain opened by God for sin and uncleanness, and

it is the Spirit of Christ that applies it to our souls, and

purifies our hearts by the faith of it *.

    But there are many who are strangers to Christ, and

yet reckon themselves pure.  They never saw their

pollution, because they are unacquainted with the law

of God, or with themselves; or they have taken to them-

selves nitre and much soap, and flattered themselves

that they could wash away their own filthiness by it; or

they are mistaken about the way of making use of

Christ, for the cleansing of their souls; or persuade

themselves upon false grounds, that they are cleansed

by his grace.

    Seest thou man that is clean in his own eyes, al-

though he is yet impure in the sight of God, there is

 

            *Job 15:14     †I Cor. 6:11, Acts 15:9

CHAP. XXX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              849

 

more hope of a publican or a harlot than of him.  He

says unto Christ, "Depart from me, for I am not a

sinful man."  He is covered like the leviathan, with

scales that render him impenetrable by the sharpest

pointed arrows.  No sinners do worse things than those

who do whatsoever is right in their own eyes, (Judges

xviii. &c.) and none are farther from righteousness

than those who are righteous in their own eyes.  They

are a smoke in God's nostrils, a fire that burneth all the

day.  Christ found such self-conceited men his great-

est enemies whilst he was tabernacling among us, and

spoke some parables, and denounced many heavy woes

against them.

    Let us examine our hearts impartially, lest we should

deserve to be classed with this wretched generation,

which, we have reason to fear, is more numerous than

the generation of them whose hands are clean, and

their hearts pure.  We all profess to be Christians, but

Christ will deny us if we belong to this set of men;

for he hath declared, that except he wash us we have

no part in him.  Men are unwilling to class themselves

with the impure, lest their consciences should fly in

their faces; but those that falsely pretend to purity are

the persons whose consciences shall lash them with

greatest severity at last.  Why should we seek to cover

our nakedness with fig leaves?  Why should we ex-

clude ourselves from the fountain, through a pernici-

ous shame of confessing our vileness?  The promise

of God stands upon record:  “I will sprinkle clean

water upon you and ye shall be clean.”  Is it best, sin-

ners, to claim the benefit of this promise, or to allege

that you have no need of it?  Men are generally asham-

ed to be thought poor; yet who would not confess him-

self to be poor, if the king should offer great wealth to

every poor man in the town and to none else?

850          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXX.

 

    Ver. 13.  There is a generation, O how lofty are their

eyes! and their eye-lids are lifted up.

    There is a generation of men that are swelled with

pride and vanity, and yet put on the dress of humility.

Such are a great number of the generation last men-

tioned; but God knoweth their hearts; and the fruits of

their pride often discover them to men.

    But there are some men who seem to be proud even

of their pride.  They do not hide their sin, but declare

it as Sodom; and the shew of their countenances wit-

nesses against them.  Agur was surprised how the sons

of Adam, who are but worms, should put on such ar-

rogant airs, and behave with so much insolence.

    Solomon likewise speaks of this race of men as a ge-

neration abhorred by the Lord *.  The prophets, in

their predictions against Moab, and Ezekiel, in his pro-

phecies against Tyre and Egypt, give us a striking

picture of their manners, and a terrible description of

the vengeance of God against such insolent despisers

of God and men; for God will save the afflicted and

lowly people, but will bring down the high looks.

    Ver. 14.  There is a generation whose teeth are as

swords, and their jaw-teeth as knives, to devour the poor

from off the earth, and the needy from among men.

    By these monsters of men, the inspired writer means

false accusers, extortioners, oppressors, bloody tyrants,

and their wicked instruments, who are the common

enemies of men but plunder and destroy especially the

poor and needy, because these cannot resist them.

    To what kind of creatures does Agur compare these

wretches?  Not to lions or tigers, for neither these nor

any other kind of animals are so fierce and brutal.

These men are brutes with iron teeth, sharp as knives,

 

            *Prov. 6:17

 

 

 

CHAP. XXX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              851

 

to cut off, and to destroy. Whilst they grind the faces

of the poor, and rob them of their means of subsistence,

they do in effect eat the flesh of the poor, and flay their

skin from their bones; and they break their bones, and

chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh for the

caldron.

            To what wickednesses are men driven by the cursed

love of gold!  The horse-leech sucks till it bursts. The

grave, and the barren womb, and the parched earth,

and the fire, can never be satisfied; but the hearts of

wicked men are still more insatiable. They are still

crying, give, give. Hell is evidently set forth before

them, and flaming with tremendous fury; and yet the

insatiable lust of having, drags them on to purchase

for themselves one of the chief places in that burning

lake, by heaping one horrid instance of inhumanity and

cruelty upon another. Had Job reigned among this

generation of men, he would have broken their jaws,

and forced the spoil from their teeth*. But punish.

ments inconceivably more dreadful, are appointed to

them by the just Lord, who will not do iniquity, nor

suffer it to pass unrevenged.

            Ver. 15. The horse-leech hath two daughters, crying,

Give, give. There are three things that are never satis-

fied, yea, four things say not, it is enough.

            Agur had been speaking of the dreadful effects of the

lust of covetousness, which still cries, give, give. Some

think that he intends, in the two following verses, to re-

present the insatiable nature of this lust, by comparing it

with the most craving and unsatisfied things that men

are acquainted with. He does not expressly draw any

moral instruction out of the account he gives of the

four things that cannot be satisfied, only he teaches us

to make observations on the works of God, and the na.

 

            *Job 29:17

852          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXX.

 

ture of things that we see or hear of.  Such observations

enlarge our minds, lead us to admire the Creator, and

to raise religious meditations in our minds. Besides,

the Scripture makes use of such observations to illus-  

trate the important instructions which it gives us about

the things that we are to believe or do.

            The horse-leech is a blood-sucker. It will suck the

blood of other creatures till it bursts, but covetous men

will suck the blood of their fellow-men till they are

damned.

            It is very usual in the eastern languages to call one

thing the son or daughter of another thing, on account

of some resemblance or relation in the one to the other.

Thus arrows are called the sons of the bow; and the

friends which attend a bridegroom, are called his chil-

dren. In this sense, Agur calls any thing remarkable

for its greediness, a daughter of the horse-leech. Cove-

tousness of spiritual and eternal blessings, deserves to be

exemptedfrom this humiliating comparison; but an heart

set upon earthly treasure, is more like the horse-leech

than any of its daughters; for there is no satisfying of a

covetous man; with shame he loves, give ye. And if you

should give him whole rivers of blood to drink, he will

still cry for more; as you see in the example of those ty-

rants, whom providence in wrath to men, permitted to

gratify their lust without restraint*.

            Ver. 16. The grave, and the barren womb, the earth

that is not filled with water, and the fire that saith not, It

is enough.

            "Hell and destruction" says Solomon, "are never full,

so the eyes of man are never satisfied;" but because the

invisible world is never full, it is folly to be greedy of

earthly things; for the grave will soon receive us, and

then what will all earthly treasures avail us? The in-

 

            *Hab. 2:5

CHAP. XXX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              853

 

visible world keeps its gates wide open for us, and

therefore we should be laying up our treasure in another

world. If the grave were full, or if we could make a

sure covenant with death, and obtain exemption from

its power, we might have some excuse for living as if

we were to live always.

            The barren womb is unsatisfied in the want of chil-

dren. Rachel was led into much sin and sorrow by

her passionate desire of children. Let others in the

like circumstances beware of following her example.

Discontentment with our lot, in any part of it, is a tor-

menting and a dangerous sin.

            The earth, when it is parched, can scarcely be satis-

fied with rain. It gapes for the showers; and although

it be well refreshed at present, it will soon thirst for

more. This teaches us our entire dependence upon

God, who has the key of the clouds in his hand, and

could soon make the rain of our land powder and dust,

and our earth iron under our feet. As the thirsty land

cries for rain, so let our souls thirst not for those blessings

that spring from the ground, but for the salvation of

the Lord from on high; then will he rain down right-

eousness upon us*.

            The fire is more greedy than any of these things.

Lay on fuel as long as you please, it will soon make an

end of it, and seek for more. There is a fiercer flame

in the corrupt hearts and tongues of men, kindled from

hell, and sufficient to set on fire the course of nature †.

            Ver. 17. The eye that mocketh at his father, and des-

piseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall

pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.

            Agur, as well as Solomon, insists much on the respect

due from children to their parents. Children that dis-

obey or despise their parents are the kindred of those

 

            *Isa. 45:8, Hosea 10:12       †James 3:6

854          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXX.

 

that curse them, for the one sin is the natural introduc-

tion to the other. Such unnatural children were to be

punished with death by the law of Moses; and Agur

represents the disgrace that attends this death, to af-

fright men from the sin.

            The ravenous fowls will pick out their eyes. Let

children think of this, and let it be a motive to them,

(if better ones are ineffectual,) to respect their parents.

If human laws, or the carelessness of magistrates, free

disobedient children from this punishment, God suffers

them, by the violation of other laws, to bring themselves

to the gibbet, or at least will find means to convince of-

fenders by fatal experience, that his laws and threaten-

ings are not vain *.

            Ver. 18. There be three things, which are too won-

derful for me, yea four which I know not:

            Ver. 19. The way of an eagle in the air, the way of

a serpent upon a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of

the sea, and the way of a man with a maid.

            An eagle is speedily out of our view when she soars

aloft, and no trace of her flight is to be seen. A ser-  

pent slides over the rock, without leaving any slime

like worms, or feathers like birds. A ship leaves no

mark in the waves by which you can discern its track;

but the way of a man with one that calls herself a maid,

is more indiscernible than all of them together. The

companions in lewdness have a thousand arts to draw

one another into this abominable sin, and to conceal it

when it is committed.

            Ver. 20. Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she

eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no

wickedness.

            "Stolen waters are sweet, saith the foolish woman,

and bread eaten in secret is pleasant;" and secret bread

 

            *Chap. 20:20

CHAP. XXX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              855

 

is so much the more pleasant, because, when it is eaten

the theft cannot be found out. She wipes her mouth,

and no marks of it are to be seen upon her lips.

            The sweetness and the hiddenness of this sin make

it very dangerous. Persons commit theft with fear

and trembling, and they are often discovered; and the

reproofs and punishments they meet with are means of

conviction and repentance. But adulterous persons

taste a deceitful pleasure in their sin; and they have a

thousand ways of concealing their guilt; and so they

add one sin to another, and contract those habits which

become a second nature to them. The devil entan-

gles them in strong twisted cords of a thousand folds;

and they are seldom recovered from his snares. They

obtain, by their lying arts, a miserable deliverance

from the means of repentance; and by degrees they

almost bring themselves to think that they have es-

caped the watchful eye of God.

            Do not imagine that the secrecy of sin is your secu-

rity from punishment; it is the snare of your souls.

By your arts to hide your wickedness you are only

hardening your hearts, and twisting thick cords for

yourselves, that you may be held fast in sin, and pre-

vented from ever enjoying the liberty of the children

of God *.

            Ver. 21. For three things the earth is disquieted, and

for four, which it cannot bear:

            Ver. 22. For a servant when he reigneth, and a fool

when he is filled with meat;

            Ver. 23. For an odious woman when she is married,

and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.

            Pride is a sin detestable to God; and its effects are

such, that even men cannot bear them, especially when

 

            *Prov. 5:22,23

856          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXX.

 

it is raised to an high pitch, by a sudden and unexpec-

ted rise from a low and despised condition; and there-

fore a wise man would not wish to be raised by God

to a condition much above his present state, unless God

would give him grace to bear it with moderation.

            When a servant is raised to a throne, or to some

high station in the government, he thinks himself al-

most a god; and unless every one gives him homage

he is filled with wrath and revenge. Haman was rais-

ed so high by Ahasuerus that he became giddy; and'he

thought the offence of one man that would not bow the

knee to him so grievous, that it required the blood of a

whole nation to make atonement for it. Joseph and

David were indeed raised by God to high places, and

behaved well in them; but God knew their hearts, and

gave them such grace that they were still lowly when

their condition was high. The greatest tyrants in the

world have generally been those that never expected to

reign; such as Maximin the Roman emperor, who put

to death all that knew him in his low condition, and,

amongst the rest, those that had relieved his father

and himself, that he might blot out the memory of his

former meanness. Servants have not more seeds of

pride in their nature than other men; but they are

sown in human nature, and are wonderfully cherished

when the sunbeams of prosperity shine upon them with

extraordinary warmth. Leave men of mean condition

where you found them, and they will behave in their

station as well as kings. Raise kings to an unexpected

height of grandeur, and they will become Nebuchad-

nezzars and Alexanders.

            This observation is of use in the affairs of the church

as well as the state; and therefore Paul forbids a novice

to be made a ruler in the church, lest, being lifted up

with pride, he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

CHAP. XXX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              857

 

            A fool, when he is filled with meat, or furnished with

riches sufficient to gratify his vanity and supply his ex-

travagant desires, is another burden of the earth. A

fool is troublesome at all times; but there is no bearing

of him, when his lust of intemperance or greediness is

fully satisfied. It is a blemish in David's character that

he once broke out into such a violent rage, that he swore

to destroy an innocent family; but we must remember

that the provocation was given him by a fool when he

was filled with meat.  In ordinary cases David was the

meekest of men.

            For the like reasons an odious woman is intolerable

when she is married. Women of meek and quiet spi-

rits are a lovely part of the human race; but women

of fretful spirits and unbridled passions are odious; and

when they are married, it would require all the patience

of Job, and the meekness of Moses to bear with them.

Before marriage their pride was checked by neglect,

and covered with the mantle of prudence; but when

they come into their new state of life, they throw off

every restraint, and their new situation is a means of

increasing their vanity and ill nature, till neither their

neighbours, nor their servants, nor their husbands, can

endure them. If you are wise, when you intend to

marry a wife, let her portion be the least part of your

concern; but be sure that you know her real temper,

and beware of those cheats that are doves in their vir-

gin state, and vultures the week after they are mar-

ried.

            An handmaid that grows rich by the last will of her

deceased mistress, or obtains her master in marriage, is

another plague to all around her, as we may learn from

the example of Hagar the Egyptian. Men should

never marry their servant maids unless they are fur-

nished with virtuous qualifications, and particularly

with modesty and meekness to an unusual degree.

858          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXX.

 

            Ver. 24. There be four things which are little upon the

earth, but they are exceeding wise.

            God is to be admired in the leviathan and behe-

moth, and he is no less to be admired in the ant and

the locust. The formation of these little creatures, and

the instincts which God has given them, appear sur-

prising to the wisest of men. They are not furnished

with the noble gift of reason, and yet they have a de-

gree of wisdom which may raise a blush in the cheeks

of many who boast of the dignity of their rank in the

scale of creatures.

            Ver. 25. The ants are a people not strong, yet they

prepare their meat in the summer.

            The strength of ants has been admired by wise men,

but their wisdom and industry make them strong; for

they are a feeble nation, from the make and size of

their bodies. Sluggards make inability to do their duty

one of their excuses; but let them go to the ants and

locusts, and learn to be ashamed of their frivolous pre-

tences. These puny creatures do wonders by their ex-

ertions and perseverance; and men know not their own

strength more than their weakness, till they have made

a fair trial of it. But as to spiritual things, you will

say, the Scripture teaches us that we have no strength

at all: that is true, but it teaches you at the same time

"to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,

because it is God that worketh in you both to will and

to do of his good pleasure." Are the ants and the conies

so strong by the instincts which they receive from their

Maker? what will not worm Jacob accomplish, when

he goes in the strength of the Lord God?

            The ants prepare their meat in the summer, that

they may not starve in the rigours of the winter months.

How despicable, compared with these insects, are the

rational creatures, who suffer the thoughts of an end-

CHAP. XXX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              859

 

less duration to be pushed out of their minds by three-  

score and ten years?

            Ver. 26. The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make

they their houses in the rocks.

            Perhaps the wise man means some other kind of

creatures than those which we call conies. He tells

us that weak as they are, they find means to make ha-  

bitations for themselves in the holes of the rocks, or in

rocky ground. As the ants teach sluggards to provide

food for themselves, these animals reprove those that

are careless about providing proper houses and means

of security from dangers. Few of us want due care

about houses for accommodating our bodies, but what

provision have we made for a dwelling-place to our

souls?  Do we build upon the sand, or on the everlast-  

ing rock?  If our place of defence is not the munition

of rocks, but some refuge of lies, the conies are wiser

than we, according to their kind. The high hills are

a refuge for the wild goats, and the rocks for the conies;

and has God provided no refuge for our souls? God

himself is our refuge and our strength, and those that

make him their habitation shall be secured from the

fear of evil.

            Ver. 27. The locusts have no king, yet go they forth

all of them by bands.

            The locusts, notwithstanding their weakness as indi-

viduals, are strong and terrible by their order and

agreement. They go forth by bands, and nations trem-

ble, and countries are turned into desolate wildernesses.

The prophet Joel speaks of the armies of locusts in the

same style which other prophets use when they are

speaking of armies of Chaldeans or Persians; and his-

tory fully justifies the propriety of his language.

            The Saracen enemies of Christianity are compared

by John to locusts, for their number and harmony, and

the destructive ravages which they were enabled by

860          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXX.

 

these means to commit. Shall the enemies of religion

join so harmoniously in the service of the devil? and

shall we that do not want a king, we that have Christ

and not Apollyon for our king, betray his glorious cause

by breaking our ranks, and violating that beautiful or-

der which he bath appointed? When the followers of

the Redeemer stand fast in one spirit, and with one

mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel, eve-

ry one in his proper station, then, the church is ter-

rible as an army with banners; and the locusts that

come out of the bottomless pit cannot prevail against

her.

            Ver. 28. The spider taketh hold with her hands, and

is in king's palaces.

            The spider does not say, there are servants in the

palace appointed to keep it clear from every nuisance;

I shall be slain in the window. She provides herself a

dwelling in the houses of the great, as well as in the

cottages of the poor, for labour and wisdom conquer

every difficulty; but to the sluggish soul every easy

thing is impossible.

            Does God furnish these despised creatures with wis-

dom so admirable in their rank of being? We are sure-

ly of greater value in his esteem than they are, and he

has provided treasures of better wisdom for us. Let

us have recourse to him, and he will furnish us with

that wisdom which is proper to rational and immortal

creatures. Our Lord seems to justify this inference, in

the instructions that he draws from the providence of

God in clothing the grass of the field, and feeding the

fowls of the air*. The locusts and spiders are hateful

and mischievous creatures to men, but they are not for

that reason useless. Those creatures that, we despise

 

            *Matt. 6:26-34

CHAP. XXX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              861

 

and abhor, are a part of the riches of the Creator. They

read lectures to us concerning his wisdom; and if they

are well considered, they will instruct us in some arti-

cles of our duty.

            Ver. 29. There be three things which go well, yea four

are comely in going.

            If an heathen will not believe in Christ, he cannot

deny a God; for the invisible things of God are clearly

seen in the things that he has made, and in those vari-

ous endowments which he has bestowed on his crea-

tures. As a garden is rendered pleasant to the eye

by the rich variety of fruits, and herbs, and flowers,

which it contains, so to the eye of the mind the world

is a beautiful scene, containing such a surprising varie-

ty of creatures, every one of them possessing qualities

peculiar to itself. Agur had spoken of those creatures

that are remarkable for their great wisdom in little bo-

dies, and proceeds to mention some creatures that de-

serve admiration for their courage and spirit, and the

dignity that appears in their motions.  "O Lord, how

manifold are thy works, in wisdom hast thou made

them all, the earth is full of thy riches."

            Ver. 30. A lion which is strongest among beasts, and

turneth not away for any.

            This celebrated animal is full of courage and fire;

and no danger can subdue its valour, or force it to dis-

cover any sign of fear. God himself is pleased to use it

as an emblem of that majesty and resistless power

which he displays in the defence of his injured people*.

And Christ our king disdains not to borrow from it

one of his glorious titles. Christians are furnished

with such strength from their Redeemer, that they are

said to be bold as lions; and by the courage of faith the

saints have sometimes stopped the mouths of lions, or

 

            *Isa. 31:4

862          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXX.

 

slain them outright. Wicked men have reason to flee

although there is no pursuer, but Christians should

learn, in the cause of truth and righteousness, not to

turn aside for any adversary, or any suffering; for they

shall be more than conquerors through him that loved

them.

            Ver. 31. A greyhound, an he-goat also, and a king

against whom there is no rising up.

            A greyhound discovers great agility and life in the

chace of its prey, and gives great pleasure to the eyes

of the hunter. The word, in the original, properly sig-

nifies, some creature that is girt in its loins; some take

it to mean a cock, and others an horse; which last ani-

mal has the honour to be celebrated by God himself,

in the sublimest strains of poetry, and is used by the

prophet Zechariah as an emblem of that conquering

strength which God conveys into the hearts of those

that faithfully fight his battles against the enemies of

religion. "The Lord of hosts hath visited his flock,

the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly

horse in the battle." They are weak as sheep in

themselves, but furnished with the strength of war

horses for maintaining his cause

            An he-goat is an animal so remarkable for its strength

and stateliness, when it marches at the head of the flock,

that the Macedonian power which crushed the strength

of the mighty Persian empire, is represented by it in

the book of Daniel; and the prophet Jeremiah calls the

delivered captives to imitate the he-goat, by setting an

example of vigour and courage to one another, in im-

proving the merciful providence of God; for we ought

to go before one another in every good work.

            Wonder not at Agur for insisting so long in his lit-

tle performance, upon the excellencies of the irrational

 

            *Zech. 10:4, Song 1:9

CHAP. XXX.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              863

 

part of the creation. The creation is a volume spread

before our eyes, that we may read in it the perfections of

the Creator, and the Scripture is a commentary upon

some parts of it, which opens our mind to learn instruc-

tion from the rest. Great use was made of this volume

before the word of God was written, as you find in the

book of Job*; and the Almighty was pleased to hum-

ble Job for his unguarded complaints, by manifesting

his own excellencies in a discourse upon his creatures.

A king against whom there is no rising up, is another

of those creatures that are stately in going; for the God

who has given courage and strength to lions, has given

majesty to kings, and stamped on them such dignity

that their subjects are awed by their appearance. Kings

should therefore employ their authority and influence

for the service of God; and their subjects owe them re-

verence as well as obedience; they are ministers of

God, and are entitled to honour for the sake of their

master and their work, and to obedience both for wrath

and for conscience sake.

            Ver. 32. If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thy-

self, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy

mouth.

            Pride is a very bad thing when it goes no farther

than the thoughts, but it is still worse when it swells

and overflows by the lips. If any proud or injurious

thought come into our minds, it ought to be immediate-  

ly checked and suppressed. To discover it by our words

is to declare our sin as Sodom, to give indulgence

to those passions that ought to be mortified, and to add

iniquity to iniquity. Besides, if we do not lay our hand

upon our mouth, we shall rouse the pride of other men,

and kindle up rage and strife that will not be easily al-

layed; and thus we shall be accountable not only for

 

            *Job 12:7 and etc.

864          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXX.

 

our own sin, which is heavy enough of itself, but likewise

for those iniquities that we occasion in others, by the

temptations which we throw in their way.

            Ver. 33. Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth

butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood;

so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.

            Wrath is not only provoked, but forced by haughty

and spiteful words; for such is our weakness, that we

are as easily kindled into anger by the angry words

that are directed to us, as one coal is kindled by ano-

ther coal that is burning. We should be meek when our

neighbour is angry; but, alas! we have too little of the

spirit of Moses, or rather of Jesus; for Moses himself

has beers provoked to speak unadvisedly with his lips.

            As the violent shaking of milk in the churn produc-

eth butter, as the wringing of the nose makes blood to

spring forth, so when we teaze our neighbours, and set

their passions into a ferment by bitter and galling words,

we are the authors of strife, and kindle up that destruc-

tive and devouring fire, which perhaps cannot be quench-

ed till it has done a thousand times more mischief than

we dreamed off. The command of our passions and

tongues is an attainment of vast consequence to our

happiness and the welfare of our souls. Many of the

wise instructions of Solomon and Agur are designed

to recommend this point of wisdom to our regard, and,

to assist us in learning it. Our Lord Jesus recom-

mends it to us as one of the marks of a true Christian,

and an evidence of our regard to his example. The

apostles Paul and James insist very much upon it; and

that love which John is for ever pressing upon us, will

sweeten our tempers effectually into that calmness and

meekness which are so absolutely necessary to our hap-

piness and usefulness in the world, and will gradually

extinguish those seeds of wrath and contention which

lie in our corrupted natures. The apostle Peter re-

CHAP. XXXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              865

 

commends the calmness and meekness which is here

enjoined by motives of irresistible force, the example

which Christ left us when he was bearing our sin; the

pleasure that God takes in meekness, and the happiness

which he graciously confers on those who govern their

passions, and their tongues, according to his will. Men

of arrogant and outrageous tempers, murmurers and

complainers, are condemned by Jude in his short epis-

tle with great severity. The whole scripture testifies

loudly against the contentious and ill-natured.

 

 

                      Proverbs 31

 

            Verse 1. The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that

his mother taught him.

            Women have sometimes enjoyed the inspiration of

the Holy Spirit. Deborah and Lemuel's mother were

honoured to be the composers, under the direction of

God, each of them of a chapter in the Bible; and the

prophecy of Lemuel's mother will make every woman

who governs her life by it an ornament to her sex.

            It is the duty of mothers, as well as fathers, to instruct

their children. Although Lemuel was a king, yet his

mother was directed by God to give him instruction

and admonition. Cornelia, the mother of the Gracchi,

was renowned for the pleasure she took in the educa-

tion of her children; and the celebrated Cicero reckons

them as much obliged to her for their education as

their birth. When a certain Campanian lady was one

day shewing that illustrious lady her jewels, and desir-

ing a sight of Cornelia's jewels, she told her that her

children were her jewels; and certainly the richest dia-

866          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXXI.

 

monds of Golconda cannot give so much lustre to a

lady, as the proper discharge of this duty to her chil-

dren. Cornelia was an unenlightened heathen, but

why should Christian mothers blush in her presence?

            If we were as great as kings, it would be a scandal to

us to despise the instructions and counsels of a mother.

King Lemuel remembered, and wrote the prophecy

that his mother taught him, and transmits it to poste-

rity. Whoever he was, we have reason to believe that

he practised the instructions which he so much respect-

ed. Lemuel shall be for ever held in honour for the

respect which he shewed to his mother, and his mother's

name will be renowned for her part in forming her son

to virtue, and religion, and public usefulness.

            Ver. 2. What, my son? and what, the son of my

womb? and what, the son of my vows?

            When this venerable lady was instructing her son,

her heart was overflowing with inexpressible tender-

ness of affection to him. Parents often take a very ab-

surd method of expressing their fondness for their

children; but when they gratify every one of their hu-

mours, and suffer them to live without restraints and

admonitions, they do not truly love but hate their child-

ren. He that spareth the rod hateth his child. The

love of parents to their children is best shewed by do-

ing their utmost endeavours to make them good Chris-

tians, and useful to their generation; and for this pur-

pose they ought to dispense their instructions and their

reproofs in the language of love, and to let their child-

ren see that every thing they say to them is dictated by

the warmest affection.

            "What, my son? and what, the son of my womb?"

This fond mother considered and pondered in her mind

what way she should express her tender regard, and

she could find no better way of shewing it than by

teaching him that wisdom which became his station;

CHAP. XXXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              867

 

for what greater testimony of love can any mother give

to the son of her womb?

            Every mother loves the son of her womb. If she

does not, she is not a mother, but a sister to the ostrich,

to which God hath denied understanding. The love

of a mother to the son of her womb is so fervent, that

God is pleased to use it as an illustration of his own

love to his people. Although the love of a mother bears

no proportion to it, yet that is one of the best emblems

of it which the world can afford.

            Lemuel was the son of her vows, as well as of her

womb. Every son of the womb should be a son of the

mother's vows and prayers. And the instructions of a

parent must be joined with prayers for their success;

for mothers may plant, and fathers may water, but it is

God who giveth the increase. When Monica was

shedding tears for her beloved son Augustine, at the

time that he was a debauchee, and an heretic, one of

her friends told her that the child of so many prayers

could not be lost, and perhaps no mother since the days

of the Virgin Mary had in the end greater comfort in a

son.

            Ver. 3. Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy

ways to that which destroyeth kings.

            Whoredom, as Solomon tells us, is the ruin of any

man; but none are in greater danger of being ruined

in their bodies and fortunes by this vice than kings,

who have too often the misfortune to want a check or

a reprover, whilst the temptations that lead to sensua-

lity are ever surrounding them. David and Solomon

involved themselves in great distress by the love of

women; and it is well known, that in later times, the

kingdom of Spain was totally ruined, and the Saracens

introduced into the possession of it, through the un-

bridled lust of King Roderick.

868          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXXI.

 

            Ver. 4. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for

kings to drink wine, nor for princes, strong drink.

            Wine, as well as whoredom, takes away the heart

when it is drunk to excess; but other men cannot do so

much hurt as kings or magistrates when they are drunk.

            Ver. 5. Lest they drink, and forget the law, and per-

vert the judgment of any of the afflicted.

            When Nadab and Abihu were destroyed by fire from

the Lord, for their unhallowed incense, it is probable

they were in liquor; and therefore a law was made on

that occasion that priests should drink no wine when

they went in before the Lord, lest they should blunder

in any part of the sacred service. The more import-

ant any man's work is, he is the more obliged to be

temperate in all things; and dunkenness, which is

a damning sin in any person, is attended with prodigi-

ous aggravations in those men that dispense the myste-

ries of the gospel, or administer the public affairs of

the nation. The most oppressive and execrable laws

that Scotland was ever plagued with, were made by a

parliament called the drunken parliament. Alexan-

der the Great, when he was drunk, killed one of his

best friends, who had, on a former occasion, saved his

life in battle; and when that prince recovered his

judgment he had almost killed himself. His father

Philip was less unfortunate. He once forgot the law

in his cups, and passed an unrighteous sentence upon

a poor widow; but soon recovering his senses, he con-

demned himself to refund her damages.

            Some think that drunkenness is an excuse for the

faults that are committed by men under the influence

of it. Lemuel's mother, under the influence of the pro-  

phetical spirit, was of another mind; and even unin-

liglitened heathens have been sensible how frivolous this

excuse is. Zaleucus (I think) made a law among

the Locrians, that if any person committed a crime

CHAP. XXXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              869

 

when he was drunk, he should be punished for both

crimes; for he did not judge that one crime was a pro-

per excuse for another. If men are mad without any

fault of their own, they are not accountable for their

actions; but a voluntary madness has no excuse for

itself, and will be no excuse for any thing else.

            To pervert judgment in any case is not good. To

pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted, is such a

complication of injustice and inhumanity, that none

but a man who is drunk, or is of a disposition that

makes him perpetually like a man in liquor, will be

guilty of it. The wise woman knew that her beloved

son could never commit this unpardonable iniquity

whilst he was sober.

            It is not for ministers, or teachers; it is not for pa-

rents, or masters, or mistresses, to drink wine to ex-  

cess, lest they forget their duty and commit some per-

nicious error, in the discharge of that trust which, lies

upon them, and corrupt their inferiors by their exams

ple.

            But is wine useless? Why then did God create the

fruit of the vine ? It is not useless. Mahomet re-

proached his Creator, when he prohibited the use of it

without restriction. It is useful for the refreshment of

any man, when his labours, or the dejection of his

mind, or the state of his body requires it. It is pecu-

liarly useful to those that are oppressed with calamity

and grief.

            Ver. 6. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to

perish, and wine to those that be of heavy hearts.

            Ver. 7. Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and re-

member his misery no more.

            We must not give wine in immoderate quantities to

any person, however dejected, for sin is never to be

chosen rather than affliction; but wine moderately used

is of great use to revive the languishing spirits of the

870          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXXI.

 

disconsolate; and it may be a piece of as real charity,

to bestow this generous liquor upon them, as it is to

give bread to the hungry. The Psalmist mentions this

among other instances of God's bounty, that he gives

not only bread to strengthen us, but likewise wine to

cheer our hearts, and oil to make our faces shine. Some

of the persons that were present at the crucifixion of

our blessed Lord, gave him wine mixed with myrrh to

render his sufferings more tolerable to him; but our

Lord, who allows and requires us to bestow cordials

on those who are ready to faint under their sorrows,

refused them in his own severest sufferings, for he was

not disposed to decline the bitterest dregs of that cup

of sorrow which was put into his hands by his father;

but when his people are made partakers of the suffer-

ings of Christ, he puts the cup of consolation into their

hands, and calls them to drink of that generous wine

which goes down sweetly, and causes the lips of those

who are in the deepest distress to sing.  "As the suffer-

ings of Christ abound in us," said one that was pressed

with affliction above measure, "so our consolation also

aboundeth by Christ."

            We ought to be followers of Christ in the exercise of

compassion to the sorrowful and the distressed. It is

devilish to add to the sorrows of the afflicted; but it is

Christ-like to wipe away the tears from the eyes of the

fatherless and widows, and to deserve the blessings of

them that are ready to perish.

            Ver. 8. Open thy mouth for the dumb, in the cause

of all such as are appointed to destruction.

            Ver. 9. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead

the cause of the poor and needy.

            Job was an excellent pattern to all princes. He was

eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame, and a father to

the poor; and no doubt he was a mouth also to the

dumb. Such a prince the mother of Lemuel wishes

CHAP. XXXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              871

 

her son to be. She exhorts him to do judgment and  

justice to his people, but to regard with peculiar

tenderness those unfortunate men that were in danger

of losing their estates or lives, by reason of accusations

brought against them. If they were unable, through

ignorance, or awkwardness, or fear, to plead their own

cause, she would have him to be their advocate, and to

plead every thing that truth and equity would allow

on their behalf. The appointment of advocates to plead

for prisoners at the bar agrees with this instruction;

and those who are appointed to this charitable office

should open their mouths, and interest themselves in

the cause of their distressed clients, with all the warmth

that justice can admit, that none may be condemned,

unless the evidence against them clearly overbalances

every argument that can be adduced on their side.

            It is certain that charity to the poor, and clemency

to the accused, must not interfere with the due admi-

nistration of justice; for a poor man is not to be coun-

tenanced in his cause; but there is less danger of erring

in this than in the contrary extreme; and it is the be-

siness of princes to take care, that, in the administration

of justice, the poor may not suffer by their unacquaint-

edness with law, or their want of ability to take the be-

nefit of it when they are oppressed, or to defend them-

selves against their wealthier adversaries.

            Our Lord Jesus Christ is at once our king and our

advocate. He saves the poor and needy, and breaks

their oppressors in pieces. He stands at the right hand

of the poor and needy, to save them from those that

would condemn their souls. Princes, as they have op-  

portunity, should imitate him by whom kings reign,

and princes decree justice.

            The mother of Lemuel having instructed him in the

virtues of purity and temperance, justice and mercy,

proceeds next to instruct him in the choice of a wife.

872          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXXI.

 

As a bad wife is one of the worst, and a good wife one

of the best things in the world, men cannot be too cau-

tious about entering into the relation of marriage, which

death only (or what is worse than death) can dissolve-

Those who are in public stations have peculiar reason,

for their own sakes, and for the sake of their connec-

tions, to consider well who those persons are whom they

take into such close connexion with themselves. Paul

gives directions about the wives of deacons *; and the

instructions about the choice of a virtuous wife are here

addressed to a king. Although his instructor was his

mother, yet she says nothing about high birth, or a

large portion, or great alliances; for these things were

trifles to her view, compared with virtue. Besides, the

spirit of God designed these instructions not merely

for kings, but for all that have wives to choose, and for

the whole female sex.

            The last part of this chapter should be learned with

great care by all women. The spirit of God was pleas-

ed, in the composition of it, to begin every verse with

different, letters, according to the order of the alphabet,

like the 119th Psalm, which would render it more easy

to be retained in the memory.

            Ver. 10. Who can find a virtual's woman? for her price

is far above rubies.

            Those that wish to have a good wife ought to con-

sider that one who deserves this character is not easily

to be found; and therefore they ought to be cautious in

their choice, to be well acquainted with the disposition

and behaviour of those women who are to be their

constant companions through life, and to address fer-

vent supplications for the favour of him from whom

alone a prudent wife is to be had. Abraham observed

these rules in seeking a wife for his son, only he had

 

            *1 Tim. 3:11

CHAP. XXXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              873

 

no personal acquaintance with Rebecca; but not know-

ing of any virtuous woman in Canaan, he trusted God

to provide him one in the land to which his obedience

to God hindered him from returning.

            But why are virtuous women so rarely to be found

Is the female sex more corrupted by the transgression

of their first mother than her sons? This cannot be

supposed. Solomon found fewer good women than

good men; but the experience of a man who conversed

too much with the blemishes of their sex, will not esta-

blish a general rule. Women were so ill used in an-

cient times, that it is not to be wondered at if there

were few virtuous women to be found. In our times,

when the yoke of marriage is become much lighter on

the woman, it may be reasonably supposed that it

would be to dishonour to the female sex to be compa-

red with the male, and that the virtues in which they

are inferior, are abundantly balanced by those more

lovely accomplishments in which they excel.

            Men have no reason to reflect that virtue is rarely to

be found in women. The imputation is not just, if it

be meant to state an odious distinction between the

sexes; but if it were, the fault lies as much in men as

in women. Virtue is not duly esteemed; but riches

and beauty are preferred to it. Who can find a wife

that will bring a large portion? is the general question.

Were the judgment of the princess by whom this cha-

racter of a good wife was drawn, to be followed by the

generality of men, parents would alter in a great

measure their plan in educating their children; and

women would endeavour to recommend themselves, not

by setting off their beauty to advantage, or giving them-

selves out for great fortunes, but by the practice of re-

ligion and of every praiseworthy qualification.

            The price of a virtuous woman is far above rubies

and diamonds. Although she has no portion but her

874          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXXI.

 

clothes, she will be preferred by a wise man to one that

is destitute of her qualifications, although she were pos-  

sensed of all the riches of the east. He is a fool who

marries the woman that is dressed in silk and rubies, if

he would refuse the same woman in russet.

            Ver. 11. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in

her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

            She behaves in such a manner as to be above all sus-

picion of any thing inconsistent with strict virtue.

When Caesar divorced his wife, and was asked the

reason of it, he said, that Caesar's wife ought to be

free not only of guilt but of suspicion. All Christians

ought to walk so inoffensively, that the adversary that

wishes to defame them may find no evil thing to say;

but wives in a special manner ought, for the sake of

their husbands and themselves, to keep at a great dis-

tance from every thing that might sully their character,

because it is easily stained and not easily cleared.

            Some husbands will suspect their wives of indiscre-

tions without the least shadow of reason; but such

brutes are so rare, that the prophetess takes no notice

of them. She takes it for granted, that the husband of

the virtuous woman will trust to her fidelity and pru-

dence, when she merits it so well at his hands. To

give cause of suspicions is bad in a woman; to suspect

without any cause is extremely ungrateful in a man.

Confidence in a virtuous wife is a piece of duty to her-

self, and pleasant to her husband. The harmony of

hearts arising from mutual esteem in husband and wife,

affords the most delightful pleasure which any thing

less than religion can give; and when true piety in them

both is added, it makes a kind of heaven upon earth.

            The heart of the virtuous woman's husband rejoices

not only in his present pleasures, but in his agreeable

prospects of future happiness and contentment. He

knows that his house is managed with such frugality

CHAP. XXXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              875

 

and prudence that he can entertain no apprehensions of

poverty. He needs not leave his family, and betake

himself to a military life, to be enriched by the spoils of

war. He is under no temptation to injustice and

rapine, to make up any waste in his substance; for every

part of it is managed to the best advantage. The vir-

tuous woman does good to the soul of her husband

as well as to his body; for her behaviour is a preserva-

tion from those temptations to iniquity, by which others,

not blessed with the like happy connexions, have been

drawn to sin, and to disgrace, and to a gibbet.

            Ver. 12. She will do him good and not evil, all the days

of her life.

            There are some wives who are a constant plague to

their husbands, vexing them with their ungodly and per-

verse behaviour, every day and every hour of their life.

There are others who do some good to their hus-

bands, but at the same time do them so much evil that

they cannot with any propriety be called virtuous

wives. They take good care of their substance, and

will not spend a penny without necessity; but they

teaze their husbands, and eat the very life out of all

their comforts, by perpetual contentions, and by fret-

ting at every trifle and every nothing.

            But the virtuous woman doth good and not evil to

her husband, and that not only at particular times, but

every day. Some wives are like the days of April; at

one time they are serene and pleasant, but at other

times they are all tempest and fury, and at another time

they are like a continual dropping. The virtuous wife

is as careful to please her husband, by an even and

sweet temper, as she is to manage his affairs with dis-

cretion. She is the same to-day, and will be the same

to-morrow, that she was yesterday. She is the same

twenty or fifty years after marriage, as she was the first

month. Neither sickness, nor poverty, nor old age, nor

876          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXXI.

 

even the errors into which her husband may fall in

managing the business of his family, will damp her love.

The more he needs, the more he enjoys her tender

sympathy. If he should sometimes, through the frail-

ty of human nature, be so ungrateful as to speak harsh-

ly to her, she will bear with him, and forgive him.

When he is dead, she will cherish his memory; and

when the relation is loosed by the parting stroke, she

will still do him good, by shewing kindness to his chil-

dren for his sake.

            Ver. 13. She seeketh wool and flax, and worketh will-

ingly with her hands.

            Some women will rather sit idle whilst they live,

than seek wool or flax. If their husbands do not provide

them proper materials for their work, they will consi-

der it as a very sufficient excuse for idleness; but the vir-

tuous woman abhors idleness, and loves her duty; and

therefore she takes care to provide every necessary ma-

terial and implement for work, that she may employ

her time to the best advantage.

            It is not enough for a wife to manage with frugality

the fruits of her husband's industry, or to keep her ser-

vants at work; the virtuous woman works with her

own hands; and it is not a burden but a pleasure to her

to work with her hands. When Abraham's wise ser-

vant sought a wife for his master's son, he prayed to

God to direct him to a woman that would give proof

of her virtue, by her industry and politeness.

            Men and women have different tasks assigned them,

and each must employ themselves in their proper work.

She is not a virtuous woman that neglects the work of

a woman, and intrudes herself into her husband's af-

fairs. The good wife employs herself with cheerful-

ness about her wool and flax, and leaves others to mind

their own affairs; at the same time, if there is any

thing necessary for the family which cannot be provide

CHAP. XXXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              877

 

ed at home, she will take proper care that it shall not

be wanting.

            Ver. 14. She is like the merchant ships, she bringeth

her food from afar.

            She does not contract a mean and narrow habit, by

her close application to labour, nor employ her endea-

vours to amass a heap of useless treasure. She grudges

no expense that may contribute to the happiness of her

family, but cheerfully exchanges the fruits of her own

labour for those necessaries and conveniences that are

fetched from distant countries. While slothful wives

can scarcely provide necessary clothing for their own

families, she provides by her labour and good manage-  

ment, something to sell, that the price may serve for

the purchase of other commodities.

            By the wise management of providence, distant coun-

tries are rendered useful to one another, by the sup-

ply of their mutual wants. No country enjoys every

advantage; but there is no country where industry

will not procure both the commodities which the soil

affords, and those which must be fetched from afar.

The virtuous woman enjoys the fruit of other people's

labour, and the produce of other climates; for divine

providence bestows its blessing on her industry, and

there is no want of any good thing endured in her

house.

            Ver. 15. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giv-

eth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

            Slothful women will not rise when day is come, but

suffer the sun to run a great part of his daily race be-

fore they can think of shaking off their slumbers. The

virtuous woman often prevents the dawning of the day,

for she loves her duty more than her sleep. But it is

to be remembered, that in the country where this in-

spired woman lived, the days and the nights were almost

878          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXXI.

 

equal through the whole year, so that her meaning is,

the virtuous woman rises before six in the morning.

            But how is she employed when she is out of bed?

David speaks of rising early to praise God; and no

doubt the virtuous woman will not neglect her devo-

tions, for she is a woman that fears the Lord; but she

does not, under pretence of religion, forget what she

owes to her family. She is a good and not a hard

steward in the house of her husband, and takes care

that none of her servants want their necessary portion

of food. It is a happy thing to live under her roof;

and her maidens are encouraged by her kindness as

well as excited by her example, to perform with cheer-  

fulness the tasks assigned them.

            Ver. 16. She considereth a field, and buyeth it; with

the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

            Some of the female sex will consider every trinket

that comes in their way, and spend more money than

ever they gained by their work, in purchasing every

trifle that can minister to their vanity, or gratify a ca-

pricious humour; but the virtuous woman employs her

money in useful purchases. She will not, however,

buy any thing without considering it, that she may

judge whether it is worth the money demanded for it;

but when she has considered, she buys; for she is not

of a capricious and inconstant humour, like some whose

mind changes more quickly than the wind.

            What she buys she improves to advantage; for she

has abundance of money, the fruit of her labour and

good management, and with it she plants a vineyard

in the field which she has bought, that her family may

be well supplied with the conveniences of life in time

to come.

            Ver 17. She girdeth her loins with strength, and

strengiheneth her arms.

CHAP. XXXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              879

 

            As rust gathers on metals that are seldom used, so

sluggishness of disposition contracts a rust on the pow-

ers of the body and mind; and idle persons by degrees

realize those excuses for their conduct which were at

first mere shams. The virtuous woman is of a very

different temper. She declines not any part of her du-

ty through aversion to toil; and by exerting her strength

with a cheerful mind, she improves it. Her labours

give her health and vigour, and alacrity for new labours;

so that she can with great ease and tranquillity go

through those businesses which appear impossibilities

to other women.

            Ver. 18. She perceived that her merchandise is good;

her candle goeth not out by night.

            Notwithstanding her activity, she is never in such a

hurry as to do her work in a slight and superficial man-

ner. Her merchandise is known to be good, and brings

a ready market and a good price; and her knowledge

of this is a sufficient reward of itself for her toils; for

when the lazy are perpetually uneasy by their reflec-

tions on their own conduct, the consciousness of having

done her duty, and the prospect of the advantages aris-

ing from it, are a constant source of satisfaction and

cheerfulness to the virtuous woman.

            She denies not to herself the necessary refreshments

of sleep and rest. This would be a piece of vanity *.

When the inspired moralist tells us that her candle goeth

not out by night, her meaning is, that she never wearies

of her labours, nor indulges herself or her maidens in

sleep, beyond the call of reason and nature. In this

sense Paul speaks of warning people day and night;

for no virtuous woman ever laboured so diligently for

the good of her family, as the great apostle for the ad-

vancement of the kingdom of Christ.

880          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXXI.

 

            There are some fashionable ladies who keep their

candles burning almost the whole night; but they make

up for it abundantly, by sleeping away the one half of

the day, as if a candle were better than the sun. The

virtuous woman rises early in the morning, but she can

bear sitting late also, when her business requires it, al-

though she would by no means spend her candles, or

her time upon cards.

            Ver. 19. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her

hands hold the distaff.

            Very good employment for a servant maid; but will

any lady spoil her white hands, and consume that time

which might be employed so much more agreeably,

in the vulgar trade of spinning? or did Lemuel's mother

expect that his consort would employ herself in such

work?  Why not?  She was to be a woman as well as a

queen; and where is the law that forbids queens to be

virtuous women, or to make use of their hands for

those purposes for which the Creator designed them?

At Abraham's desire, Sarah dressed a kid for her guests

with her own hands, and Rebekah was so expert in

household work, that she could impose upon her hus-

band the flesh of kids for venison caught in the fields.

Or if these examples are too ancient and sacred to be

imitated by fine ladies in modern times, Alexander the

Great, and Augustus Caesar, wore clothes that were

made by their own sisters; and our amiable queen is

pleased to set a royal example of industry to her sub-  

jects.

            If the female sex must not be idle, although their

rank might seem to exempt them from the drudgery

of working, how inexcusable is it in men, who boast

superior strength, to trifle away their days without

doing any thing; especially, considering that their

sphere of labour is so much wider, and their opportu-

nities so much greater, of choosing some profession suit-

CHAP. XXXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              881

 

ed to their dispositions. Do they allege that their pa-

trimonies set them above the need of doing any thing?

This is the same thing with saying that God has been

so good to them, that they are under no obligation of

serving God, by serving their generation according to

the will of God.

            Ver. 20. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor, yea

she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

            Although she is very careful of her family, yet she

does not confine her attention to it. She labours with

her hands, working that which is good, that she may

have to give to him that needeth. Some wives are of

such a perverse disposition that they have nothing for

the poor, and will even grudge if their husbands bestow

a little of the fruits of their labour upon them; but

virtuous wives do not think that any thing is lost which

is bestowed in works of charity. They would not wish

to encourage idleness, by extending their liberality to

those impudent beggars who come to their doors when

they might be earning their livelihood by some useful

employment; but they are kind to those whom they

know to be really in want, and unable to work, and

will bestow, as much, at least, upon them, as some others

of their sex bestow upon their own pride and luxury.

            The husband of the virtuous woman has no reason

to find fault with her for her goodness to the poor; for

she is serving her family as well as herself by it, and

bringing down the blessing of God upon her labours,

which could not be successful without it. They were

happy women who had the opportunity to minister un-  

to Christ of their substance; and they enjoy the like

happiness who take delight in relieving the distresses

of the indigent for Christ's sake. Whatsoever is done

unto the least of his brethren, in his name, he considers

as if it were done to himself.

882          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXXI.

 

            Ver. 21. She is not afraid of the snow for her house-

hold: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

            She deserves not the character of a virtuous woman

who is not concerned for the happiness and comfort of

those who dwell under her roof. Although a virtuous

wife attends, in the first place, to the happiness of her

husband, as well as her own, and in the next place, to

the welfare of her children; yet she extends her care

to her servants also, and interests herself in their pros-

perity.

            But her kind and feeling temper is not the source of

vexation but pleasure. She takes care that every mem-

ber of her happy family is well fed and well clothed;

therefore she is not afraid that any of them will be hurt

by the snows and cold of winter.

            The care of providing clothes for servants does not

come so much within the province of those who keep

none but hired servants; yet a virtuous woman will

still see to their welfare in every article of importance.

            The scarlet clothes that are here spoken of were not

costly and fine ornaments, as they are with us, other-

wise it cannot be supposed that all her household would

be clothed with them. Some translators make them to

signify double garments. Convenience and health are

studied by the virtuous woman, far above ornament

and fashion.

            Ver. 22. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry, her

clothing is silk and purple.

            Although the virtuous woman is liberal to the poor,

yet she is not impoverished. Some have been made

poor by selfishness and narrowness; millions have been

impoverished by pride and profusion; but none have

been impoverished, and many have been enriched, by

charity. The virtuous woman after reaching forth her

hands to the poor, has enough remaining to provide

CHAP. XXXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              883

 

proper and elegant furniture for her house, and a dress

for herself suitable to her station.

            There is no part of the character of a virtuous wo-

man that will please some ladies so much as this part

of it, which seems to allow some scope for finery. And

it is not to be denied, that ornaments of a decent kind

may very lawfully be used by those that can afford

them; but Isaiah and Zephaniah, Paul and Peter, tes-

tify against that vanity of dress which is too much

coveted by some of the sex. The adorning recom-

mended to women by the apostles, does not consist in

gold, and pearls, and costly array, but in modest ap-

parel, shamefacedness, sobriety and good works, and a

meek and quiet mind. And Lemuel's mother says no-

thing incormistent with this doctrine. If the virtuous

woman has coverings of tapestry for her house, she

makes them to herself; if she is clothed with silk (or

fine linen, as it may be rendered) and purple, she

earns it by her labours and good management. She

does not starve her charity by her finery, nor spend

upon her dress that which might support a poor family;

and she doles not reckon herself superior to the duties

of a wife, nor exempted by wearing silk and purple,

from using her spindle and distaff. From all this it

appears, that the inspired writer allows the use of costly

array to none but those that can afford it in a full con-

sistency with the duties which they owe to their fami-

lies, to the poor, and to all men.

            Ver. 23. Her husband is known in the gates, when he

sitteth among the elders of the land.

            The character drawn in this passage is that of a vir-

tuous woman, who is in such a station of life that her

husband has a right to a seat in the gate, among the el-

ders of the land, who meet in that public place to trans-

act public business, or to decide in causes that are

brought before them. The wife of such a man may be

884          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXXI.

 

allowed to wear silk and purple; but she is as careful

to have her husband, as herself, dressed in a manner

suitable to their rank. A man that sees him in the

gate may easily judge that his wife is a virtuous wo-

man. His clothes are decent, though not gaudy; his

looks are cheerful; and the happiness which he enjoys

at home appears in his face abroad.

            Women are for the most part jealous of their hus-

band's honour, and it lies in their power to procure them

a great deal of respect; for it is a greater honour to

have it said that a man has a virtuous wife, than to be

admired for riches and titles. Phocion's wife, when

she was asked about her jewels, said that her husband

was her jewel; and a man who is married to a virtu-

ous wife has Solomon's warrant to say that he is pos-

sessed of a crown.

            Ver. 21. She maketh, fine linen, and selleth it, and de-

livereth girdles unto the merchant.

            It is wonderful to think what industry will accom-

plish. We think that the virtuous woman has done

great things, when she has provided her house and her

family with every conveniency: but besides all this,

she provides fine linen and girdles for sale; and when

other women impoverish their husbands by buying,

she enriches her husband by selling those valuable

commodities for which there is a constant demand.

            It is only modern pride and laziness which has

introduced the idea, that it is inconsistent with the

dignity of a fine lady to make profit of her own ma-

nufactures. This virtuous woman, although her hus-

band sits among the elders, does not think it a dis-

credit, but an honour to herself, to make fine linen

and girdles for sale; and the wise will praise her on

account of it.

            Ver. 25. Strength and honour are her clothing, and she

shall rejoice in time to come.

           

CHAP. XXXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              885

 

            "The virtuous woman is clothed with silk and pur-

ple*;" but she has much nobler ornaments than any

thing of that sort. She possesses a greatness of soul,

an inward vigour and resolution of mind, which sets

her above all those little and tormenting fears which

keep many of her sex in perpetual uneasiness. The

strength of her mind displays itself in her behaviour,

and gains her universal esteem from men; and she

wears those ornaments which are of great price in the

sight of God himself.

            Those ladies that wear gold and jewels, dazzle the eyes

and draw the regard of ordinary understandings; but

how much brighter are the ornaments of a meek and

quiet spirit, of strength and honour, which are the con-

stant dress of the woman of virtue! Those that wear  

costly array rejoice for the present, because they think

themselves the object of all men's admiration; but they

are often preparing future sorrow for themselves by

their extravagance, and their neglect of those accom-

plishments which would gain them respect in old age.

The virtuous woman is not only cheerful at present, but

she shall rejoice in time to come. It is a pleasure to her

to reflect on her past conduct, and when she looks for-

ward, she is not afflicted at the thought of the fading and

uncertain nature of all earthly enjoyments; for, besides

that she has made all the provision that human wisdom

can reach against future contingencies, she can place a

quiet confidence in the providence of God, which will

not suffer the righteous to be moved. She knows that

her beauty must wither by old age; but the regard of

her husband, and the esteem of others, is founded upon

other motives that will never perish.

            The virtuous woman is one that fears the Lord†, and

 

            *Verse 22        †Verse 30

886          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXXI.

 

light is sown for such persons, and gladness for the

upright in heart.

            Ver. 26. She openeth her mouth with wisdom, and in

her tongue is the law of kindness.

            As a sandy hill is to the feet of the aged, so is a wife

full of words to a quiet man; but the virtuous woman

plagues neither her husband nor any other man with her

talk. She has learned that silence and subjection which

the Apostle Paul recommends to wives. She does not

lock up her lips in a sullen silence, but when she speaks

it is a pleasure to hear her, for she opens her mouth

with wisdom. Besides her other labours already men-

tioned, she rises in the morning, and finds time to read

the Bible, and other instructive books; she meditates

and reflects, and receives instruction from what she

hears, and prays to the Father of lights; and so

she improves daily in knowledge and prudence; and

when she opens her mouth, she says nothing but

what is well worthy of being heard. She says nothing

that savours of levity, or affectation, nothing that is

unseasonable, nothing to gain herself the reputation of

wit. All her words are expressions of that good sense

which adorns her mind, and that virtue which warms

her heart, and regulates her conduct.

            There are some who gain a character for smartness

at the expense of their reputation. They will speak the

rudest things without provocation, and applaud them.

selves for it, as an evidence of their wit and boldness.

But the virtuous woman abhors the thought of making

any person uneasy, but when there is a necessity for re-

proving, and even then, she will be as gentle as can possi-

bly consist with the efficacy of her admonitions. Kindness

is painted on her countenance, and flows from her

tongue; for it possesses the throne of her heart, and

gives law to all her words and actions. She is a living ex-

plication of that beautiful description of charity which

CHAP. XXXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              887

 

the Spirit of God gives us by the pen of the Apostle

Paul *.

            Ver. 27. She looketh well to the ways of her household,

and eateth not the bread of idleness.

            She carefully inspects the behaviour of her maidens

and children. She is not idle when she is not work-

ing with her hands, but promoting the welfare of her

family, by doing the duty of her place as mistress of

the house; and her authority cannot fail of being re-

spected in it, when she sets such a noble example of

diligence before them.

            She will take care that nothing indecent or offen-

sive stain the honour of her family; and when she is

served by the labour of her maidens, she will not suf-

fer them to neglect the service of God.

            She will be very careful of the behaviour of her chil-

dren in their tender years, and will not see them train-

ed up in idleness, or indulged in any vanity which

may afterwards grow up into a vice. Lying, and Sab-

bath-breaking, and evil speaking, and corrupt commu-

nication, are banished from every place where her in-

fluence extends.

            Her bread is well earned by her labours; and there-

fore she eats it with pleasure and appetite, and derives

from it health and vigour to her body, and cheerfulness

to her mind. The bread of idleness has a very contra-

ry effect; it is eaten without relish, and produces in-

digestion, and an innumerable train of lingering dis-

eases. He that eats it sins against God, who com-

mands every man to work at his business with quiet-

ness, and to eat his own bread.

            Ver. 28. Her children arise up, and call her blessed;

her husband also, and he praiseth her: (saying,)

            Ver. 29. Many daughters have done virtuously, but

thou excellest them all.

 

            *1 Cor. 13

888          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXXI.

 

            Were women to consider their own interest and sa-

tisfaction, they would all endeavour to be virtuous.

Every person counts it a great happiness to enjoy the

esteem of those whom he loves; and the virtuous woman

finds herself blessed in the tender affection and high

esteem of her clear children, and her dearer husband.

            Her children are constant spectators of her virtue,

and experience the sweet fruits of it; and they cannot

forbear to express their sense of it by pouring out bles-

sings upon her. A mother deserves the tender regard

of her children, although she cannot lay claim to the

character of a virtuous woman. Alexander the Great,

having received a letter from the governor of Macedo-

nia, complaining of his mother's conduct, was sensible

of the justice of the complaints, but observed that An-

tipater did not consider that one tear of a mother would

blot out a thousand such letters. If an imperious mo-

ther is entitled to respect, how can children express

sufficient regard to one that is the ornament to them,

and a happy instrument in training them up to piety

and virtue? If their tongues were silent in her praise,

their dress, their cheerfulness, their good behaviour,

when they follow her precepts and example, would be

a constant encomium on her virtues.

            The praises of her husband will be still more delight-  

fill to her ears than those of her children. What earth-

ly happiness can a good wife desire, like the affection

and approbation of the guide of her youth? and this a

virtuous woman can scarcely fail of possessing, for what

heart has so much marble in it, as to be able to resist

those virtues which every hour appear in his other self?

He cannot refrain from bestowing praise on one whom

he finds the sweetener of all his cares, his faithful ad-  

viser in perplexities, his comforter in every distress,

the instrument of a great part of his earthly felicity;

his best friend, his unceasing joy, and his brightest

CHAP. XXXI.]        BOOK OF PROVERBS              889

 

crown. No wonder if the experience of such goodness

and happiness makes him eloquent in her praise, and

draws commendations from his tongue, that must be

understood in a restricted sense to make them true.

He prefers her to every other wife that ever lived up-

on earth; and he is sincere in doing it, for she ravishes

his heart by the beauties of her mind and conversation.

Piety will dipose a man to think meanly of himself, in

comparison with other men, but highly of his wife,

when he compares her with other women.

            Ver. 30. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but

a woman that feareth the Lord she shall be praised.

            Why is not beauty mentioned in the character of the

virtuous woman? Is not beauty a bright ornament to

her virtue? But there is no mention made of it in

this description, because it is a mean quality in compa-

rison of those which are here enumerated. It is but a

flower that fades in a day; and the love produced by it

is but a transient passion. When beauty is not sweet-

ened by virtue, the woman that possesses it is but like

a sow with a golden jewel in its snout, as Solomon tells

us. At the best, beauty cannot secure that love which

it raises, for when it becomes familiar to the lover, it

palls upon his sight; and sometimes tempts him to curse

that enchanting influence which blinded his eyes to

more solid qualifications.

            But a woman that fears the Lord, whether she has

or has not beauty, shall be praised; for true piety is the

beauty of the soul, and excels that which lies in com-

plexion and features as much as heaven is higher than

the earth, or eternity longer than time.

            The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and the most essential part of the virtuous woman's cha-

racter, It is his which sanctifies every other part of

it, and makes her all glorious within. Its praise is not

of men but of God; yet the pleasant effects of it, which

890          EXPOSITION OF THE            [CHAP. XXXI.

 

spread themselves into every part of her behaviour,

cannot but excite the admiration of all beholders.

            The flowers of poetry have been exhausted in dres-

sing out beauty to the greatest advantage; but this one

verse of Scripture is sufficient to give us just notions

of its real value. It is indeed a lovely qualification

when it is joined with piety and humility, but without

them it is a snare and a trap. In choosing a wife, fools

will follow their fancy, and the wise will act according to

reason and the word of God.

            Ver. 31. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let

her own works praise her in the gates.

            Her children praise her, her husband praises her;

and let every man join to commend her virtues, and to

hold her up to public view, that she may be imitated

by all her sex. There are multitudes who never fail to

trumpet abroad the faults of their neighbours; but it

would be much better to conspire in spreading abroad

the virtues of those that are an ornament to human na-

ture, and models for the behaviour of all their neigh-

hours.

            She is entitled to honour; and if no tongue should

give it to her, the works of charity and wisdom, which

she is constantly practising, will be a monument to her

name. She is praised by all the wise that know her,

and she shall have praise of God on the day when the

seal shall be set to every character.

 

 

 

Please report any errors to Ted Hildebrandt at: 

                                         ted.hildebrandt@gordon.edu