ufe them: it is in vain to pretend to devotion, where there 11 is not common honesty. Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work [be] pure, and whether [it be] right; you may easily guess whether he will prove modest and honeft, or lewd and knavish; therefore parents fhould reftrain every thing that looks bad in children, and 12 encourage every thing promifing. The hearing ear, and the feeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them; this is true alfo of the faculties of the mind; therefore we fhould not be proud of them, but use them for God's glory. 13 Love not fleep, left thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, rife early to thy business, [and] thou fhalt be fatis14 fied with bread. [It is] naught, [it is] naught, faith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth. Thus men impofe upon one another, and act contrary to 15 the golden rule of doing as they would be done by. There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge [are] a precious jewel, much more valuable. 16 Take his garment that is furety [for] a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a ftrange woman; do not trust that man without good fecurity, who is ready to be bound for a perfon, he knows not who; efpecially for a wicked ftrumpet. 17 Bread of deceit [is] fweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth fhall be filled with gravel; as a hungry man who catching at a piece of bread, and finds in his mouth a piece of the mill ftone that ground it, fo a man will regret his unrigh 18 teous gains. [Every] purpofe is established by counfel: and with good advice make war; do nothing rafhly, efpecially in war, where conduct is often better than courage. 19 He that goeth about [as] a talebearer, revealeth fecrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips; be very careful of a man that comes to you as a talebearer, and pretends to know every one's fecrets, for he will 20 reveal yours likewife. Whofo curfeth his father or his mother, his lamp fhall be put out in obscure darkness; 21 he fball lofe all his comfort and happiness. An inheritance [may be] gotten haftily at the beginning; but the end thereof fhall not be bleffed; it shall moulder away or be 22 embittered. Say not thou, when thou haft received an injury, I will recompenfe evil, I will avenge myself in proVOL. V. portion F portion to the offence; [but] wait on the LORD, and he fhall fave thee; he shall right thy prefent wrongs, and de23 fend thee from future ones. Divers weights [are] an abomination unto the LORD; and a falfe balance [is] 24 not good. Man's goings [are] of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way? Let us therefore mind 25 our duty, and leave events to God. [It is] a fnare to the man [who] devoureth [that which is] holy, appropriates to his own ufe what was confecrated to God; and after vows to make enquiry whether it was wife and right; that 26 fhould have been done first. A wife king fcattereth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them. This is an allufion to a king riding in his chariot, difperfing fome finners by 27 his appearance, and driving over and deftroying others. The fpirit of man [is] the candle of the LORD, fearching all the inward parts of the belly; reafon and confcience are like a lamp that God hath fet up in us, and by which we are capable of fearching our hearts; therefore we ought to use it carefully; and God will examine whether we have worked or played by this light, and accordingly will doom us to ever28 lafting light or darkness. Mercy and truth preferve the king, are his strongest guards: and his throne is upholden by mercy; it is the beft fecurity of his government, engaging the favour of God and the affections of his people. 29 The glory of young men [is] their ftrength: and the beauty of old men [is] the grey head; each has its beauty, glory, and use. Young men are fitted for difficult labours, and to defend their country; old men for counsel and advice, 30 and therefore fhould not be flighted. The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: fo [do] ftripes the inward parts of the belly; thofe ftrokes which make a man black and blue, even those which are as wounds going into the belly, purge out thofe corrupt affections which are in the heart. This intimates, that reproof, however disagreeable at present, may be attended with happy confequences. In this view, heavy afflictions from the hand of God may be extremely useful; and it becomes us to receive reproofs with thankfulness, and afflictions with all humble fubmiffion, and carefully improve them. CHAP. "TH 5 CHAP. XXI. HE king's heart [is] in the hand of the LORD, [as] the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will; it is like rivulets of water, which a husbandman turns to which part of his ground he pleafeth; this is a reason why we should pray for kings and all that are in 2 authority. Every way of a man [is] right in his own eyes; but the LORD pondereth the hearts; he often fees caufe to condemn what they approve, and will bring every 3 heart under a strict examination. To do juftice and judgment [is] more acceptable to the LORD than facrifice, or any other external obfervances. A maxim of great importance, especially to the jews, who were prone to trust 4 in their facrifices and ceremonies. An high look, and a proud heart, [and] the ploughing of the wicked, [is] fin, when he does not do it with a good intention; or rather, as in the margin, the light of the wicked, that is, all their worldly pomp and glory, is an occafion of fin unto them. The thoughts of the diligent, that is, the prudent and active, [tend] only to plenteousness; but of every one [that is] hafty, who acts rafhly, and undertakes more busi6 ness than he can manage, only to want. The getting of treafures by a lying tongue [is] a vanity toffed to and fro of them that feek death; it is a vapour diffipated by the wind; the treasures are loft, and deftruction follows 7 The robbery of the wicked fhall deftroy them, or faw them afunder, intimating the dreadful agonies of their conSciences; because they refuse to do judgment, will go on 8 in a wicked course, and not make reftitution. The way of man [is] froward and strange; that is, the way of froward, perverfe men is ftrange, hateful to God and good men: but [as for] the pure, his work [is] right; he approves himfelf to God, and acts worthily in his station; you know where to find him and may fafely trust him. [It is] better to dwell in a corner of the house top, in a poor, filent manner, exposed to all the injuries of the weather, than with a brawling woman in a wide houfe, a houfe of fociety. A perverfe wife fpoils all the pleasure that a man would find in his friends and relations, for fhe generally fets herself against F 2 against them; and there can be no more evident proof of 10 folly and perverfeness than this. The foul of the wicked defireth evil: his neighbour findeth no favour in his eyes; he is of fuch a malignant temper that he seems to have outgrown all fenfe of humanity, and Spares neither friends 11 nor foes if they stand in the way of his evil defigns. When the fcorner is punished, the fimple is made wife and when the wife is inftructed, he receiveth knowledge, 12 without any fuch methods of feverity. The righteous [man] wifely confidereth the house of the wicked: [but God] overthroweth the wicked for [their] wickedness; wife and good men confider the defigns of providence in the profperity of the wicked and the deftruction that often comes 13 upon them. Whofo ftoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also fhall cry himself, but shall not be heard; 14 an awful passage that should never be forgotten. A gift in fecret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath, and it is prudent where it can be honestly bestowed. 15 [It is] joy to the juft to do judgment, to do it themselves and fee it done by others: but deftruction [shall be] to the 16 workers of iniquity. The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead; there his wanderings end, there he fall take up his lodging, and be punished in hell with the finners 17 of the old world. He that loveth pleasure, that is, fports and diverfions, [fhall be] a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil, the luxuries and delicacies of life, fhall not 18 be rich. The wicked [fhall be] a ranfom for the righteous, and the tranfgreffor for the upright; they shall fuffer that punishment which was intended for the righteous; and are fometimes inftruments of delivering good men, 19 contrary to their defire. [It is] better to dwell in the wilderness quietly, tho' removed from human converfe, than 20 with a contentious and an angry woman. [There is] treasure to be defired and oil in the dwelling of the wife; a perfon in the lower circumstances of life may with prudent forecast have fomething decent and handfome to entertain his friends with; but a foolish man fpendeth it up, 21 waftes it upon himself, or in extravagance with others. He that followeth after righteoufnefs and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour; a comfortable and happy life, and honour among good men and from God; the true and most fatisfactory way to enjoy life is to be really religious. 22 A wife [man] fcaleth the city of the mighty, and casteth down the strength of the confidence thereof; wisdom 23 and conduct are often better than ftrength. Whofo keepeth his mouth and his tongue, is wary and cautious in 24 talking, keepeth his foul from troubles. Proud [and] haughty fcorner [is] his name, who dealeth in proud wrath, that is his proper name, and there cannot be a 25 more odious one. The defire of the flathful killeth him; for his hands refufe to labour: an admirable obfervation; while men have not the refolution to apply to business, they are tormented with their own wants, with reflections on the neceffity of diligence, and their own guilt in neglecting it. 26 He coveteth greedily all the day long: this is an exceed. ing beautiful repetition; he defires a defire all the day long; he defires and defires, and there it refts; he will do nothing to fecure the thing he defires; and therefore he often wants neceffaries: but the righteous giveth and fpareth not; an honest, diligent man not only fupports himself, but has where27 with to fupply and relieve others. The facrifice of the wicked [is] abomination: how much more, [when] he bringeth it with a wicked mind? This is not defigned to difcourage prayer in the wicked; the meaning is, that a man who goes on in a course of wickedness, and yet keeps up the external forms of religion, is offenfive to God, especially when he makes use of religion as a mask to deceive others, or thinks to compenfate with the Almighty for his fins by his facrifices. 28 A false witnefs fhall perish: but the man that heareth fpeaketh constantly; the man that heareth and confidereth, Speaks with judgment and fuccefs, as he is always believed. 29 A wicked man hardeneth his face, endeavours to conquer the foame of having done amifs: but [as for] the upright, he directeth his way; examines his actions, and endeavours 30 to live fo that he may not blame himself. [There is] no wif dom, no natural fagacity, nor understanding, no improvement of parts, or human policies, nor counsel, that is, confederacies and combinations, against the LORD, that shall 31 take place to overturn the counfels and defigns of God. The F.3 horfe |