Page images
PDF
EPUB

[and] considered [it] well: I looked upon [it, and] received instruction; the wisest men may and ought to learn instruction from impertinent, idle, useless creatures; if we will consider their example and conduct well, we may learn to avoid their errors, and 33 do better ourselves. [Yet] a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep a little longer, and then I will put 34 my good resolutions into practice: So shall thy poverty come [as] one that travelleth, silently, insensibly, and unexpectedly, and thy want as an armed man; at length it shall seize thee in a powerful, irresistible manner. We have too many such instances as this before our eyes: let us look upon them; consider them well; and receive instruction: God intends that we should do so. dustry is a duty we owe to God, to ourselves, to our families, and to society. As we desire to secure our substance, our comfort, our credit, our usefulness, and the favour of God, let us not be slothful in business, but fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.

1

2

CHAP. XXV.

In

HESE [are] also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out. [It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing, the reasons of his judgments and decrees: but the honour of kings [is] to search out a matter; to search 3 out secret contrivances and intricate cases. The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings [is] unsearchable to vulgar minds, and prudently concealed from others. These two verses are an important lesson to princes not to indulge themselves in an idle life, but to inquire diligently into things, and make necessary remarks upon them, and yet maintain a prudent re4 serve. Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall 5 come forth a beautiful vessel for the finer. Take away the wicked [from] before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness; remove wicked ministers, and then the 6 public affairs will go on prosperously. Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great [men ;] do not appear too splendid for one of thy rank, nor affect 7 a higher place than becomes thee. For better, more honourable, [it is] that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldst be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen, which must be very mortifying, (Luke xiv. 8 9.) Go not forth hastily to strive without due consideration, either in battle, or at law, lest [thou know not] what to do in the 9 end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame. Debate thy cause with thy neighbour [himself;] and discover not a secret to another, that is, a secret quarrel: a maxim particularly to be regarded by husbands and wives if they should have any

These were probably some prophets that Hezekiah selected out of the public schools, to attend in his court as domestic chaplains; they copied these proverbs out of some private collections, and published them for general instruction. A useful design, as many of them contain as much important sense and solidity as any that were before made public.

[ocr errors]

10 differences: Lest he that heareth [it] put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away; lest by telling the story he expose 11 thee to contempt. A word fitly spoken [is like] apples of gold in pictures of silver, or rather, like oranges in a basket of wrought silver, which must look extremely beautiful. Such words as these have a rich and valuable meaning, beside the handsome manner in 12 which they are spoken. [As] an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, [so is] a wise reprover upon an obedient ear; far from thinking himself wronged or being provoked by it, he es13 teems it precious. As the cold of snow, or a cooling breeze, in the time of harvest, [so is] a faithful messenger to them that send him for he refresheth the soul of his masters, who were 14 ready to faint under the apprehension of ill success. Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift, of fine compliments not answered, and fine promises not performed, [is like] clouds and wind without 15 rain, which disappoint the expectation. By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, whereas by violent opposition he is more incensed; and a soft tongue breaketh the bone, overcomes the most stub16 born resolution. Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it: this is applicable to all worldly delights, use them with moderation. 17 Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour's house; lest he be weary of thee, and [so] hate thee; do not frequently press in upon him, or tarry too long, for that is hindering his business and thy own. There is such a thing as making ourselves too cheap; a caution which ministers should attend to above all other persons. 18 A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour [is] a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow; a complicated instrument of mischief, it smites and bruises like a maul, it pierces like a sword, when near at hand, and at a distance it wounds like a sharp arrow, 19 so that a man is never out of its reach. Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble [is like] a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint; they are not only useless but troublesome, when there 20 is occasion to use them. [As] he that taketh away a garment in cold weather, which is very unseasonable, [and as] vinegar upon nitre, which makes a great ferment, so [is] he that singeth songs to an heavy heart; it makes him more melancholy thun 21 before. If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat ; and 22 if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap

coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee; the human mind is so formed as to be won by kindness, and is as sensible of it as the body is of burning coals applied to the tenderest 23 part. The north wind driveth away rain so [doth] an angry countenance a backbiting tongue; if it be proper no other way to reprove it, an angry countenance may testify our strong dislike, and make the slanderer unwilling to vent his illnature in our 24 presence. This is applicable to hearing prophaneness, &c. [It is] better to dwell in the corner of the house top, than with a brawl25 ing woman and in a wide house. [As] cold waters to a thirsty soul, so [is] good news from a far country, from which it is hard to get

intelligence. We have reason to bless God for the art of writing, for the convenience of posts, and such easy conveyance of intelligence from our absent friends; especially for good news from 26 heaven. A righteous man falling down before the wicked, being oppressed and trampled upon by him, [is as] a troubled 27 fountain, and a corrupt spring, a public calamity. [It is] not good to eat much honey though very pleasant: so [for men] to search their own glory [is not] glory; to hunt after applause is dishonourable, it counterbalances and lessens all the other beauties of 28 a man's character. He that [hath] no rule over his own spirit, that cannot bear affronts and provocations with meekness, and afflictions with patience, [is like] a city [that is] broken down, [and] without walls; he is liable to every surprize, is very contemptible, and is exposed to innumerable mischiefs. Let us labour after the government of ourselves; and learn of Chris', who was meek and lowly in heart; so shall we find honour, security, and peace to our souls.

1

CHAP. XXVI.

S snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, which prevent

A

our is not seemly for a fool; though he may look grand, he knows 2 not how to use it, and does mischief with it. As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come; a man is in no more danger from the causeless curse of others, than from the flying of a bird over his head; 3 it fixes no where except upon him that uttered it. A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back; a foolish wicked man must be taught and restrained by se4 vere methods; no others will do. Answer not a fool according to 5 his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit; do not answer every impertinent speech or accusation of a clamorous fool; it is the better way to despise him but if he should grow insolent from your silence, a wise man may condescend to mortify him. A person must judge for himself which is most proper; but it is best in general to be silent, there is no surer way to mortify a fool. 6 He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool, cutteth off the feet, [and] drinketh damage; such a messenger will make lame work of his message, and bring inconveniences on him that employs 7 him. The legs of the lame are not equal, which gives a man a disagreeable air, especially if he affects agility: so [is] a parable in the mouth of fools; so ridiculous is it for wicked men to applaud and recommend virtue; it only makes their own wicked8 ness the more conspicuous. As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, which is presently thrown out, so [is] he that giveth honour to a

9 fool; it will not continue with him, [As] a thorn goeth up inte the hand of a drunkard, so [is] a parable in the mouth of fools; a drunkard when stumbling catcheth hold of a thorn to support him, which wounds him. Thus wicked men, when they talk of religion, meddle to their hurt. A wicked man thinks to support himself by it; but he only hurts his character the more, though his 10 parable be ever so fine. The great [God] that formed all [things] both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors, though he 11 may suffer them to go on a great while. As a dog returneth to

his vomit, [so] a fool returneth to his folly; he commits the same errors for which he formerly smarted and professed to repent of, 12 and so becomes odious to God and man. Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? [there is] more hope of a fool than of him, that is, of one that has hardly common sense; he is a fool 13 of God's making, the other makes himself so. The slothful [man] saith; [There is] a lion in the way, a lion [is] in the streets: thus idle people frighten themselves from business; raise imaginary difficulties and aggravate real ones. Many of these lions stand in 14 the way on the Lord's day. [As] the door turneth upon his 15 hinges, so [doth] the slothful upon his bed. The slothful hid, eth his hand in [his] bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth. A beautiful gradation; he does not care to stir or rise out of his bed when he is up, he does not care to stretch out his hand to feed himself, and would be glad to eat by proxy. Thus habits of idleness grow the less a man doth, the less he is 16 disposed to do. The sluggard [is] wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason; as stupid a creature as he is, he has a great conceit of his own abilities, though he has 17 nothing to say in defence of his opinions or practices. He that passeth by, [and] meddleth with strife [belonging] not to him, [is like] one that taketh a dog by the ears; he gets the displeas 18 ure of both parties, and is often hurt in the quarrel. As a mad 19 [man] who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, So [is] the man [that] deceiveth his neighbour, who leads him into sin or im poses upon him, and saith, Am not I in sport? pretends that he means no harm, only to make himself and others merry; while vice is thus encouraged, guilt contracted, and great mischief is done, 20 Where no wood is, [there] the fire goeth out: so where [there is] no talebearer, the strife ceaseth, therefore when you meet 21 with such persons frown upon them. [As] coals [are] to burning coals, and wood to fire, kindling one another, so [is] a contentious man to kindle strife; he is easily inflamed himself and quickly 22 kindles others. The words of a talebearer [are] as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly, do secret, 23 yet deep, and incurable injury. Burning lips and a wicked heart, ill natured, satyrical terms, especially when used to expose what is virtuous and good, and to countenance vice, [are like] a potsherd, or piece of broken pot or crucible covered with silver dross, in which silver has been melted, and is spread over it; so contemptible is wicked wit. Many of the satyrical productions of

24 our celebrated poets are of this nature.

He that hateth dissem

bleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him; he intends a man's ruin when he makes a profession of friendship; 25 When he speaketh fair, believe him not for [there are] seven abominations in his heart; when you have once discovered a man to be of that disposition, you have need of the greatest caution in 26 dealing with him; he is a most dangerous enemy. [Whose] hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be showed before the [whole] congregation; he will probably be exposed to mankind, and become universally contemptible; and certainly be exposed to 27 the view of the whole world at the judgment day. Whoso diggeth a pit, with an evil design, shall fall therein and he that rolleth a stone, to injure others, it will return upon him, and hure 23 himself. A lying tongue hateth [those that are] afflicted by it; it is hard for those who have done an injury to respect the person wronged; they still go on to do more; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin; persons by being courted and applauded are often ruined. Hence we see what mischief deceit, falsehood, and flattery do in the world, and bring on those who practise them. Let it then be our ambition to be christians indeed, in whom there is no guile.

1

CHAP. XXVII.

OAST not thyself of tomorrow, what thou wilt do, or ex

Во

a

may

;

bring forth; it may render fruitless all thy designs and ex2 pectations; death, or a thousand accidents, may do it. Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips; to praise thyself is indecent and impru dent; it disposes others to undervalue thee, and defraud thee of 3 thy just commendation. A stone [is] heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath [is] heavier than them both; he can nei ther correct it himself, nor can another restrain it by any rational considerations, till it break out in the most insatiable cruelty. 4 Wrath [is] cruel, and anger [is] outrageous; but who [is] able to stand before envy? A man can better guard against the effects of anger than envy, as that works secretly to do another an injury. 3 Open rebuke [is] better than secret love; a friend who reproves is better than one who may have an equal degree of love, but doth 6 not show it that way. Faithful [are] the wounds of a friend; sharp reproofs therefore ought to be thankfully received; but the kisses of an enemy [are] deceitful; compliments and flattering ex7 pressions ought therefore to be suspected. The full soul Icatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet this shows the advantage of poverty, and the vanity of 8 riches. As a bird that wandereth from her nest, and laves her eggs to be broken or her young ones to be destroyed, so [is] a man

« PreviousContinue »