thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee. 19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. 20 For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. 21 Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? 22 I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them mine enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 2 Which imagine mischiefs in their heart: continually are they gathered together for war. 3 They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent: adders' poison is under their lips. Selah. 4 Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent man, who have purposed to overthrow my goings. 5 The proud have hid a snare for ine, and cords: they have spread a net by the way-side; they have set gins for me. Selah. 6 I said unto the LORD, Thou art my God hear the voice of my suplications, O LORD. 7 O God the LORD, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle. 8 Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked: further not his wicked device, lest they exalt themselves. Selah. 9 As for the head of those that compass me about, let the mischief of their own lips cover them. 10 Let burning coals fall upon them: let them be cast into the fire; into deep pits, that they rise not up again. 11 Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth: evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him. 12 I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor. 13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name; the upright shall dwell in thy presence. PSALM CXLI. A psalm of David. LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee. 2 Let my prayer be set forth before Psal. CXXXIX. The sublimest spirit of poetry glows throughout this beautiful psalm; which, thus maguificent in thought and diction, is, at the same time, inestimably precious for its exemplifications of internal religion. Psal. CXL. A forcible and earnest prayer, which could have been dictated only by the strongest feeling of necessity, and the most lively trust in the goodness of the Almighty. thee as incense, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. 3 Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. 4 Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity; and let me not eat of their dainties. 5 Let the righteous smite me, it shall be a kindness; and let him reprove me, it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities. 6 When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words: for they are sweet. 7 Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth. 8 But mine eyes are unto thee, O God the LORD: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute. 9 Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity. 10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape. PSALM CXLII. Maschil of David; a prayer when he was in the cave. ICRIED unto the LORD with my voice with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication. 2 I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble. 3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path: in the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me. 4 I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. 5 I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. 6 Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I. 7 Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me. PSALM CXLIM. A psalm of David. HEAR my prayer, O LORD: give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in the righteousness. 2 And euter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. 3 For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground: he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead. 4 Therefore is my spirit over Psal. CXLI. In the compass of this short psalm, how many are the topics for reflection, how many the sentiments, which the believer may apply to his own practical advantage! Psal. CXLII. Every Christian who has struggled with the trials and temptations of life, will feel deeply the beautiful pathos of this psalni. It was composed by David in the cave of Adullam or, Engedi. See 1 Sam. xxii. 1. whelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate. 5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands. 6 I stretch forth my hands unto thee my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah, 7 Hear me speedily, O LORD; my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. 8 Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. 9 Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me. 10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. 11 Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name's sake: for thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble. 12 And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy ser vant. PSALM CXLIV. A psalm of David. BLESSED be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight. 2 My goodness, and my fortress ; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me. 3 LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him! 4 Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away. 5 Bow thy heavens, O LORD, and come down touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. 6 Cast forth lightning, and scatter them shoot eut thine arrows, and destroy them. 7 Send thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children; 8 Whose mouth speaketh vanity; and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood. 9 I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery, and an instrument of ten strings, will I sing praises unto thee. 10 It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword. 11 Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood: 12 That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as cornerstones, polished after the similitude of a palace; 13 That our garners may be full, affording all manner of store; that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets; 14 That our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no break Psal. CXLIII. This is a prayer which, springing from the clearest conviction of God's perfect purity and truth, and man's iniquity, will always be readily admitted as valuable help in the devotions of the Christian. a ing in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our streets. 15 Happy is that people that is in such a case; yea, happy is that people whose God is the LORD. PSALM CXLV. I David's psalm of praise. WILL extol thee, my God, O King; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. 2 Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. 3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. 5 I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. 6 And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts; and I will declare thy greatness. 7 They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteous ness. 8 The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to auger, and of great mercy. 9 The Lord is good to all; and his tender mercies are over all his works. 10 All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee. 11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; 12 To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. 13 Thy kingdom an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all genera tious. 11 The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. 15 The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. 16 Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. 17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. 18 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. 19 He will full the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. 20 The Lord preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy. 21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever. 2 While I live will I praise the LORD; I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being. 3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. 4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. 5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God; 6 Which made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that therein is; which keepeth truth for ever; 7 Which executeth judgment for the oppressed; which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners: 16 He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoar-frost like ashes. 17 He casteth forth his ice like morsels who can stand before his cold? 18 He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow. 19 He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judg ments unto Israel. 20 He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judg ments, they have not known them. Praise ye the LORD. PSALM CXLVIII. 8 The LORD openeth the eyes of PRAISE ye the Lord. the blind: the LORD raiseth them 9 The LORD preserveth the 10 The LORD shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the LORD. PSALM CXLVII. PRAISE re the LouD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. 2 The LORD doth build up Jerusalem he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. 3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. 4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. 5 Great is our LORD, and of great power his understanding is infinite. 6 The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground. Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God: 8 Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. 9 He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry. 10 He delighteth not in the strength of the horse; he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a mau. 11 The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. 12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion: 13 For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee. 14 He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat. 15 He sendeth forth his command- who repeated this psalm three times Psal. CXLVI. The righteous are Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights. 2 Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. 3 Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. 4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. 5 Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created. 6 He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass. 7 Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: 8 Fire and hail; snow and rapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word: 9 Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars : 10 Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl: 11 Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth: 12 Both young men and maidens; old men and children: 13 Let them praise the name of the LORD; for his name alone is excellent: his glory is above the earth and heaven. 14 He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the LORD. PSALM CXLIX. Sing PRAISE ye the LORD. unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints. 2 Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. 3 Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. 4 For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation. 5 Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. 6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand; Psal. CXLVII. A song of triumph which, like the others of a similar nature, is remarkable for the vigour of the language, and the fitness of the imagery. Psal. CXLVIII. How sublimely does devotion carry the mind through the heights and depths of universal being, giving, far better than imagination, a life and soul to every thing, and uniting all toge ther in the one bond of eterna! love.. Some doubt The most convincing evidence exists to prove that this book was the production of Solomon exists among the learned as to his authorship of the concluding chapters, but it appears probable that, by whomsoever written, the materials of which they consist were originally derived from him. The whole book may be divided into four parts: the first of these extends to the end of the ninth chapter, and is in the style of a general introduction; the second extends to the conclusion of the twenty-fourth chapter, and contains the proverbs strictly so called; the third consists of the Proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, copied out;" and the fourth is composed of the precepts of Agur and Lemuel, respecting whom no certain information exists, Antiquity or authority need not be appealed to in proof of the value of this book. The reason and experience of all men confess the soundness of its maxims, the truth of its assertions, and the profound comprehensiveness of its views. If, anxious to possess instruction for the safe conduct of the business of life, we seek to discover how the wisdom of the serpent and the harmlessness of the dove may be practically united, no better guide can be found than Solomon if we wish to have the precepts which age and prudence teach, confirmed by a higher authority, we may find our wish accomplished in this book; and certain is it that the more we study its rules and obey them, the smoother will be our path through the world, the less obstructed by opposition, the freer from those anxieties and cares which in so many cases destroy the serenity of the mind, and thereby prevent its attention to the higher calls of the Holy Spirit, and the brighter prospects of salvation. Ver. 6. It was the general custom with the wise men of ancient times to convey their instructions sometimes by parables, fables, or hieroglyphical descriptions; at others, in short sentences, apophthegms, or proverbs, a method of teaching which was rendered necessary, as well by the limited means of inquiry or study then enjoyed by the generality of mankind, as by the nature of morality, which, when taught, must be exhibited in its simple, direct, and fundamental principles. -Ver. 7. The statement of this principle, that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, "gives a force and authority to the following precepts which they could have derived from no other source. principle, whether of prudence or morality, of expediency or virtue, can be true, which is not at once No 9 For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck. 10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. 11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: 12 Let us swallow them up alive. as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: 13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: 14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse. 15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: 16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood: 17 (Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird:) 18 And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. 19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof. 20 Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: resolvable into the fear of the Lord 21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates in the city she uttereth her words, saying, 22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? 23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. 24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. 28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: 30 They would none of my eounsel; they despised all my reproof: 31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. 32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. 33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. dence.-Ver. 20. This is one of those noble personifications which so greatly enrich different parts of this book, and adorn it with the loftiest bursts of poetry. CHAPTER II. MY son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; 3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. 7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. 8 He keepeth the paths of judg. ment, and preserveth the way of his saints. 9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. 10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; 11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: 12 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; 13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; 14 Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; 15 Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths: 16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; 17 Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God: 18 For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. 19 None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life. 20 That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. 22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it. CHAPTER III. MY son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: Ver. 6. As all principles of wisdom are resolvable into the fear of the Lord, as their foundation, so also are all rules which relate to the acquisition of that wisdom centered in the same grand doctrine. -Ver. 16. It is well worthy of observation, how fearful are the results ascribed to the indulgence. of loose passion throughout this book of wisdom; and to the truths which it thus lays down, the world itself bears striking and mournful testimony. $30 4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. 9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase: 10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. 11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: 12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. 13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding: 14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. 16 Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. 17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her; and happy is every one that retaineth her. 19 The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the hea vens. 20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew. 21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: 22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. 23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. 24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid; yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. 25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. 26 For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken. 27 Withhold not good from Ver. 7. Two of the most valuable lessons that can be given for the successful and practical pursuit of wisdom, are contained in this short verse. Ver. 11. Job, v. 17; Heb. xii. 5.-Ver. 15. The experience of ages, and the testimony of the wisest and happiest men that have lived upon the earth, prove the truth of this beautiful description of wisdom and its effects. How vain how awfully blind to their own folly must they be, who, pursuing their pleasures with heedless impetuosity, can set a higher value. on the smiles of the world than on the favour of this gracious ministress of delight and peace! This chapter cannot be read too often, or with too much care and carnest ness. them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. 28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to-morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee. 29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee. 30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm. 31 Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. 32 For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous. 33 The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just. 34 Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly. 35 The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools. CHAPTER IV. HEAR, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. 2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. 3 For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. 4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. 5 Get wisdom, get understanding; forget it not: neither decline from the words of my mouth. 6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall eep thee. 7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom and with all thy getting get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee; she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. 9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. 10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. 11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. 12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. 13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life. 14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. 15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. 16 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. 18 But the path of the just is as Ver. 12. Sin and folly are the greatest encumbrances which man can possibly have in the pursuit of any thing that is worth possessing. The instructions given. to the combatants for a prize in any trial of strength, are but a lesson on self-denial and temperance; and the same may be said of the rules laid down for those who are engaged the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. 19 The way of the wicked is as darkness; they know not at what they stumble. 20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings: 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart: 22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. 23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. 24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. 25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. 26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. 27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil. CHAPTER V. MY son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding; 2 That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge. 3 For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honey-comb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: 4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. 6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them. 7 Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth. 8 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house; 9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel ; 10 Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth, and thy labours be in the house of a stranger; 11 And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, 12 And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof; 13 And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me! 14 I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly. 15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well. 16 Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. 17 Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee. 18 Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. 19 Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts either in business or study. -Ver. 18. Let those who tremble at the thought of approaching old age, with its burdens and infirmities, meditate on this passage, seek the Spirit of God, and be happy. Ver. 5. How many thousands of miserable, ruined creatures, would rise up, if they could, to warn the young and the licentious against satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love. 20 And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? 21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings. 22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. 23 He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray. CHAPTER VI. MY son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, 2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. 3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend. 4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. 5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler. 6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: 7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. 9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise. out of thy sleep? 10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. 12A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth. 13 He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; 14 Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. 15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy. 16 These six things doth the LORD hate; yea, seven are an abomination unto him: regarding this as a mere poetical exaggeration! Ver. 21. The darkest recesses of guilt cannot shut the door against the eye of the Lord, and however skilfully the sinner exercises his arts, he has no power to escape his hand, but shall pay to the uttermost farthing the penalty he demands for the breach of his laws. Ver. 22. The conscience of the wicked is perpetually telling them that this shall be the case. Ver. 1. Many a ruined family might have been saved if the Bible, which teaches these sober maxims, had not been neglected. Ver. 3. That is, attend at once to the business respecting which thou hast become responsible, and do not cease from pressing thy friend to discharge the obligation till the whole is settled. Ver. 6. This beautiful appeal to the provident industry of the ant has been admired in all ages as one of the most exquisite lessons ever taught by 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. 20 My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. 22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. 23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: 24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. 25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids: 26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread; and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. 27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burnt ? 28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burnt ? 29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. 30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry: 31 But if he be found, he shall restore seven-fold; he shall give all the substance of his house. 32 But whoso committeth adul. tery with a woman lacketh understanding he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. 33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. 34 For jealousy is the rage of a man; therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. 35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts. 5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her. words. 6 For at the window of my house I looked through my casement, 7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, 8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, 9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night; 10 And, behold, there met him a either moralist or poet. Ver, 23. Ps. xix. 8; cxix. 105. |