1 These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.
This verse is the title of this latter
collection of Solomon's proverbs, for he sought out and set in
order many proverbs, that by them he might be still teaching
the people knowledge,
2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. 3 The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable.
Here is, 1. An instance given of the honour
of God: It is his glory to conceal a matter. He needs not
search into any thing, for he perfectly knows every thing by a
clear and certain view, and nothing can be hidden from him; and yet
his own way is in the sea and his path in the great
waters. There is an unfathomable depth in his counsels,
4 Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer. 5 Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.
This shows that the vigorous endeavour of a
prince to suppress vice, and reform the manners of his people, is
the most effectual way to support his government. Observe, 1. What
the duty of magistrates is: To take away the wicked, to use
their power for the terror of evil works and evil workers, not only
to banish those that are vicious and profane from their presence,
and forbid them the court, but so to frighten them and restrain
them that they may not spread the infection of their wickedness
among their subjects. This is called taking away the dross from
the silver, which is done by the force of fire. Wicked people
are the dross of a nation, the scum of the country, and, as such,
to be taken away. If men will not take them away, God will,
6 Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men: 7 For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.
Here we see, 1. That religion is so far
from destroying good manners that it reaches us to behave ourselves
lowly and reverently towards our superiors, to keep our distance,
and give place to those to whom it belongs "Put not forth
thyself rudely and carelessly in the king's presence, or
in the presence of great men; do not compare with them" (so
some understand it); "do not vie with them in apparel, furniture,
gardens, house-keeping, or retinue, for that is an affront to them
and will waste thy own estate." 2. That religion teaches us
humility and self-denial, which is a better lesson than that of
good manners: "Deny thyself the place thou art entitled to; covet
not to make a fair show, nor air at preferment, nor thrust thyself
into the company of those that are above thee; be content in a low
sphere if that is it which God has allotted to thee." The reason he
gives is because this is really the way to advancement, as our
Saviour shows in a parable that seems to be borrowed from this,
8 Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame. 9 Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another: 10 Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away.
I. Here is good counsel given about going
to law:—1. "Be not hasty in bringing an action, before thou hast
thyself considered it, and consulted with thy friends about it:
Go not forth hastily to strive; do not send for a writ in a
passion, or upon the first appearance of right on thy side, but
weigh the matter deliberately, because we are apt to be partial in
our own cause; consider the certainty of the expenses and the
uncertainty of the success, how much care and vexation it will be
the occasion of, and, after all, the cause may go against thee;
surely then thou shouldst not go forth hastily to strive."
2. "Bring not an action before thou hast tried to end the matter
amicably (
II. Two reasons he gives why we should be
thus cautious in going to law:—1. "Because otherwise the cause
will be in danger of going against thee, and thou wilt not know
what to do when the defendant has justified himself in what
thou didst charge upon him, and made it out that thy complaint was
frivolous and vexatious and that thou hadst no just cause of
action, and so put thee to shame, non-suit thee, and force
thee to pay costs, all which might have been prevented by a little
consideration." 2. "Because it will turn very much to thy reproach
if thou fall under the character of being litigious. Not only the
defendant himself (
11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. 12 As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.
Solomon here shows how much it becomes a man, 1. To speak pertinently: A word upon the wheels, that runs well, is well-circumstanced, in proper time and place—instruction, advice, or comfort, given seasonably, and in apt expressions, adapted to the case of the person spoken to and agreeing with the character of the person speaking—is like golden balls resembling apples, or like true apples of a golden colour (golden rennets), or perhaps gilded, as sometimes we have gilded laurels, and those embossed in pictures of silver, or rather brought to table in a silver network basket, or in a silver box of that which we call filigree—work, through which the golden apples might be seen. Doubtless in was some ornament of the table, then well known. As that was very pleasing to the eye, so is a word fitly spoken to the ear. 2. Especially to give a reproof with discretion, and so as to make it acceptable. If it be well given, by a wise reprover, and well taken, by an obedient ear, it is an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold, very graceful and well becoming both the reprover and the reproved; both will have their praise, the reprover for giving it so prudently and the reproved for taking it so patiently and making a good use of it. Others will commend them both, and they will have satisfaction in each other; he who gave the reproof is pleased that it had the desired effect, and he to whom it was given has reason to be thankful for it as a kindness. That is well given, we say, that is well taken; yet it does not always prove that that is well taken which is well given. It were to be wished that a wise reprover should always meet with an obedient ear, but often it is not so.
13 As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.
See here, 1. What ought to be the care of a
servant, the meanest that is sent on an errand and entrusted with
any business, much more the greatest, the agent and ambassador of a
prince; he ought to be faithful to him that sends him, and
to see to it that he do not, by mistake or with design, falsify his
trust, and that he be in nothing that lies in his power wanting to
his master's interest. Those that act as factors, by commission,
ought to act as carefully as for themselves. 2. How much this will
be the satisfaction of the master; it will refresh his soul
as much as ever the cold of snow (which is hot countries
they preserve by art all the year round) refreshed the labourers in
the harvest, that bore the burden and heat of the day. The
more important the affair was, and the more fear of its
miscarrying, the more acceptable is the messenger, if he have
managed it successfully and well. A faithful minister, Christ's
messenger, should be thus acceptable to us (
14 Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain.
He may be said to boast of a false
gift, 1. Who pretends to have received or given that which he never
had, which he never gave, makes a noise of his great
accomplishments and his good services, but it is all false; he is
not what he pretends to be. Or, 2. Who promises what he will give
and what he will do, but performs nothing, who raises people's
expectations of the mighty things he will do for his country, for
his friends, what noble legacies he will leave, but either he has
not wherewithal to do what he says or he never designs it. Such a
one is like the morning-cloud, that passes away, and disappoints
those who looked for rain from it to water the parched ground
(
15 By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
Two things are here recommended to us, in dealing with others, as likely means to gain our point:—1. Patience, to bear a present heat without being put into a heat by it, and to wait for a fit opportunity to offer our reasons and to give persons time to consider them. By this means even a prince may be persuaded to do a thing which he seemed very averse to, much more a common person. That which is justice and reason now will be so another time, and therefore we need not urge them with violence now, but wait for a more convenient season. 2. Mildness, to speak without passion or provocation: A soft tongue breaks the bone; it mollifies the roughest spirits and overcomes those that are most morose, like lightning, which, they say, has sometimes broken the bone, and yet not pierced the flesh. Gideon with a soft tongue pacified the Ephraimites and Abigail turned away David's wrath. Hard words, we say, break no bones, and therefore we should bear them patiently; but, it seems, soft words do, and therefore we should, on all occasions, give them prudently.
16 Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.
Here, 1. We are allowed a sober and moderate use of the delights of sense: Hast thou found honey? It is not forbidden fruit to thee, as it was to Jonathan; thou mayest eat of it with thanksgiving to God, who, having created things grateful to our senses, has given us leave to make use of them. Eat as much as is sufficient, and no more. Enough is as good as a feast. 2. We are cautioned to take heed of excess. We must use all pleasures as we do honey, with a check upon our appetite, lest we take more than does us good and make ourselves sick with it. We are most in danger of surfeiting upon that which is most sweet, and therefore those that fare sumptuously every day have need to watch over themselves, lest their hearts be at any time overcharged. The pleasures of sense lose their sweetness by the excessive use of them and become nauseous, as honey, which turns sour in the stomach; it is therefore our interest, as well as our duty, to use them with sobriety.
17 Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour's house; lest he be weary of thee, and so hate thee.
Here he mentions another pleasure which we
must not take too much of, that of visiting our friends, the former
for fear of surfeiting ourselves, this for fear of surfeiting our
neighbour. 1. It is a piece of civility to visit our neighbours
sometimes, to show our respect to them and concern for them, and to
cultivate and improve mutual acquaintance and love, and that we may
have both the satisfaction and advantage of their conversation. 2.
It is wisdom, as well as good manners, not to be troublesome to our
friends in our visiting them, not to visit too often, nor stay too
long, nor contrive to come at meal-time, nor make ourselves busy in
the affairs of their families; hereby we make ourselves cheap,
mean, and burdensome. Thy neighbour, who is thus plagued and
haunted with thy visits, will be weary of thee and hate
thee, and that will be the destruction of friendship
which should have been the improvement of it. Post tres sæpe
dies piscis vilescit et hospes—After the third day fish and
company become distasteful. Familiarity breeds contempt.
Nulli te facias nimis sodalem—Be not too intimate with any.
He that sponges upon his friend loses him. How much better a friend
then is God than any other friend; for we need not withdraw our
foot from his house, the throne of his grace (
18 A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.
Here, 1. The sin condemned is bearing
false witness against our neighbour, either in judgment or in
common conversation, contrary to the law of the ninth commandment.
2. That which it is here condemned for is the mischievousness of
it; it is in its power to ruin not only men's reputation, but their
lives, estates, families, all that is dear to them. A false
testimony is every thing that is dangerous; it is a maul (or
club to knock a man's brains out with), a flail, which there
is no fence against; it is a sword to wound near at hand and
a sharp arrow to wound at a distance; we have therefore need
to pray, Deliver my soul, O Lord! from lying lips,
19 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.
1. The confidence of an unfaithful
man (so some read it) will be like a broken tooth; his
policy, his power, his interest, all that which he trusted in to
support him in his wickedness, will fail him in time of trouble,
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.
1. The absurdity here censured is
singing songs to a heavy heart. Those that are in great
sorrow are to be comforted by sympathizing with them, condoling
with them, and concurring in their lamentation. If we take that
method, the moving of our lips may assuage their grief
(
21 If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: 22 For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee.
By this it appears that, however the
scribes and Pharisees had corrupted the law, not only the
commandment of loving our brethren, but even that of loving our
enemies, was not only a new, but also an old commandment, an
Old-Testament commandment, though our Saviour has given it to us
with the new enforcement of his own great example in loving us when
we were enemies. Observe, 1. How we must express our love to our
enemies by the real offices of kindness, even those that are
expensive to ourselves and most acceptable to them: "If they be
hungry and thirsty, instead of pleasing thyself with
their distress and contriving how to cut off supplies from them,
relieve them, as Elisha did the Syrians that came to apprehend
him,"
23 The north wind driveth away rain: so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.
Here see, 1. How we must discourage sin and witness against it, and particularly the sin of slandering and backbiting; we must frown upon it, and, by giving it an angry countenance, endeavour to put it out of countenance. Slanders would not be so readily spoken as they are if they were not readily heard; but good manners would silence the slanderer if he saw that his tales displeased the company. We should show ourselves uneasy if we heard a dear friend, whom we value, evil-spoken of; the same dislike we should show of evil-speaking in general. If we cannot otherwise reprove, we may do it by our looks. 2. The good effect which this might probably have; who knows but it may silence and drive away a backbiting tongue? Sin, if it be countenanced, becomes daring, but, if it receive any check, it is so conscious of its own shame that it becomes cowardly, and this sin in particular, for many abuse those they speak of only in hopes to curry favour with those they speak to.
24 It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house.
This is the same with what he had said,
25 As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.
See here, 1. How natural it is to us to desire to hear good news from our friends, and concerning our affairs at a distance. It is sometimes with impatience that we expect to hear from abroad; our souls thirst after it. But we should check the inordinateness of that desire; if it be bad news, it will come too soon, if good, it will be welcome at any time. 2. How acceptable such good news will be when it does come, as refreshing as cold water to one that is thirsty. Solomon himself had much trading abroad, as well as correspondence by his ambassadors with foreign courts; and how pleasant it was to hear of the good success of his negotiations abroad he well knew by experience. Heaven is a country afar off; how refreshing is it to hear good news thence, both in the everlasting gospel, which signified glad tidings, and in the witness of the Spirit with our spirits that we are God's children.
26 A righteous man falling down before the wicked is as a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring.
It is here represented as a very lamentable
thing, and a public grievance, and of ill consequence to many, like
the troubling of a fountain and the corrupting
of a spring, for the righteous to fall down before the
wicked, that is, 1. For the righteous to fall into sin in the
sight of the wicked—for them to do any thing unbecoming their
profession, which is told in Gath, and published in the
streets of Ashkelon, and in which the daughters of the
Philistines rejoice. For those that have been in reputation
for wisdom and honour to fall from their excellency, this
troubles the fountains by grieving some, and corrupts the
springs by infecting others and emboldening them to do
likewise. 2. For the righteous to be oppressed, and run down, and
trampled upon, by the violence or subtlety of evil men, to be
displaced and thrust into obscurity, this is the troubling of the
fountains of justice and corrupting the very springs of government,
27 It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.
I. Two things we must be graciously dead to:—1. To the pleasures of sense, for it is not good to eat much honey; though it pleases the taste, and, if eaten with moderation, is very wholesome, yet, if eaten to excess, it becomes nauseous, creates bile, and is the occasion of many diseases. It is true of all the delights of the children of men that they will surfeit, but never satisfy, and they are dangerous to those that allow themselves the liberal use of them. 2. To the praise of man. We must not be greedy of that any more than of pleasure, because, for men to search their own glory, to court applause and covet to make themselves popular, is not their glory, but their shame; every one will laugh at them for it; and the glory which is so courted is not glory when it is got, for it is really no true honour to a man.
II. Some give another sense of this verse: To eat much honey is not good, but to search into glorious and excellent things is a great commendation, it is true glory; we cannot therein offend by excess. Others thus: "As honey, though pleasant to the taste, if used immoderately, oppresses the stomach, so an over-curious search into things sublime and glorious, though pleasant to us, if we pry too far, will overwhelm our capacities with a greater glory and lustre than they can bear." Or thus: "You may be surfeited with eating too much honey, but the last of glory, of their glory, the glory of the blessed, is glory; it will be ever fresh, and never pall the appetite."
28 He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.
Here is, 1. The good character of a wise
and virtuous man implied. He is one that has rule over his own
spirit; he maintains the government of himself, and of his own
appetites and passions, and does not suffer them to rebel against
reason and conscience. He has the rule of his own thoughts, his
desires, his inclinations, his resentments, and keeps them all in
good order. 2. The bad case of a vicious man, who has not this rule
over his own spirit, who, when temptations to excess in eating or
drinking are before him, has no government of himself, when he is
provoked breaks out into exorbitant passions, such a one is like
a city that is broken down and without walls. All that is good
goes out, and forsakes him; all that is evil breaks in upon him. He
lies exposed to all the temptations of Satan and becomes an easy
prey to that enemy; he is also liable to many troubles and
vexations; it is likewise as much a reproach to him as it is to a
city to have its walls ruined,