Hitherto we have been in the porch or preface to the proverbs, here they begin. They are short but weighty sentences; most of them are distichs, two sentences in one verse, illustrating each other; but it is seldom that there is any coherence between the verses, much less any thread of discourse, and therefore in these chapters we need not attempt to reduce the contents to their proper heads, the several sentences will appear best in their own places. The scope of them all is to set before us good and evil, the blessing and the curse. Many of the proverbs in this chapter relate to the good government of the tongue, without which men's religion is vain.
1 The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.
Solomon, speaking to us as unto children, observes here how much the comfort of parents, natural, political, and ecclesiastical, depends upon the good behaviour of those under their charge, as a reason, 1. Why parents should be careful to give their children a good education, and to train them up in the ways of religion, which, if it obtain the desired effect, they themselves will have the comfort of it, or, if not, they will have for their support under their heaviness that they have done their duty, have done their endeavour. 2. Why children should conduct themselves wisely and well, and live up to their good education, that they may gladden the hearts of their parents, and not sadden them. Observe, (1.) It adds to the comfort of young people that are pious and discreet that thereby they do something towards recompensing their parents for all the care and pains they have taken with them, and occasion pleasure to them in the evil days of old age, when they most need it; and it is the duty of parents to rejoice in their children's wisdom and well-doing, yea, though it arrive at such an eminency as to eclipse them. (2.) It adds to the guilt of those that conduct themselves ill that thereby they grieve those whom they ought to be a joy to, and are a heaviness particularly to their poor mothers who bore them with sorrow, but with greater sorrow see them wicked and vile.
2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death. 3 The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.
These two verses speak to the same purport,
and the latter may be the reason of the former. 1. That wealth
which men get unjustly will do them no good, because God will blast
it: Treasures of wickedness profit nothing,
4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
We are here told, 1. Who those are who, though rich, are in a fair way to become poor—those who deal with a slack hand, who are careless and remiss in their business, and never mind which end goes foremost, nor ever set their hands vigorously to their work or stick to it; those who deal with a deceitful hand (so it may be read); those who think to enrich themselves by fraud and tricking will, in the end, impoverish themselves, not only by bringing the curse of God on what they have, but by forfeiting their reputation with men; none will care to deal with those who deal with sleight of hand and are honest only with good looking to. 2. Who those are who, though poor, are in a fair way to become rich—those who are diligent and honest, who are careful about their affairs, and, what their hands find to do, do it with all their might, in a fair and honourable way, those are likely to increase what they have. The hand of the acute (so some), of those who are sharp, but not sharpers; the hand of the active (so others); the stirring hand gets a penny. This is true in the affairs of our souls as well as in our worldly affairs; slothfulness and hypocrisy lead to spiritual poverty, but those who are fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, are likely to be rich in faith and rich in good works.
5 He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.
Here is, 1. The just praise of those who improve their opportunities, who take pains to gather and increase what they have, both for soul and body, who provide for hereafter while provision is to be made, who gather in summer, which is gathering time. He who does so is a wise son, and it is his honour; he acts wisely for his parents, whom, if there be occasion, he ought to maintain, and he gives reputation to himself, his family, and his education. 2. The just reproach and blame of those who trifle away these opportunities: He who sleeps, loves his ease, idles away his time, and neglects his work, especially who sleeps in harvest, when he should be laying in for winter, who lets slip the season of furnishing himself with that which he will have occasion for, is a son that causes shame; for he is a foolish son; he prepares shame for himself when winter comes, and reflects shame upon all his friends. He who gets knowledge and wisdom in the days of his youth gathers in summer, and he will have the comfort and credit of his industry; but he who idles away the days of his youth will bear the shame of his indolence when he is old.
6 Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
Here is, 1. The head of the just
crowned with blessings, with the blessings both of God and
man. Variety of blessings, abundance of blessings, shall descend
from above, and visibly abide on the head of good men, real
blessings; they shall not only be spoken well of, but done well to.
Blessings shall be on their head as a coronet to adorn and dignify
them and as a helmet to protect and secure them. 2. The mouth of
the wicked covered with violence. Their mouths shall be
stopped with shame for the violence which they have done; they
shall not have a word to say in excuse for themselves (
7 The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.
Both the just and the wicked, when their days are fulfilled, must die. Between their bodies in the grave thee is no visible difference; between the souls of the one and the other, in the world of spirits, thee is a vast difference, and so there is, or ought to be, between their memories, which survive them.
I. Good men are and ought to be well spoken
of when they are gone; it is one of the blessings that comes
upon the head of the just, even when their head is laid.
Blessed men leave behind them blessed memories. 1. It is part of
the dignity of the saints, especially those who excel in virtue and
are eminently useful, that they are remembered with respect when
they are dead. Their good name, their name with good men, for good
things, is then in a special manner as precious ointment,
II. Bad men are and shall be forgotten, or spoken of with contempt. When their bodies are putrefying in the grave their names also shall rot. Either they shall not be preserved at all, but buried in oblivion (no good can be said of them, and therefore the greatest kindness that can be done them will be to say nothing of them), or they shall be loathsome, and mentioned with detestation, and that rule of honour, De mortuis nil nisi bonum—Say nothing to the disadvantage of the dead, will not protect them. Where the wickedness has been notorious, and cannot but be mentioned, it ought to be mentioned with abhorrence.
8 The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.
Here is, 1. The honour and happiness of the
obedient. They will receive commandments; they will take it
as a privilege, and really an ease to them, to be under government,
which saves them the labour of deliberating and choosing for
themselves; and they will take it as a favour to be told their duty
and admonished concerning it. And this is their wisdom; those are
wise in heart who are tractable, and those who thus bend,
thus stoop, shall stand and be established, shall prosper, being
well advised. 2. The shame and ruin of the disobedient, that will
not be governed, nor endure any yoke, that will not be taught, nor
take any advice. They are fools, for they act against themselves
and their own interest; they are commonly prating fools,
fools of lips, full of talk, but full of nonsense, boasting of
themselves, prating spitefully against those that admonish them
(
9 He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.
We are here told, and we may depend upon
it, 1. That men's integrity will be their security: He that
walks uprightly towards God and man, that is faithful to both,
that designs as he ought and means as he says, walks surely;
he is safe under a divine protection and easy in a holy security.
He goes on his way with a humble boldness, being well armed against
the temptations of Satan, the troubles of the world, and the
reproaches of men. He knows what ground he stands on, what guide he
follows, what guard he is surrounded with, and what glory he is
going to, and therefore proceeds with assurance and great
peace,
10 He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall.
Mischief is here said to attend, 1.
Politic, designing, self-disguising sinners: He that winks with
the eye, as if he took no notice of you, when at the same time
he is watching an opportunity to do you an ill turn, that makes
signs to his accomplices when to come into assist him in executing
his wicked projects, which are all carried on by trick and
artifice, causes sorrow both to others and to himself.
Ingenuity will be no excuse for iniquity, but the sinner must
either repent or do worse, either rue it or be ruined by it. 2.
Public, silly, self-exposing sinners: A prating fool, whose
sins go before unto judgment, shall fall, as was said
before,
11 The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
See here, 1. How industrious a good man is,
by communicating his goodness, to do good with it: His
mouth, the outlet of his mind, is a well of life; it is
a constant spring, whence issues good discourse for the edification
of others, like streams that water the ground and make it fruitful,
and for their consolation, like streams that quench the thirst of
the weary traveller. It is like a well of life, that is pure
and clean, not only not poisoned, but not muddled, with any corrupt
communication. 2. How industrious a bad man is, by concealing his
badness, to do hurt with it: The mouth of the wicked covers
violence, disguises the designed mischief with professions of
friendship, that it may be carried on the more securely and
effectually, as Joab kissed and killed, Judas kissed and betrayed;
this is his sin, to which the punishment answers (
12 Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.
Here is, 1. The great mischief-maker, and
that is malice. Even where there is no manifest occasion of strife,
yet hatred seeks occasion and so stirs it up and does
the devil's work. Those are the most spiteful ill-natured people
that can be who take a pleasure in setting their neighbours
together by the ears, by tale-bearing, evil surmises, and
misrepresentations, blowing up the sparks of contention, which had
lain buried, into a flame, at which, with an unaccountable
pleasure, they warm their hands. 2. The great peace-maker, and that
is love, which covers all sins, that is, the offences
among relations which occasion discord. Love, instead of
proclaiming and aggravating the offence, conceals and extenuates it
as far as it is capable of being concealed and extenuated. Love
will excuse the offence which we give through mistake and
unadvisedly; when we are able to say that there was no ill
intended, but it was an oversight, and we love our friend
notwithstanding, this covers it. It will also overlook the offence
that is given us, and so cover it, and make the best of it: by this
means strife is prevented, or, if begun, peace is recovered and
restored quickly. The apostle quotes this,
13 In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.
Observe, 1. Wisdom and grace are the honour of good men: He that has understanding, that good understanding which those have that do the commandments, wisdom is found in his lips, that is, it is discovered to be there, and consequently that he has within a good treasure of it, and it is derived thence for the benefit of others. It is a man's honour to have wisdom, but much more to be instrumental to make others wise. 2. Folly and sin are the shame of bad men: A rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding—of him that wants a heart; he exposes himself to the lashes of his own conscience, to the scourges of the tongue, to the censures of the magistrate, and to the righteous judgments of God. Those that foolishly and wilfully go on in wicked ways are preparing rods for themselves, the marks of which will be their perpetual disgrace.
14 Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
Observe, 1. It is the wisdom of the wise
that they treasure up a stock of useful knowledge, which will be
their preservation: Wisdom is therefore found in their
lips (
15 The rich man's wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty.
This may be taken two ways:—1. As a reason why we should be diligent in our business, that we may avoid that sinking dispiriting uneasiness which attends poverty, and may enjoy the benefit and comfort which those have that are beforehand in the world. Taking pains is really the way to make ourselves and our families easy. Or, rather, 2. As a representation of the common mistakes both of rich and poor, concerning their outward condition. (1.) Rich people think themselves happy because they are rich; but it is their mistake: The rich man's wealth is, in his own conceit, his strong city, whereas the worst of evils it is too weak and utterly insufficient to protect them from. It will prove that they are not so safe as they imagine; nay, their wealth may perhaps expose them. (2.) Poor people think themselves undone because they are poor; but it is their mistake: The destruction of the poor is their poverty; it sinks their spirits, and ruins all their comforts; whereas a man may live very comfortably, though he has but a little to live on, if he be but content, and keep a good conscience, and live by faith.
16 The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.
Solomon here confirms what his father had
said (
17 He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.
See here, 1. That those are in the right that do not only receive instruction, but retain it, that do not let it slip through carelessness, as most do, nor let it go to those that would rob them of it, that keep instruction safely, keep it pure and entire, keep it for their own use, that they may govern themselves by it, keep it for the benefit of others, that they may instruct them; those that do so are in the way of life, the way that has true comfort in it and eternal life at the end of it. 2. That those are in the wrong that do not only not receive instruction, but wilfully and obstinately refuse it when it is offered them. They will not be taught their duty because it discovers their faults to them; that instruction which carries reproof in it they have a particular aversion to, and certainly they err; it is a sign that they err in judgment, and have false notions of good and evil; it is a cause of their erring in conversation. The traveller that has missed his way, and cannot bear to be told of it and shown the right way, must needs err still, err endlessly; he certainly misses the way of life.
18 He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.
Observe here, Malice is folly and wickedness. 1. It is so when it is concealed by flattery and dissimulation: He is a fool, though he may think himself a politician, that hides hatred with lying lips, lest, if it break out, he should be ashamed before men and should lose the opportunity of gratifying his malice. Lying lips are bad enough of themselves, but have a peculiar malignity in them when they are made a cloak of maliciousness. But he is a fool who thinks to hide any thing from God. 2. It is no better when it is vented in spiteful and mischievous language: He that utters slander is a fool too, for God will sooner or later bring forth that righteousness as the light which he endeavours to cloud, and will find an expedient to roll the reproach away.
19 In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.
We are here admonished concerning the
government of the tongue, that necessary duty of a Christian. 1. It
is good to say little, because in the multitude of words there
wanteth not sin, or sin doth not cease. Usually, those
that speak much speak much amiss, and among many words there cannot
but be many idle words, which they must shortly give an account of.
Those that love to hear themselves talk do not consider what work
they are making for repentance; for that will be wanted, and first
or last will be had, where there wanteth not sin. 2. It is
therefore good to keep our mouth as with a bridle: He that
refrains his lips, that often checks himself, suppresses what
he has thought, and holds in that which would transpire, is a wise
man; it is an evidence of his wisdom, and he therein consults his
own peace. Little said is soon amended,
20 The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth. 21 The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.
We are here taught how to value men, not by their wealth and preferment in the world, but by their virtue.
I. Good men are good for something. Though
they may be poor and low in the world, and may not have power and
riches to do good with, yet, as long as they have a mouth to speak,
that will make them valuable and useful, and upon that account we
must honour those that fear the Lord, because out of the good
treasure of their heart they bring forth good things. 1. This
makes them valuable: The tongue of the just is as choice
silver; they are sincere, freed from the dross of guile and
evil design. God's words are compared to silver purified
(
II. Bad men are good for nothing. 1. One
can get no good by them: The heart of the wicked is little
worth, and therefore that which comes out of the abundance of
his heart cannot be worth much. His principles, his notions, his
thoughts, his purposes, and all the things that fill him, and
affect him, are worldly and carnal, and therefore of no value.
He that is of the earth speaks of the earth, and neither
understands nor relishes the things of God,
22 The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
Worldly wealth is that which most men have
their hearts very much upon, but they generally mistake both in the
nature of the thing they desire and in the way by which they hope
to obtain it; we are therefore told here, 1. What that wealth is
which is indeed desirable, not having abundance only, but having it
and no sorrow with it, no disquieting care to get and keep
it, no vexation of spirit in the enjoyment of it, no tormenting
grief for the loss of it, no guilt contracted by the abuse of
it—to have it and to have a heart to take the comfort of it, to do
good with it and to serve God with joyfulness and gladness of heart
in the use of it. 2. Whence this desirable wealth is to be
expected, not by making ourselves drudges to the world (
23 It is as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom.
Here is, 1. Sin exceedingly sinful: It
is as laughter to a fool to do mischief; it is as natural to
him, and as pleasant, as it is to a man to laugh. Wickedness is
his Isaac (that is the word here); it is his delight, his
darling, and that in which he pleases himself. He makes a laughing
matter of sin. When he is warned not to sin, from the consideration
of the law of God and the revelation of his wrath against sin, he
makes a jest of the admonition, and laughs at the shaking of the
spear; when he has sinned, instead of sorrowing for it, he boasts
of it, ridicules reproofs, and laughs away the convictions of his
own conscience,
24 The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted. 25 As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.
It is here said, and said again, to the righteous, that it shall be well with them, and to the wicked, Woe to them; and these are set the one over against the other, for their mutual illustration.
I. It shall be as ill with the wicked as
they can fear, and as well with the righteous as they can desire.
1. The wicked, it is true, buoy themselves up sometimes in their
wickedness with vain hopes which will deceive them, but at other
times they cannot but be haunted with just fears, and those
fears shall come upon them; the God they provoke will be
every whit as terrible as they, when they are under their greatest
damps, apprehend him to be. As is thy fear, so is thy wrath,
II. The prosperity of the wicked shall
quickly end, but the happiness of the righteous shall never end,
26 As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.
Observe, 1. Those that are of a slothful disposition, that love their ease and cannot apply their minds to any business, are not fit to be employed, no, not so much as to be sent on an errand, for they will neither deliver a message with any care nor make any haste back. Such therefore are very unmeet to be ministers, Christ's messengers; he will not own the sending forth of sluggards into his harvest. 2. Those that are guilty of so great an oversight as to entrust such with any affair, and put confidence in them, will certainly have vexation with them. A slothful servant is to his master as uneasy and troublesome as vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes; he provokes his passion, as vinegar sets the teeth on edge, and occasions him grief to see his business neglected and undone, as smoke sets the eyes a weeping.
27 The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened. 28 The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.
Observe, 1. Religion lengthens men's lives
and crowns their hopes. What man is he that loves life? Let
him fear God, and that will secure him from many things that
would prejudice his life, and secure to him life enough in this
world and eternal life in the other; the fear of the Lord
will add days more than was expected, will add them endlessly, will
prolong them to the days of eternity. What man is he that would
see good days? Let him be religious, and then his days shall
not only be many, but happy, very happy as well as very many, for
the hope of the righteous shall be gladness; they shall have
what they hope for, to their unspeakable satisfaction. It is
something future and unseen that they place their happiness in
(
29 The way of the Lord is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity. 30 The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.
These two verses are to the same purport
with those next before, intimating the happiness of the godly and
the misery of the wicked; it is necessary that this be inculcated
upon us, so loth are we to believe and consider it. 1. Strength and
stability are entailed upon integrity: The way of the Lord
(the providence of God, the way in which he walks towards us) is
strength to the upright, confirms him in his uprightness. All
God's dealings with him, merciful and afflictive, serve to quicken
him to his duty and animate him against his discouragements. Or
the way of the Lord (the way of godliness, in which he
appoints us to walk) is strength to the upright; the closer
we keep to that way, the more our hearts are enlarged to proceed in
it, the better fitted we are both for services and sufferings. A
good conscience, kept pure from sin, gives a man boldness in a
dangerous time, and constant diligence in duty makes a man's work
easy in a busy time. The more we do for God the more we may do,
31 The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out. 32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.
Here, as before, men are judged of, and,
accordingly, are justified or condemned, by their words,