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<TITLE>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible [Proverbs XXIV].</TITLE>
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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1710)
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
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<CENTER>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>P R O V E R B S</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. XXIV.</FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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</CENTER>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Excellence of Wisdom.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<A NAME="Pr24_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="Pr24_2"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be
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with them.
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2 For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of
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mischief.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Here,
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1. The caution given is much the same with that which we had before
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+23:17"><I>ch.</I> xxiii. 17</A>),
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not to envy sinners, not to think them happy, nor to wish ourselves in
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their condition, though they prosper ever so much in this world, and
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are ever so marry and ever so secure. "Let not such a thought ever come
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into thy mind, O that I could shake off the restraints of religion and
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conscience, and take as great a liberty to indulge the sensual
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appetite, as I see such and such do! No; <I>desire not to be with
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them,</I> to do as they do and fare as they fare, and to <I>cast in thy
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lot among</I> them."
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2. Here is another reason given for this caution: "<I>Be not envious
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against</I> them, not only because their end will be had, but because
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their way is so,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+24:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>.
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Do not think with them, <I>for their heart studies destruction</I> to
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others, but it will prove destruction to themselves. Do not speak like
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them, for <I>their lips talk of their mischief.</I> All they say has an
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ill tendency, to dishonour God, reproach religion, or wrong their
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neighbour; but it will be mischief to themselves at last. It is
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therefore thy wisdom to have nothing to do with them. Nor hast thou any
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reason to look upon them with envy, but with pity rather, or a just
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indignation at their wicked practices."</P>
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<A NAME="Pr24_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="Pr24_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="Pr24_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="Pr24_6"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>3 Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it
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is established:
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4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all
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precious and pleasant riches.
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5 A wise man <I>is</I> strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth
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strength.
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6 For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude
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of counsellors <I>there is</I> safety.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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We are tempted to envy those that grow rich, and raise their estates
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and families, by such unjust courses as our consciences will by no
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means suffer us to use. But, to set aside that temptation, Solomon here
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shows that a man, with prudent management, may raise his estate and
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family by lawful and honest means, with a good conscience, and a good
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name, and the blessing of God upon his industry; and, if the other be
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raised a little sooner, yet these will last a great deal longer.
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1. That which is here recommended to us as having the best influence
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upon our outward prosperity is <I>wisdom,</I> and <I>understanding,</I>
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and <I>knowledge;</I> that is, both piety towards God (for that is true
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wisdom) and prudence in the management of our outward affairs. We must
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govern ourselves in every thing by the rules of religion first and then
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of discretion. Some that are truly pious do not thrive in the world,
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for want of prudence; and some that are prudent enough, yet do not
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prosper, because they lean to their own understanding and do not
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acknowledge God in their ways; therefore both must go together to
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complete a wise man.
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2. That which is here set before us as the advantage of true wisdom is
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that it will make men's outward affairs prosperous and successful.
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(1.) it will <I>build a house and establish it,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+24:3"><I>v.</I> 3</A>.
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Men may by unrighteous practices build their houses, but they cannot
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establish them, for the foundation is rotten
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Hab+2:9,10">Hab. ii. 9, 10</A>);
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whereas what is honestly got will wear like steel and be an inheritance
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to children's children.
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(2.) It will enrich a house and furnish it,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+24:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>.
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Those that manage their affairs with wisdom and equity, that are
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diligent in the use of lawful means for increasing what they have that
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spare from luxury and spend in charity, are in a fair way to have their
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shops, their warehouses, their <I>chambers, filled with all precious
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and pleasant riches--precious</I> because got by honest labour, and
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<I>the substance of a diligent man is precious--pleasant</I> because
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enjoyed with holy cheerfulness. Some think this is to be understood
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chiefly of spiritual riches. <I>By knowledge the chambers</I> of the
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soul are filled with the graces and comforts of the Spirit, those
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<I>precious and pleasant riches;</I> for the Spirit, by enlightening
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the understanding, performs all his other operations on the soul.
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(3.) It will fortify a house and turn it into a castle: <I>Wisdom is
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better than weapons of war,</I> offensive or defensive. <I>A wise man
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is in strength,</I> is in a strong-hold, <I>yea, a man of knowledge
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strengthens might,</I> that is, increases it,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+24:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>.
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As we grow in knowledge we grow in all grace,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Pe+3:18">2 Pet. iii. 18</A>.
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Those that <I>increase in wisdom</I> are <I>strengthened with all
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might,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Col+1:9,11">Col. i. 9, 11</A>.
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A wise man will compass that by his wisdom which a strong man cannot
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effect by force of arms. The spirit is strengthened both for the
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spiritual work and the spiritual warfare by true wisdom.
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(4.) It will govern a house and a kingdom too, and the affairs of both,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+24:6"><I>v.</I> 6</A>.
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Wisdom will erect a college, or council of state. Wisdom will be of
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use,
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[1.] For the managing of the public quarrels, so as not to engage in
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them but for an honest cause and with some probability of success, and,
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when they are engaged in, to manage them well, and so as to make either
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an advantageous peace or an honourable retreat: <I>By wise counsel thou
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shalt make war,</I> which is a thing that may prove of ill consequence
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if not done by wise counsel.
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[2.] For the securing of the public peace: <I>In the multitude of
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counsellors there is safety,</I> for one may foresee the danger, and
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discern the advantages, which another cannot. In our spiritual
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conflicts we need wisdom, for our enemy is subtle.</P>
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<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Malicious and the Scornful.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<A NAME="Pr24_7"> </A>
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<A NAME="Pr24_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="Pr24_9"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>7 Wisdom <I>is</I> too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in
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the gate.
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8 He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous
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person.
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9 The thought of foolishness <I>is</I> sin: and the scorner <I>is</I> an
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abomination to men.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Here is the description,
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1. Of a weak man: <I>Wisdom is too high</I> for him; he thinks it so,
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and therefore, despairing to attain it, he will take no pains in the
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pursuit of it, but sit down content without it. And really it is so; he
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has not capacity for it, and therefore the advantages he has for
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getting it are all in vain to him. It is no easy thing to get wisdom;
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those that have natural parts good enough, yet if they be foolish, that
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is, if they be slothful and will not take pains, if they be playful and
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trifling, and given to their pleasures, if they be viciously inclined
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and keep bad company, it <I>is too high</I> for them; they are not
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likely to reach it. And, for want of it, they are unfit for the service
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of their country: They <I>open not their mouth in the gate;</I> they
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are not admitted into the council or magistracy, or, if they are, they
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are dumb statues, and stand for cyphers; they say nothing, because they
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have nothing to say, and they know that if they should offer any thing
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it would not be heeded, nay, it would be hissed at. Let young men take
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pains to get wisdom, that they may be qualified for public business,
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and do it with reputation.
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2. Of a wicked man, who is not only despised as a fool is, but
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detested. Two sorts of wicked men are so:--
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(1.) Such as are secretly malicious. Though they speak courteously and
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conduct themselves plausibly, they <I>devise to do evil,</I> are
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contriving to do an ill turn to those they bear a grudge to, or have an
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envious eye at. He that does so <I>shall be called a mischievous
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person,</I> or <I>a master of mischief,</I> which perhaps was then a
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common name of reproach; he shall be branded as an <I>inventor of evil
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things</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ro+1:30">Rom. i. 30</A>),
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or if any mischief be done, he shall be suspected as the author of it,
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or at least accessory to it. This <I>devising evil is the thought of
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foolishness,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+24:9"><I>v.</I> 9</A>.
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It is made light of, and turned off with a jest, as only a foolish
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thing, but really it <I>is sin,</I> it is exceedingly sinful; you
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cannot call it by a worse name than to call it <I>sin.</I> It is bad to
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do evil, but it is worse to devise it; for that has in it the subtlety
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and poison of the old serpent. But it may be taken more generally. We
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contract guilt, not only by the act of foolishness, but by the thought
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of it, though it go no further; the first risings of sin in the heart
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are sin, offensive to God, and must be repented of or we are undone.
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Not only malicious, unclean, proud thoughts, but even foolish thoughts,
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are sinful thoughts. If <I>vain thoughts lodge in the heart,</I> they
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defile it
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+4:14">Jer. iv. 14</A>),
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which is a reason why we should <I>keep our hearts with all
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diligence,</I> and harbour no thoughts there which cannot give a good
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account of themselves,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+6:5">Gen. vi. 5</A>.
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(2.) Such as are openly abusive: <I>The scorner,</I> who gives
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ill-language to every body, takes a pleasure in affronting people and
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reflecting upon them, <I>is an abomination to men;</I> none that have
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any sense of honour and virtue will care to keep company with him.
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<I>The seat of the scornful</I> is the <I>pestilential chair</I> (as
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the LXX. calls it,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+1:1">Ps. i. 1</A>),
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which no wise man will come near, for fear of taking the infection.
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Those that strive to make others odious do but make themselves so.</P>
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<A NAME="Pr24_10"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>10 <I>If</I> thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength <I>is</I>
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small.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Note,
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1. In <I>the day of adversity</I> we are apt to <I>faint,</I> to droop
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and be discouraged, to desist from our work, and to despair of relief.
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Our spirits sink, and then our hands hang down and our knees grow
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feeble, and we become unfit for anything. And often those that are most
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cheerful when they are well droop most, and are most dejected, when any
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thing ails them.
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2. This is an evidence that our <I>strength is small,</I> and is a
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means of weakening it more. "It is a sign that thou art not a man of
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any resolution, any firmness of thought, any consideration, any faith
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(for that is the strength of a soul), if thou canst not bear up under
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an afflictive change of thy condition." Some are so feeble that they
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can bear nothing; if a trouble does but <I>touch</I> them
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+4:5">Job iv. 5</A>),
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nay, if it does but threaten them, they faint immediately and are ready
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to give up all for gone; and by this means they render themselves unfit
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to grapple with their trouble and unable to help themselves. <I>Be of
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good courage</I> therefore, <I>and God shall strengthen thy
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heart.</I></P>
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<A NAME="Sec3"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Pleasure and Advantages of Wisdom.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<A NAME="Pr24_11"> </A>
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<A NAME="Pr24_12"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>11 If thou forbear to deliver <I>them that are</I> drawn unto death,
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and <I>those that are</I> ready to be slain;
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12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that
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pondereth the heart consider <I>it?</I> and he that keepeth thy soul,
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doth <I>not</I> he know <I>it?</I> and shall <I>not</I> he render to <I>every</I> man
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according to his works?
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Here is,
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1. A great duty required of us, and that is to appear for the relief of
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oppressed innocency. If we see the lives or livelihoods of any in
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danger of being taken away unjustly, we ought to bestir ourselves all
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we can to save them, by disproving the false accusations on which they
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are condemned and seeking out proofs of their innocency. Though the
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persons be not such as we are under any particular obligation to, we
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must help them, out of a general zeal for justice. If any be set upon
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by force and violence, and it be in our power to rescue them, we ought
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to do it. Nay, if we see any through ignorance exposing themselves to
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danger, or fallen in distress, as travellers upon the road, ships at
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sea, or any the like, it is our duty, though it be with peril to
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ourselves, to hasten with help to them and not <I>forbear to deliver
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them,</I> not to be slack, or remiss, or indifferent, in such a case.
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2. An answer to the excuse that is commonly make for the omission of
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this duty. Thou wilt say, "<I>Behold, we knew it not;</I> we were not
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aware of the imminency of the danger the person was in; we could not be
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sure that he was innocent, nor did we know how to prove his innocence,
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nor which way to do any thing in favour of him, else we would have
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helped him." Now,
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(1.) It is easy to make such an excuse as this, sufficient to avoid the
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censures of men, for perhaps they cannot disprove us when we say, <I>We
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knew it not,</I> or, <I>We forgot;</I> and the temptation to tell a lie
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for the excusing of a fault is very strong when we know that it is
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impossible to be disproved, the truth lying wholly in our own breast,
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as when we say, <I>We thought so and so, and really designed it,</I>
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which no one is conscious of but ourselves.
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(2.) It is not so easy with such excuses to evade the judgment of God;
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and to the discovery of that we lie open and by the determination of
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that we must abide. Now,
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[1.] God <I>ponders the heart and keeps the soul;</I> he keeps an eye
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upon it, observes all the motions of it; its most secret thoughts and
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intents are all naked and open before him. It is his prerogative to do
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so, and that in which he glories.
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+17:10">Jer. xvii. 10</A>,
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<I>I the Lord search the heart.</I> He <I>keeps the soul,</I> holds it
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in life. This is a good reason why we should be tender of the lives of
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others, and do all we can to preserve them, because our lives have been
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precious in the sight of God and he has graciously kept them.
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[2.] He knows and considers whether the excuse we make be true or no,
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whether it was because we did not know it or whether the true reason
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|
was not because we did not love our neighbour as we ought, but were
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|
selfish, and regardless both of God and man. Let this serve to silence
|
|
all our frivolous pleas, by which we think to stop the mouth of
|
|
conscience when it charges us with the omission of plain duty: <I>Does
|
|
not he that ponders the heart consider it?</I>
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[3.] He will judge us accordingly. As his knowledge cannot be imposed
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|
upon, so his justice cannot be biassed, but he will <I>render to every
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|
man according to his works,</I> not only the commission of evil works,
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|
but the omission of good works.</P>
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<A NAME="Pr24_13"> </A>
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<A NAME="Pr24_14"> </A>
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|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>13 My son, eat thou honey, because <I>it is</I> good; and the
|
|
honeycomb, <I>which is</I> sweet to thy taste:
|
|
14 So <I>shall</I> the knowledge of wisdom <I>be</I> unto thy soul: when
|
|
thou hast found <I>it,</I> then there shall be a reward, and thy
|
|
expectation shall not be cut off.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
We are here quickened to the study of wisdom by the consideration both
|
|
of the pleasure and the profit of it.
|
|
|
|
1. It will be very pleasant. We <I>eat honey because it is sweet to the
|
|
taste,</I> and upon that account we call it <I>good,</I> especially
|
|
that which runs first from the <I>honey-comb.</I> Canaan was said to
|
|
flow with milk and honey, and honey was the common food of the country
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Lu+24:41,42">Luke xxiv. 41, 42</A>),
|
|
|
|
even for children,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+7:15">Isa. vii. 15</A>.
|
|
|
|
Thus should we feed upon wisdom, and relish the good instructions of
|
|
it. Those that have tasted honey need no further proof that it is
|
|
sweet, nor can they by any argument be convinced of the contrary; so
|
|
those that have experienced the power of truth and godliness are
|
|
abundantly satisfied of the pleasure of both; they have tasted the
|
|
sweetness of them, and all the atheists in the world with their
|
|
sophistry, and the profane with their banter, cannot alter their
|
|
sentiments.
|
|
|
|
2. It will be very profitable. Honey may be <I>sweet to the taste</I>
|
|
and yet not wholesome, but wisdom has a future recompence attending it,
|
|
as well as a present sweetness in it. "Thou art permitted to <I>eat
|
|
honey,</I> and the agreeableness of it to thy taste invites thee to it;
|
|
but thou hast much more reason to relish and digest the precepts <I>of
|
|
wisdom,</I> for <I>when thou hast found</I> that, <I>there shall be a
|
|
reward;</I> thou shalt be paid for thy pleasure, while the servants of
|
|
sin pay dearly for their pains. Wisdom does indeed set thee to work,
|
|
but <I>there shall be a reward;</I> it does indeed raise great
|
|
expectations in thee, but as thy labour, so thy hope, shall not be in
|
|
vain; <I>thy expectation shall not be cut off</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+23:18"><I>ch.</I> xxiii. 18</A>),
|
|
|
|
nay, it shall be infinitely outdone."</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec4"> </A>
|
|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Cautions against Envy.</I></FONT></TD>
|
|
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
|
|
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
|
|
</TABLE>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Pr24_15"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Pr24_16"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>15 Lay not wait, O wicked <I>man,</I> against the dwelling of the
|
|
righteous; spoil not his resting place:
|
|
16 For a just <I>man</I> falleth seven times, and riseth up again:
|
|
but the wicked shall fall into mischief.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
This is spoken, not so much by way of counsel to wicked men (they will
|
|
not receive instruction,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+23:9"><I>ch.</I> xxiii. 9</A>),
|
|
|
|
but rather in defiance of them, for the encouragement of good people
|
|
that are threatened by them. See here,
|
|
|
|
1. The designs of the wicked against the righteous, and the success
|
|
they promise themselves in those designs. The plot is laid deeply: They
|
|
<I>lay wait against the dwelling of the righteous,</I> thinking to
|
|
charge some iniquity upon it, or compass dome design against it; they
|
|
lie in wait at the door, to catch him when he stirs out, as David's
|
|
persecutors,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+59:1">Ps. lix.</A>
|
|
|
|
<I>title.</I> The hope is raised high; they doubt not but to <I>spoil
|
|
his dwelling-place</I> because he is weak and cannot support it,
|
|
because his condition is low and distressed, and he is almost down
|
|
already. All this is a fruit of the old enmity in the seed of the
|
|
serpent against the seed of the woman. <I>The blood-thirsty hate the
|
|
upright.</I>
|
|
|
|
2. The folly and frustration of these designs
|
|
|
|
(1.) The righteous man, whose ruin was expected, recovers himself. He
|
|
<I>falls seven times</I> into trouble, but, by the blessing of God upon
|
|
his wisdom and integrity, he <I>rises again,</I> sees through his
|
|
troubles and sees better times after them. The <I>just man falls,</I>
|
|
sometimes <I>falls seven times</I> perhaps, into sin, sins of
|
|
infirmity, through the surprise of temptation; but he <I>rises
|
|
again</I> by repentance, finds mercy with God, and regains his peace.
|
|
|
|
(2.) <I>The wicked</I> man, who expected to see his ruin and to help it
|
|
forward, is undone. He <I>falls into mischief;</I> his sins and his
|
|
troubles are his utter destruction.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Pr24_17"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Pr24_18"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>17 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine
|
|
heart be glad when he stumbleth:
|
|
18 Lest the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> see <I>it,</I> and it displease him, and he turn
|
|
away his wrath from him.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
Here,
|
|
|
|
1. The pleasure we are apt to take in the troubles of an enemy is
|
|
forbidden us. If any have done us an ill turn, or if we bear them
|
|
ill-will only because they stand in our light or in our way, when any
|
|
damage comes to them (suppose they fall), or any danger (suppose they
|
|
stumble), our corrupt hearts are too apt to conceive a secret delight
|
|
and satisfaction in it--<I>Aha! so would we have it; they are entangled;
|
|
the wilderness has shut them in</I>--or, as Tyrus said concerning
|
|
Jerusalem
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+26:2">Ezek. xxvi. 2</A>)
|
|
|
|
<I>I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste.</I> "Men hope in the
|
|
ruin of their enemies or rivals to wreak their revenge or to find their
|
|
account; but be not thou so inhuman; <I>rejoice not when</I> the worst
|
|
<I>enemy</I> thou hast <I>falls.</I>" There may be a holy joy in the
|
|
destruction of God's enemies, as it tends to the glory of God and the
|
|
welfare of the church
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+58:10">Ps. lviii. 10</A>);
|
|
|
|
but in the ruin of our enemies, as such, we must by no means rejoice;
|
|
on the contrary, we must weep even with them when they weep (as David,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+35:13,14">Ps. xxxv. 13, 14</A>),
|
|
|
|
and that in sincerity, not so much as letting our hearts be secretly
|
|
glad at their calamities.
|
|
|
|
2. The provocation which that pleasure gives to God is assigned as the
|
|
reason of that prohibition: <I>The Lord</I> will <I>see it,</I> though
|
|
it be hidden in the heart only, <I>and it</I> will <I>displease
|
|
him,</I> as it will displease a prudent father to see one child triumph
|
|
in the correction of another, which he ought to tremble at, and take
|
|
warning by, not knowing how soon it may be his own case, he having so
|
|
often deserved it. Solomon adds an argument <I>ad hominem--addressed to
|
|
the individual:</I> "Thou canst not do a greater kindness to <I>thy
|
|
enemy,</I> when he has fallen, than to rejoice in it; for them, to
|
|
cross thee and vex thee, God will <I>turn his wrath from him;</I> for,
|
|
as <I>the wrath of man works not the righteousness of God,</I> so the
|
|
righteousness of God was never intended to gratify the wrath of man,
|
|
and humour his foolish passions; rather than seem to do that he will
|
|
adjourn the execution of his wrath: nay, it is implied that when he
|
|
<I>turns his wrath from him</I> he will turn it against thee and the
|
|
cup of trembling shall be put into thy hand."</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Pr24_19"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Pr24_20"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>19 Fret not thyself because of evil <I>men,</I> neither be thou
|
|
envious at the wicked;
|
|
20 For there shall be no reward to the evil <I>man;</I> the candle
|
|
of the wicked shall be put out.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
Here,
|
|
|
|
1. He repeats the caution he had before given against envying the
|
|
pleasures and successes of wicked man in their wicked ways. This he
|
|
quotes from his father David,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+37:1">Ps. xxxvii. 1</A>.
|
|
|
|
We must not in any case <I>fret</I> ourselves, or make ourselves
|
|
uneasy, whatever God does in his providence how disagreeable soever it
|
|
is to our sentiments, interests, and expectations, we must acquiesce in
|
|
it. Even that which grieves us must not <I>fret</I> us; nor must our
|
|
eye be evil against any because God is good. Are we more wise or just
|
|
than he? If wicked people prosper, we must not therefore incline to do
|
|
as they do.
|
|
|
|
2. He gives a reason for this caution, taken from the end of that way
|
|
which wicked man walk in. Envy not their prosperity; for,
|
|
|
|
(1.) There is no true happiness in it: <I>Thee shall be no reward to
|
|
the evil man;</I> his prosperity only serves for his present
|
|
subsistence; these are all the good things he must ever expect: there
|
|
is none intended him in the world of retribution. <I>He has his
|
|
reward,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+6:2">Matt. vi. 2</A>.
|
|
|
|
He shall have none. Those are not to be envied that have their portion
|
|
in this life and must out-live it,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+17:14">Ps. xvii. 14</A>.
|
|
|
|
(2.) There is no continuance in it; their <I>candle</I> shines
|
|
brightly, but it shall presently <I>be put out,</I> and a final period
|
|
put to all their comforts,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+21:14,Ps+37:1,2">Job xxi. 14; Ps. xxxvii. 1, 2</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec5"> </A>
|
|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Counsel to Magistrates.</I></FONT></TD>
|
|
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
|
|
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
|
|
</TABLE>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Pr24_21"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Pr24_22"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>21 My son, fear thou the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> and the king: <I>and</I> meddle not
|
|
with them that are given to change:
|
|
22 For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the
|
|
ruin of them both?
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
Note,
|
|
|
|
1. Religion and loyalty must go together. As men, it is our duty to
|
|
honour our Creator, to worship and reverence him, and to be always in
|
|
his fear; as members of a community, incorporated for mutual benefit,
|
|
it is our duty to be faithful and dutiful to the government God has set
|
|
over us,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ro+13:1,2">Rom. xiii. 1, 2</A>.
|
|
|
|
Those that are truly religious will be loyal, in conscience towards
|
|
God; the godly in the land will be the <I>quite in the land;</I> and
|
|
those are not truly loyal, or will be so no longer than is for their
|
|
interest, that are not religious. How should he be true to his prince
|
|
that is false to his God? And, if they come in competition, it is an
|
|
adjudged case, we must <I>obey God rather than men.</I>
|
|
|
|
2. Innovations in both are to be dreaded. Have nothing to do, he does
|
|
not say, with those that <I>change,</I> for there may be cause to
|
|
change for the better, but <I>those that are given to change,</I> that
|
|
affect change for change-sake, out of a peevish discontent with that
|
|
which is and a fondness for novelty, or a desire to fish in troubled
|
|
waters: <I>Meddle not with those that are given to change</I> either in
|
|
religion or in a civil government; <I>come not into their secret;</I>
|
|
join not with them in their cabals, nor enter into the mystery of their
|
|
iniquity.
|
|
|
|
3. Those that are of restless, factious, turbulent spirits, commonly
|
|
pull mischief upon their own heads ere they are aware: <I>Their
|
|
calamity shall rise suddenly.</I> Though they carry on their designs
|
|
with the utmost secresy, they will be discovered, and brought to
|
|
condign punishment, when they little think of it. <I>Who knows</I> the
|
|
time and manner of <I>the ruin</I> which both God and the king will
|
|
bring on their contemners, <I>both</I> on them and those that meddle
|
|
with them?</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Pr24_23"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Pr24_24"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Pr24_25"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Pr24_26"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>23 These <I>things</I> also <I>belong</I> to the wise. <I>It is</I> not good
|
|
to have respect of persons in judgment.
|
|
24 He that saith unto the wicked, Thou <I>art</I> righteous; him
|
|
shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him:
|
|
25 But to them that rebuke <I>him</I> shall be delight, and a good
|
|
blessing shall come upon them.
|
|
26 <I>Every man</I> shall kiss <I>his</I> lips that giveth a right
|
|
answer.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
Here are lessons for <I>wise</I> men, that is, judges and princes. As
|
|
subjects must do their duty, and be obedient to magistrates, so
|
|
magistrates must do their duty in administering justice to their
|
|
subjects, both in pleas of the crown and causes between party and
|
|
party. These are lessons for them.
|
|
|
|
1. They must always weigh the merits of a cause, and not be swayed by
|
|
any regard, one way or other, to the parties concerned: <I>It is not
|
|
good</I> in itself, nor can it ever do well, <I>to have respect of
|
|
persons in judgment;</I> the consequences of it cannot but be the
|
|
perverting of justice and doing wrong under colour of law and equity. A
|
|
good judge will know the truth, not know faces, so as to countenance a
|
|
friend and help him out in a bad cause, or so much as omit any thing
|
|
that can be said or done in favour of a righteous cause, when it is the
|
|
cause of an enemy.
|
|
|
|
2. They must never connive at or encourage wicked people in their
|
|
wicked practices. Magistrates in their places, and ministers in
|
|
theirs, are to deal faithfully and the wicked man, though he be a great
|
|
man or a particular friend, to convict him of his wickedness, to show
|
|
him what will be in the end thereof, to discover him to others, that
|
|
they may avoid him. But if those whose office it is thus to show
|
|
people their transgressions palliate them and connive at them, if they
|
|
excuse the wicked man, much more if they prefer him and associate with
|
|
him (which is, in effect, to say, <I>Thou art righteous</I>), they
|
|
shall justly be looked upon as enemies to the public peace and welfare,
|
|
which they ought to advance, and <I>the people shall curse them</I> and
|
|
cry out shame on them; and even those of other <I>nations shall abhor
|
|
them,</I> as base betrayers of their trust.
|
|
|
|
3. They must discountenance and give check to all fraud, violence,
|
|
injustice, and immorality; and, though thereby they may disoblige a
|
|
particular person, yet they will recommend themselves to the favour of
|
|
God and man. Let magistrates and ministers, and private persons too
|
|
that are capable of doing it, <I>rebuke</I> the wicked, that they may
|
|
bring them to repentance or put them to shame, and they shall have the
|
|
comfort of it in their own bosoms: <I>To them shall be delight,</I>
|
|
when their consciences witness for them that they have been witnesses
|
|
for God; <I>and a good blessing shall come upon them,</I> the blessing
|
|
of God and good men; they shall be deemed religion's patrons and their
|
|
country's patriots. See
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+28:23"><I>ch.</I> xxviii. 23</A>.
|
|
|
|
4. They must always give judgment according to equity
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+24:26"><I>v.</I> 26</A>);
|
|
|
|
they must <I>give a right answer,</I> that is, give their opinion and
|
|
pass sentence according to law and them true merits of the cause; and
|
|
<I>every one shall kiss his lips that</I> does so, that is, shall love
|
|
and honour him, and be subject to his orders, for there is a kiss of
|
|
allegiance as well as of affection. He that in common conversation
|
|
likewise speaks pertinently and with sincerity recommends himself to
|
|
his company and is beloved and respected by all.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Pr24_27"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>27 Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the
|
|
field; and afterwards build thine house.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
This is a rule of prudence in the management of household affairs; for
|
|
all good men should be good husbands, and manage with discretion, which
|
|
would prevent a great deal of sin, and trouble, and disgrace to their
|
|
profession.
|
|
|
|
1. We must prefer necessaries before conveniences, and not lay that out
|
|
for show which should be expended for the support of the family. We
|
|
must be contented with a mean cottage for a habitation, rather than
|
|
want, or go in debt for, food convenient.
|
|
|
|
2. We must not think of building till we can afford it: "First apply
|
|
thyself to <I>thy work without in the field;</I> let thy ground be put
|
|
into good order; look after thy husbandry, for it is that by which thou
|
|
must get; and, when thou hast got well by that, then, and not till
|
|
then, thou mayest think of rebuilding and beautifying <I>thy house,</I>
|
|
for that is it upon which, and in which, thou wilt have occasion to
|
|
spend." Many have ruined their estates and families by laying out money
|
|
on that which brings nothing in, beginning <I>to build</I> when they
|
|
were <I>not able to finish.</I> Some understand it as advice to young
|
|
men not to marry (for by that the house is built) till they have set up
|
|
in the world, and not wherewith to maintain a wife and children
|
|
comfortably.
|
|
|
|
3. When we have any great design on foot it is wisdom to take it before
|
|
us, and make the necessary preparations, before we fall to work, that,
|
|
when it is begun, it may not stand still for want of materials. Solomon
|
|
observed this rule himself in building the house of God; all was made
|
|
ready <I>before it was brought to the ground,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+6:7">1 Kings vi. 7</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Pr24_28"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Pr24_29"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>28 Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and
|
|
deceive <I>not</I> with thy lips.
|
|
29 Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will
|
|
render to the man according to his work.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
We are here forbidden to be in any thing injurious to our neighbour,
|
|
particularly in and by the forms of law, either,
|
|
|
|
1. As <I>a witness:</I> "Never bear a testimony against any man
|
|
<I>without cause,</I> unless what thou sayest thou knowest to be
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|
punctually true and thou hast a clear call to testify it. Never bear a
|
|
false testimony against any one;" for it follows, "<I>Deceive not with
|
|
thy lips;</I> deceive not the judge and jury, deceive not those whom
|
|
thou conversest with, into an ill opinion of thy neighbour. When thou
|
|
speakest of thy neighbour do not only speak that which is true, but
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|
take heed lest, in the manner of thy speaking, thou insinuate any thing
|
|
that is otherwise and so shouldst deceive by innuendos or hyperboles."
|
|
Or,
|
|
|
|
2. As a plaintiff or prosecutor. If there be occasion to bring an
|
|
action or information against thy neighbour, let it not be from a
|
|
spirit of revenge. "<I>Say not,</I> I am resolved I will be even with
|
|
him: <I>I will do so to him as he had done to me.</I>" Even a righteous
|
|
cause becomes unrighteous when it is thus prosecuted with malice.
|
|
<I>Say not, I will render to the man according to his work,</I> and
|
|
make him pay dearly for it; for it is God's prerogative to do so, and
|
|
we must leave it to him, and not step into his throne, or take his work
|
|
out of his hands. If we will needs be our own carvers, and judges in
|
|
our own cause, we forfeit the benefit of an appeal to God's tribunal;
|
|
therefore we must not avenge ourselves, because he has said,
|
|
<I>Vengeance is mine.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec6"> </A>
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|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Vineyard of the Slothful.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
|
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</TABLE>
|
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<A NAME="Pr24_30"> </A>
|
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<A NAME="Pr24_31"> </A>
|
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<A NAME="Pr24_32"> </A>
|
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<A NAME="Pr24_33"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Pr24_34"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>30 I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of
|
|
the man void of understanding;
|
|
31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, <I>and</I> nettles
|
|
had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was
|
|
broken down.
|
|
32 Then I saw, <I>and</I> considered <I>it</I> well: I looked upon <I>it,
|
|
and</I> received instruction.
|
|
33 <I>Yet</I> a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of
|
|
the hands to sleep:
|
|
34 So shall thy poverty come <I>as</I> one that travelleth; and thy
|
|
want as an armed man.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
Here is,
|
|
|
|
1. The view which Solomon took of <I>the field and vineyard of the
|
|
slothful</I> man. He did not go on purpose to see it, but, as he passed
|
|
by, observing the fruitfulness of the ground, as it is very proper for
|
|
travellers to do, and his subjects' management of their land, as it is
|
|
very proper for magistrates to do, he cast his eye upon a <I>field</I>
|
|
and a <I>vineyard</I> unlike all the rest; for, though the soil was
|
|
good, yet there was nothing growing in them but <I>thorns and
|
|
nettles,</I> not here and there one, but they were all overrun with
|
|
weeds; and, if there had been any fruit, it would have been eaten up by
|
|
the beasts, for there was no fence: <I>The stone-wall was broken
|
|
down</I> See the effects of that curse upon the ground
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+3:18">Gen. iii. 18</A>),
|
|
|
|
"<I>Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth unto thee,</I> and nothing
|
|
else unless thou take pains with it." See what a blessing to the world
|
|
the husbandman's calling is, and what a wilderness this earth, even
|
|
Canaan itself, would be without it. <I>The king himself is served of
|
|
the field,</I> but he would be ill served if God did not teach the
|
|
husbandman discretion and diligence to clear the ground, plant it, sow
|
|
it, and fence it. See what a great difference there is between some and
|
|
others in the management even of their worldly affairs, and how little
|
|
some consult their reputation, not caring though they proclaim their
|
|
slothfulness, in the manifest effects of it, to all that pass by,
|
|
shamed by their neighbour's diligence.
|
|
|
|
2. The reflections which he made upon it. He paused a little <I>and
|
|
considered it, looked</I> again <I>upon it, and received
|
|
instruction.</I> He did not break out into any passionate censures of
|
|
the owner, did not call him any ill names, but he endeavoured himself
|
|
to get good by the observation and to be quickened by it to diligence.
|
|
Note, Those that are to give instruction to others must receive
|
|
instruction themselves, and instruction may be received, not only from
|
|
what we read and hear, but from what we see, not only from what we see
|
|
of the works of God, but from what we see of the manners of man, not
|
|
only from men's good manners, but from their evil manners. Plutarch
|
|
relates a saying of Cato Major, "That wise men profit more by fools
|
|
than fools by wise men; for wise men will avoid the faults of fools,
|
|
but fools will not imitate the virtues of wise men." Solomon reckoned
|
|
that he <I>received instruction</I> by this sight, though it did not
|
|
suggest to him any new notion or lesson, but only put him in mind of an
|
|
observation he himself had formerly made, both of the ridiculous folly
|
|
of the sluggard (who, when he has needful work to do, lies dozing in
|
|
bed and cries, <I>Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,</I> and still
|
|
it will be a little more, till he has slept his eyes out, and, instead
|
|
of being fitted by sleep for business, as wise men are, he is dulled,
|
|
and stupefied, and made good for nothing) and of certain misery that
|
|
attends him: his <I>poverty comes as one that travels;</I> it is
|
|
constantly coming nearer and nearer to him, and will be upon him
|
|
speedily, and want seizes him as irresistibly <I>as an armed man,</I> a
|
|
highwayman that will strip him of all he has. Now this is applicable,
|
|
not only to our worldly business, to show what a scandalous thing
|
|
slothfulness in that is, and how injurious to the family, but to the
|
|
affairs of our souls. Note,
|
|
|
|
(1.) Our souls are our fields and vineyards, which we are every one of
|
|
us to take care of, to dress, and to keep. They are capable of being
|
|
improved with good husbandry; that may be got out of them which will be
|
|
fruit abounding to our account. We are charged with them, to occupy
|
|
them till our Lord come; and a great deal of care and pains it is
|
|
requisite that we should take about them.
|
|
|
|
(2.) These fields and vineyards are often in a very bad state, not only
|
|
no fruit brought forth, but all overgrown with <I>thorns</I> and
|
|
<I>nettles</I> (scratching, stinging, inordinate lusts and passions,
|
|
pride, covetousness, sensuality, malice, those are the thorns and
|
|
nettles, the wild grapes, which the unsanctified heart produces), no
|
|
guard kept against the enemy, but the <I>stone-wall broken down,</I>
|
|
and all lies in common, all exposed.
|
|
|
|
(3.) Where it is thus it is owing to the sinner's own slothfulness and
|
|
folly. He is a sluggard, loves sleep, hates labour; and he is void of
|
|
understanding, understands neither his business nor his interest; he is
|
|
perfectly besotted.
|
|
|
|
(4.) The issue of it will certainly be the ruin of the soul and all its
|
|
welfare. It is everlasting want that thus comes upon it as an armed
|
|
man. We know the place assigned to the wicked and slothful servant.</P>
|
|
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|
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