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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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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. XXVII.</FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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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>Miscellaneous Maxims.</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="Pr27_1"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a
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day may bring forth.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Here is,
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1. A good caution against presuming upon time to come: <I>Boast not
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thyself,</I> no, not <I>of to-morrow,</I> much less of many days or
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years to come. This does not forbid preparing for to-morrow, but
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presuming upon to-morrow. We must not promise ourselves the continuance
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of our lives and comforts till to-morrow, but speak of it with
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submission to the will of God and as those who with good reason are
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kept at uncertainty about it. We must not <I>take thought for the
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morrow</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+6:34">Matt. vi. 34</A>),
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but we must cast our care concerning it upon God. See
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jam+4:13-15">James iv. 13-15</A>.
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We must not put off the great work of conversion, that one thing
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needful, till to-morrow, as if we were sure of it, <I>but to-day, while
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it is called to-day,</I> hear God's voice.
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2. A good consideration, upon which this caution is grounded: <I>We
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know not what a day may bring forth,</I> what event may be in the
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teeming womb, of time; it is a secret till it is born,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ec+11:5">Eccl. xi. 5</A>.
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A little time may produce considerable changes, and such as we little
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think of. We <I>know not what</I> the present <I>day may bring
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forth;</I> the evening must commend it. <I>Nescis quid serus vesper
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vehat--Thou knowest not what the close of evening may bring with
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it.</I> God has wisely kept us in the dark concerning future events,
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and reserved to himself the knowledge of them, as a flower of the
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crown, that he may train us up in a dependence upon himself and a
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continued readiness for every event,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ac+1:7">Acts i. 7</A>.</P>
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<A NAME="Pr27_2"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>2 Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a
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stranger, and not thine own lips.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Note,
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1. We must do that which is commendable, for which even strangers may
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praise us. Our <I>light</I> must <I>shine before men,</I> and we must
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do good works that may be seen, though we must not do them on purpose
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that they may be seen. Let our own works be such as will praise us,
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even <I>in the gates,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Php+4:8">Phil. iv. 8</A>.
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2. When we have done it we must not commend ourselves, for that is an
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evidence of pride, folly, and self-love, and a great lessening to a
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man's reputation. Every one will be forward to run him down that cries
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himself up. There may be a just occasion for us to vindicate ourselves,
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but it does not become us to applaud ourselves. <I>Proprio laus sordet
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in ore--Self-praise defiles the mouth.</I></P>
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<A NAME="Pr27_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="Pr27_4"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>3 A stone <I>is</I> heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath
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<I>is</I> heavier than them both.
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4 Wrath <I>is</I> cruel, and anger <I>is</I> outrageous; but who <I>is</I>
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able to stand before envy?
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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These two verses show the intolerable mischief,
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1. Of ungoverned passion. The wrath of a fool, who when he is provoked
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cares not what he says and does, is more grievous than a great stone or
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a load of sand. It lies heavily upon himself. Those who have no
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command of their passions do themselves even sink under the load of
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them. The wrath of a fool lies heavily upon those he is enraged at, to
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whom, in his fury, he will be in danger of doing some mischief. It is
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therefore our wisdom not to give provocation to a fool, but, if he be
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in a passion, to get out of his way.
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2. Of rooted malice, which is as much worse than the former as coals of
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juniper are worse than a fire of thorns. <I>Wrath</I> (it is true)
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<I>is cruel,</I> and does many a barbarous thing, <I>and anger is
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outrageous;</I> but a secret enmity at the person of another, an envy
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at his prosperity, and a desire of revenge for some injury or affront,
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are much more mischievous. One may avoid a sudden heat, as David
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escaped Saul's javelin, but when it grows, as Saul's did, to a settled
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envy, there is no <I>standing before it;</I> it will pursue; it will
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overtake. He that grieves at the good of another will be still
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contriving to do him hurt, and will keep his anger for ever.</P>
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<A NAME="Pr27_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="Pr27_6"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>5 Open rebuke <I>is</I> better than secret love.
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6 Faithful <I>are</I> the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an
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enemy <I>are</I> deceitful.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Note,
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1. It is good for us to be reproved, and told of our faults, by our
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friends. If true love in the heart has but zeal and courage enough to
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show itself in dealing plainly with our friends, and reproving them for
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what they say and do amiss, this is really <I>better,</I> not only than
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secret hatred (as
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Le+19:17">Lev. xix. 17</A>),
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but <I>than secret love,</I> that love to our neighbours which does not
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show itself in this good fruit, which compliments them in their sins,
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to the prejudice of their souls. <I>Faithful are the reproofs of a
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friend,</I> though for the present they are painful as <I>wounds.</I>
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It is a sign that our friends are faithful indeed if, in love to our
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souls, they will not suffer sin upon us, nor let us alone in it. The
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physician's care is to cure the patient's disease, not to please his
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palate.
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2. It is dangerous to be caressed and flattered by <I>an enemy,</I>
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whose <I>kisses are deceitful</I> We can take no pleasure in them
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because we can put no confidence in them (Joab's kiss and Judas's were
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deceitful), and therefore we have need to stand upon our guard, that we
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be not deluded by them; they are to be deprecated. Some read it: <I>The
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Lord deliver us from an enemy's kisses, from lying lips, and from a
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deceitful tongue.</I></P>
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<A NAME="Pr27_7"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>7 The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul
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every bitter thing is sweet.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Solomon here, as often in this book, shows that the poor have in some
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respects the advantage of the rich; for,
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1. They have a better relish of their enjoyments than the rich have.
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Hunger is the best sauce. Coarse fare, with a good appetite to it has
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a sensible pleasantness in it, which those are strangers to whose
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hearts are <I>overcharged with surfeiting.</I> Those that fare
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sumptuously every day nauseate even delicate food, as the Israelites
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did the quails; whereas those that have no more than their necessary
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food, though it be such as <I>the full soul</I> would call
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<I>bitter,</I> to them it <I>is sweet;</I> they eat it with pleasure,
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digest it, and are refreshed by it.
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2. They are more thankful for their enjoyments: <I>The hungry</I> will
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bless God for bread and water, while those that are <I>full</I> think
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the greatest dainties and varieties scarcely worth giving thanks for.
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The virgin Mary seems to refer to this when she says
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Lu+1:53">Luke i. 53</A>),
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<I>The hungry,</I> who know how to value God's blessings, <I>are filled
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with good things,</I> but <I>the rich,</I> who despise them, are justly
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<I>sent empty away.</I></P>
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<A NAME="Pr27_8"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>8 As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so <I>is</I> a man that
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wandereth from his place.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Note,
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1. There are many that do not know when they are well off, but are
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uneasy with their present condition, and given to change. God, in his
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providence, has appointed them a place fit for them and has made it
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comfortable to them; but they affect unsettledness; they love to
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wander; they are glad of a pretence to go abroad, and do not care for
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staying long at a place; they needlessly absent themselves from their
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own work and care, and meddle with that which belongs not to them.
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2. Those that thus desert the post assigned to them are like <I>a bird
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that wanders from her nest.</I> It is an instance of their folly; they
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are like a silly bird; they are always wavering, like the wandering
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bird that hops from bough to bough and rests nowhere. It is unsafe; the
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bird that wanders is exposed; a man's place is his castle; he that
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quits it makes himself an easy prey to the fowler. When the bird
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wanders from her nest the eggs and young ones there are neglected.
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Those that love to be abroad leave their work at home undone. <I>Let
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every man therefore, in the calling wherein he is called, therein
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abide,</I> therein abide <I>with God.</I></P>
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<A NAME="Pr27_9"> </A>
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<A NAME="Pr27_10"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>9 Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so <I>doth</I> the
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sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel.
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10 Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not;
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neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity:
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<I>for</I> better <I>is</I> a neighbour <I>that is</I> near than a brother far
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off.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Here is,
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1. A charge given to be faithful and constant to our friends, our old
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friends, to keep up an intimacy with them, and to be ready to do them
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all the offices that lie in our power. It is good to have a friend, a
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bosom-friend, whom we can be free with, and with whom we may
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communicate counsels. It is not necessary that this friend should be a
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relation, or any way akin to us, though it is happiest when, among
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those who are so, we find one fit to make a friend of. Peter and Andrew
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were brethren, so were James and John; yet Solomon frequently
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distinguishes between a friend and a brother. But it is advisable to
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choose a friend among our neighbours who live near us, that
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acquaintance may be kept up and kindnesses the more frequently
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interchanged. It is good also to have a special respect to those who
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have been friends to our family: "<I>Thy own friend,</I> especially if
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he have been <I>thy father's friend, forsake not;</I> fail not both to
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serve him and to use him, as there is occasion. He is a tried friend;
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he knows thy affairs; he has a particular concern for thee; therefore
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be advised by him." It is a duty we owe to our parents, when they are
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gone, to love their friends and consult with them. Solomon's son undid
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himself by forsaking the counsel of his father's friends.
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2. A good reason given why we should thus value true friendship and be
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choice of it.
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(1.) Because of the pleasure of it. There is a great deal of
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<I>sweetness</I> in conversing and consulting with a cordial friend. It
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is like <I>ointment and perfume,</I> which are very grateful to the
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smell, and exhilarate the spirits. It <I>rejoices the heart;</I> the
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burden of care is made lighter by unbosoming ourselves to our friend,
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and it is a great satisfaction to us to have his sentiments concerning
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our affairs. <I>The sweetness of</I> friendship lies not in hearty
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mirth, and hearty laughter, but in <I>hearty counsel,</I> faithful
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advice, sincerely given and without flattery, <I>by counsel of the
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soul</I> (so the word is), counsel which reaches the case, and comes to
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the heart, counsel about soul-concerns,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+66:16">Ps. lxvi. 16</A>.
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We should reckon that the most pleasant conversation which is about
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spiritual things, and promotes the prosperity of the soul.
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(2.) Because of the profit and advantage of it, especially in a <I>day
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of calamity.</I> We are here advised not to go into a <I>brother's
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house,</I> not to expect relief from a kinsman merely for kindred-sake,
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for the obligation of that commonly goes little further than calling
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cousin and fails when it comes to the trial of a real kindness, but
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rather to apply ourselves to our neighbours, who are at hand, and will
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be ready to help us at an exigence. It is wisdom to oblige them by
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being neighbourly, and we shall have the benefit of it in distress, by
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finding them so to us,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+18:24"><I>ch.</I> xviii. 24</A>.</P>
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<A NAME="Pr27_11"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>11 My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer
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him that reproacheth me.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Children are here exhorted to be wise and good,
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1. That they may be a comfort to their parents and may <I>make their
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hearts glad,</I> even when <I>the evil days come,</I> and so recompense
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them for their care,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+23:15"><I>ch.</I> xxiii. 15</A>.
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2. That they may be a credit to them: "<I>That I may answer him that
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reproaches me</I> with having been over-strict and severe in bringing
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up my children, and having taken a wrong method with them in
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restraining them from the liberties which other young people take.
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<I>My son, be wise,</I> and then it will appear, in the effect, that I
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went the wisest way to work with my children." Those that have been
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blessed with a religious education should in every thing conduct
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themselves so as to be a credit to their education and to silence those
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who say, <I>A young saint, an old devil;</I> and to prove the contrary,
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<I>A young saint, an old angel.</I></P>
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<A NAME="Pr27_12"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>12 A prudent <I>man</I> foreseeth the evil, <I>and</I> hideth himself;
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<I>but</I> the simple pass on, <I>and</I> are punished.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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This we had before,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+22:3"><I>ch.</I> xxii. 3</A>.
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Note,
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1. Evil may be foreseen. Where there is temptation, it is easy to
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foresee that if we thrust ourselves into it there will be sin, and as
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easy to foresee that if we venture upon the evil of sin there will
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follow the evil of punishment; and, commonly, God warns before he
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wounds, having <I>set watchmen over us,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+6:17">Jer. vi. 17</A>.
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2. It will be well or ill with us according as we do or do not improve
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the foresight we have of evil before us: The <I>prudent man, foreseeing
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the evil,</I> forecasts accordingly, <I>and hides himself, but the
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simple</I> is either so dull that he does not foresee it or so wilful
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and slothful that he will take no care to avoid it, and so he <I>passes
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on</I> securely <I>and is punished.</I> We do well for ourselves when
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we provide for hereafter.</P>
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<A NAME="Pr27_13"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>13 Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a
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pledge of him for a strange woman.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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This also we had before,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+20:16"><I>ch.</I> xx. 16</A>.
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1. It shows who those are that are hastening to poverty, those that
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have so little consideration as to be bound for every body that will
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ask them and those that are given to women. Such as these will take up
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money as far as ever their credit will go, but they will certainly
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cheat their creditors at last, nay, they are cheating them all along.
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An honest man may be made a beggar, but he is not honest that makes
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himself one.
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2. It advises us to be so discreet in ordering our affairs as not to
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lend money to those who are manifestly wasting their estates, unless
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they give very good security for it. Foolish lending is injustice to
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our families. He does not say, "Get another to be bound with him," for
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he that makes himself a common voucher will have those to be his
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security who are as insolvent as himself; therefore <I>take his
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garment.</I></P>
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<A NAME="Pr27_14"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>14 He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early
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in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
|
|
|
|
Note,
|
|
|
|
1. It is a great folly to be extravagant in praising even the best of
|
|
our friends and benefactors. It is our duty to give every one his due
|
|
praise, to applaud those who excel in knowledge, virtue, and
|
|
usefulness, and to acknowledge the kindnesses we have received with
|
|
thankfulness; but to do this <I>with a loud voice, rising early in the
|
|
morning,</I> to be always harping on this string, in all companies,
|
|
even to our friend's face, or so as that he may be sure to hear it, to
|
|
do it studiously, as we do that which we rise early to, to magnify the
|
|
merits of our friend above measure and with hyperboles, is fulsome, and
|
|
nauseous, and savours of hypocrisy and design. Praising men for what
|
|
they have done is only to get more out of them; and every body
|
|
concludes the parasite hopes to be well paid for his panegyric or
|
|
epistle dedicatory. We must not give that praise to our friend which is
|
|
due to God only, as some think is intimated in <I>rising early</I> to
|
|
do it; for in the morning God is to be praised. We must not <I>make
|
|
too much haste to praise men</I> (so some understand it), not cry up
|
|
men too soon for their abilities and performances, but let them first
|
|
be proved; lest they be lifted up with pride, and laid to sleep in
|
|
idleness.
|
|
|
|
2. It is a greater folly to be fond of being ourselves extravagantly
|
|
praised. A wise man rather counts it <I>a curse,</I> and a reflection
|
|
upon him, not only designed to pick his pocket, but which may really
|
|
turn to his prejudice. Modest praises (as a great man observes) invite
|
|
such as are present to add to the commendation, but immodest immoderate
|
|
praises tempt them to detract rather, and to censure one that they hear
|
|
over-commended. And, besides, over-praising a man makes him the object
|
|
of envy; every man puts in for a share of reputation, and therefore
|
|
reckons himself injured if another monopolize it or have more given him
|
|
than his share. And the greatest danger of all is that it is a
|
|
temptation to pride; men are apt to think of themselves above what is
|
|
meet when others speak of them above what is meet. See how careful
|
|
blessed Paul was not to be over-valued,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Co+12:6">2 Cor. xii. 6</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Pr27_15"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Pr27_16"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>15 A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious
|
|
woman are alike.
|
|
16 Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of
|
|
his right hand, <I>which</I> bewrayeth <I>itself.</I>
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
Here, as before, Solomon laments the case of him that has a peevish
|
|
passionate wife, that is continually chiding, and making herself and
|
|
all about her uneasy.
|
|
|
|
1. It is a grievance that there is no avoiding, for it is like <I>a
|
|
continual dropping in a very rainy day.</I> The contentions of a
|
|
neighbour may be like a sharp shower, troublesome for the time, yet,
|
|
while it lasts, one may take shelter; but <I>the contentions of a
|
|
wife</I> are like a constant soaking rain, for which there is no remedy
|
|
but patience See
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+19:13"><I>ch.</I> xix. 13</A>.
|
|
|
|
2. It is a grievance that there is no concealing. A wise man would hide
|
|
it if he could, for the sake both of his own and his wife's reputation,
|
|
but he cannot, any more than he can conceal the noise of the wind when
|
|
it blows or the smell of a strong perfume. Those that are froward and
|
|
brawling will proclaim their own shame, even when their friends, in
|
|
kindness to them, would cover it.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Pr27_17"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of
|
|
his friend.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
This intimates both the pleasure and the advantage of conversation. One
|
|
man is nobody; nor will poring upon a book in a corner accomplish a man
|
|
as the reading and studying of men will. Wise and profitable discourse
|
|
sharpens men's wits; and those that have ever so much knowledge may by
|
|
conference have something added to them. It sharpens men's looks, and,
|
|
by cheering the spirits, puts a briskness and liveliness into the
|
|
countenance, and gives a man such an air as shows he is pleased himself
|
|
and makes him pleasing to those about him. Good men's graces are
|
|
sharpened by converse with those that are good, and bad men's lusts and
|
|
passions are sharpened by converse with those that are bad, as iron is
|
|
sharpened by its like, especially by the file. Men are filed, made
|
|
smooth, and bright, and fit for business (who were rough, and dull, and
|
|
inactive), by conversation. This is designed,
|
|
|
|
1. To recommend to us this expedient for sharpening ourselves, but with
|
|
a caution to take heed whom we choose to converse with, because the
|
|
influence upon us is so great either for the better or for the worse.
|
|
|
|
2. To direct us what we must have in our eye in conversation, namely to
|
|
improve both others and ourselves, not to pass away time or banter one
|
|
another, but to <I>provoke one another to love and to good works</I>
|
|
and so to make one another wiser and better.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Pr27_18"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>18 Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so
|
|
he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
This is designed to encourage diligence, faithfulness, and constancy,
|
|
even in mean employments. Though the calling be laborious and
|
|
despicable, yet those who keep to it will find there is something to be
|
|
got by it.
|
|
|
|
1. Let not a poor gardener, who <I>keeps the fig-tree,</I> be
|
|
discouraged; though it require constant care and attendance to nurse up
|
|
fig-trees, and, when they have grown to maturity, to keep them in good
|
|
order, and gather the figs in their season, yet he shall be paid for
|
|
his pains: He <I>shall eat the fruit</I> of it,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Co+9:7">1 Cor. ix. 7</A>.
|
|
|
|
2. Nay, let not a poor servant think himself incapable of thriving and
|
|
being preferred; for if he be diligent in <I>waiting on his master,</I>
|
|
observant of him and obedient to him, if <I>he keep his master</I> (so
|
|
the word is), if he do all he can for the securing of his person and
|
|
reputation and take care that his estate be not wasted or damaged, such
|
|
a one <I>shall be honoured,</I> shall not only get a good word, but be
|
|
preferred and rewarded. God is a Master who has engaged to put an
|
|
honour on those that serve him faithfully,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Joh+12:26">John xii. 26</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Pr27_19"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>19 As in water face <I>answereth</I> to face, so the heart of man to
|
|
man.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
This shows us that there is a way,
|
|
|
|
1. Of knowing ourselves. As the water is a looking-glass in which we
|
|
may see our faces by reflection, so there are mirrors by which the
|
|
<I>heart of a man</I> is discovered to <I>a man,</I> that is, to
|
|
himself. Let a man examine his own conscience, his thoughts,
|
|
affections, and intentions. Let him behold his <I>natural face in the
|
|
glass</I> of the divine law
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jam+1:23">Jam. i. 23</A>),
|
|
|
|
and he may discern what kind of man he is and what is his true
|
|
character, which it will be of great use to every man rightly to know.
|
|
|
|
2. Of knowing one another by ourselves; for, as there is a similitude
|
|
between the face of a man and the reflection of it in the water, so
|
|
there is between one man's heart and another's for God has fashioned
|
|
men's hearts alike; and in many cases we may judge of others by
|
|
ourselves, which is one of the foundations on which that rule is built
|
|
of doing to others as we would be done by,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+23:9">Exod. xxiii. 9</A>.
|
|
|
|
<I>Nihil est unum uni tam simile, tam par, quam omnes inter nosmet
|
|
ipsos sumus. Sui nemo ipse tam similis quam omnes sunt omnium--No one
|
|
thing is so like another as man is to man. No person is so like himself
|
|
as each person is to all besides. Cic. de Legib. lib.</I>
|
|
|
|
1. One corrupt heart is like another, and so is one sanctified heart,
|
|
for the former bears the same image of the earthy, the latter the same
|
|
image of the heavenly.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Pr27_20"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>20 Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are
|
|
never satisfied.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
Two things are here said to be insatiable, and they are two things near
|
|
of kin--death and sin.
|
|
|
|
1. Death is insatiable. The first death, the second death, both are so.
|
|
The grave is not clogged with the multitude of dead bodies that are
|
|
daily thrown into it, but is still an <I>open sepulchre,</I> and cries,
|
|
<I>Give, give.</I> Hell also has enlarged itself, and still has room
|
|
for the damned spirits that are committed to that prison. <I>Tophet is
|
|
deep and large,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+30:33">Isa. xxx. 33</A>.
|
|
|
|
2. Sin is insatiable: <I>The eyes of man are never satisfied,</I> nor
|
|
the appetites of the carnal mind towards profit or pleasure. The <I>eye
|
|
is not satisfied with seeing,</I> nor is he the <I>loves silver
|
|
satisfied with silver.</I> Men labour for that which surfeits, but
|
|
satisfies not; nay, it is dissatisfying; but satisfies not; nay, it is
|
|
dissatisfying; such a perpetual uneasiness have men justly been doomed
|
|
to ever since our first parents were not satisfied with all the trees
|
|
of Eden, but they must meddle with the forbidden tree. Those whose
|
|
eyes are ever toward the Lord in him are satisfied, and shall for ever
|
|
be so.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Pr27_21"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>21 <I>As</I> the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so
|
|
<I>is</I> a man to his praise.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
This gives us a touchstone by which we may try ourselves. Silver and
|
|
gold are tried by putting them into the furnace and fining-pot; so is
|
|
man tried by praising him. Let him be extolled and preferred, and then
|
|
he will show himself what he is.
|
|
|
|
1. If a man be made, by the applause that is given him, proud,
|
|
conceited, and scornful,--if he take the glory to himself which he
|
|
should transmit to God, as Herod did,--if, the more he is praised, the
|
|
more careless he is of what he says and does,--if he <I>lie in bed till
|
|
noon</I> because <I>his name is up,</I> thereby it will appear that he
|
|
is a vain foolish man, and a man who, though he be praised, has nothing
|
|
in him truly praise-worthy.
|
|
|
|
2. If, on the contrary, a man is made by his praise more thankful to
|
|
God, more respectful to his friends, more watchful against every thing
|
|
that may blemish his reputation, more diligent to improve himself, and
|
|
do good to others, that he may answer the expectations of his friends
|
|
from him, by this it will appear that he is a wise and good man. He has
|
|
a good temper of mind who knows how to pass by evil report and good
|
|
report, and is still the same,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Co+6:8">2 Cor. vi. 8</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Pr27_22"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>22 Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat
|
|
with a pestle, <I>yet</I> will not his foolishness depart from him.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
Solomon had said
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+22:15"><I>ch.</I> xxii. 15</A>),
|
|
|
|
<I>The foolishness</I> which <I>is bound in the heart of a child may be
|
|
driven out by the rod of correction,</I> for then the mind is to be
|
|
moulded, the vicious habits not having taken root; but here he shows
|
|
that, if it be not done then, it will be next to impossible to do it
|
|
afterwards; if the disease be inveterate, there is a danger of its
|
|
being incurable. <I>Can the Ethiopian change his skin?</I> Observe,
|
|
|
|
1. Some are so bad that rough and severe methods must be used with
|
|
them, after gentle means have been tried in vain; they must be
|
|
<I>brayed in a mortar.</I> God will take this way with them by his
|
|
judgments; the magistrates must take this way with them by the rigour
|
|
of the law. Force must be used with those that will not be ruled by
|
|
reason, and love, and their own interest.
|
|
|
|
2. Some are so incorrigibly bad that even those rough and severe
|
|
methods do not answer the end, their <I>foolishness will not depart
|
|
from them,</I> so fully are their <I>hearts set in them to do evil;</I>
|
|
they are often under the rod and yet not humbled, in the furnace and
|
|
yet not refined, but, like Ahaz, trespass yet more
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+28:22">2 Chron. xxviii. 22</A>);
|
|
|
|
and what remains then but that they should be rejected as reprobate
|
|
silver?</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
|
|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Reward of Prudence.</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="Pr27_23"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Pr27_24"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Pr27_25"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Pr27_26"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Pr27_27"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, <I>and</I> look
|
|
well to thy herds.
|
|
24 For riches <I>are</I> not for ever: and doth the crown <I>endure</I>
|
|
to every generation?
|
|
25 The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and
|
|
herbs of the mountains are gathered.
|
|
26 The lambs <I>are</I> for thy clothing, and the goats <I>are</I> the
|
|
price of the field.
|
|
27 And <I>thou shalt have</I> goats' milk enough for thy food, for
|
|
the food of thy household, and <I>for</I> the maintenance for thy
|
|
maidens.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
Here is,
|
|
|
|
I. A command given us to be diligent in our callings. It is directed to
|
|
husbandmen and shepherds, and those that deal in cattle, but it is to
|
|
be extended to all other lawful callings; whatever our business is,
|
|
within doors or without, we must apply our minds to it. This command
|
|
intimates,
|
|
|
|
1. That we ought to have some business to do in this world and not to
|
|
live in idleness.
|
|
|
|
2. We ought rightly and fully to understand our business, and know what
|
|
we have to do, and not meddle with that which we do not understand.
|
|
|
|
3. We ought to have an eye to it ourselves, and not turn over all the
|
|
care of it to others. We should, with our own eyes, inspect the
|
|
<I>state of our flocks,</I> it is the master's eye that makes them fat.
|
|
|
|
4. We must be discreet and considerate in the management of our
|
|
business, <I>know the state</I> of things, and <I>look well</I> to
|
|
them, that nothing may be lost, no opportunity let slip, but every
|
|
thing done in proper time and order, and so as to turn to the best
|
|
advantage.
|
|
|
|
5. We must be <I>diligent</I> and take pains; not only sit down and
|
|
contrive, but be up and doing: "Set thy heart to thy herds, as one in
|
|
care; lay thy hands, lay thy bones, to thy business."</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
II. The reasons to enforce this command. Consider,</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
1. The uncertainty of worldly wealth
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+27:24"><I>v.</I> 24</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>Riches are not for ever.</I>
|
|
|
|
(1.) Other riches are not so durable as these are: "<I>Look well to thy
|
|
flocks and herds,</I> thy estate in the country and the stock upon
|
|
that, for these are staple commodities, which, in a succession, will be
|
|
for ever, whereas riches in trade and merchandise will not be so; the
|
|
<I>crown</I> itself may perhaps not be so sure to thy family as thy
|
|
flocks and herds."
|
|
|
|
(2.) Even these riches will go to decay if they be not well looked
|
|
after. If a man had <I>an abbey</I> (as we say), and were slothful and
|
|
wasteful, he might make an end of it. Even the crown and the revenues
|
|
of it, if care be not taken, will suffer damage, nor will it
|
|
<I>continue to every generation</I> without very good management.
|
|
Though David had the crown entailed on his family, yet he <I>looked
|
|
well to his flocks,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ch+27:29,31">1 Chron. xxvii. 29, 31</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
2. The bounty and liberality of nature, or rather of the God of nature,
|
|
and his providence
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+27:25"><I>v.</I> 25</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>The hay appears.</I> In taking care of the <I>flocks and herds,</I>
|
|
|
|
(1.) "There needs no great labour, no ploughing or sowing; the food for
|
|
them is the spontaneous product of the ground; thou hast nothing to do
|
|
but to turn them into it in the summer, <I>when the grass shows
|
|
itself,</I> and to <I>gather the herbs of the mountains</I> for them
|
|
against winter. God has done his part; thou art ungrateful to him, and
|
|
unjustly refusest to serve his providence, if thou dost not do thine."
|
|
|
|
(2.) "There is an opportunity to be observed and improved, a time when
|
|
<I>the hay appears;</I> but, if thou let slip that time, thy flocks and
|
|
herds will fare the worse for it. As for ourselves, so for our cattle,
|
|
we ought, with the ant, to provide meat in summer."</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
3. The profit of good husbandry in a family: "Keep thy sheep, and thy
|
|
sheep will help to keep thee; thou shalt have food for thy children and
|
|
servants, <I>goats' milk enough</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+27:27"><I>v.</I> 27</A>);
|
|
|
|
and <I>enough is as good as a feast.</I> Thou shalt have raiment
|
|
likewise: the <I>lambs' wool shall be for thy clothing.</I> Thou shalt
|
|
have money to pay thy rent; the goats thou shalt have to sell shall be
|
|
<I>the price of thy field;</I>" nay, as some understand it, "<I>Thou
|
|
shalt become a purchaser,</I> and buy land to leave to thy children,"
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+27:26"><I>v.</I> 26</A>).
|
|
|
|
Note,
|
|
|
|
(1.) If we have food and raiment, and wherewithal to give every body
|
|
his own, we have enough, and ought to be not only content, but
|
|
thankful.
|
|
|
|
(2.) Masters of families must provide not only for themselves, but for
|
|
their families, and see that their servants have a fitting maintenance.
|
|
|
|
(3.) Plain food and plain clothing, if they be but competent, are all
|
|
we should aim at. "Reckon thyself well done to if thou be clothed with
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home-spun cloth with the fleece of thy own lambs, and fed with goats'
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milk; let that serve for thy food which serves for the <I>food of thy
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household and the maintenance of thy maidens.</I> Be not desirous of
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dainties, <I>far-fetched and dear-bought.</I>"
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(4.) This should encourage us to be careful and industrious about our
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business, that that will bring in a sufficient maintenance for our
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families; we shall <I>eat the labour of our hands.</I></P>
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