mh_parser/vol_split/20 - Proverbs/Chapter 24.xml

<div2 id="Prov.xxv" n="xxv" next="Prov.xxvi" prev="Prov.xxiv" progress="84.50%" title="Chapter XXIV">
<h2 id="Prov.xxv-p0.1">P R O V E R B S</h2>
<h3 id="Prov.xxv-p0.2">CHAP. XXIV.</h3>
<h4 id="Prov.xxv-p0.3">The Excellence of Wisdom.</h4>
<scripCom id="Prov.xxv-p0.4" osisRef="Bible:Prov.24" parsed="|Prov|24|0|0|0" passage="Pr 24" type="Commentary"/>
<scripCom id="Prov.xxv-p0.5" osisRef="Bible:Prov.24.1-Prov.24.2" parsed="|Prov|24|1|24|2" passage="Pr 24:1-2" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Prov.24.1-Prov.24.2">
<p class="passage" id="Prov.xxv-p1">1 Be not thou envious against evil men, neither
desire to be with them.   2 For their heart studieth
destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Prov.xxv-p2">Here, 1. The caution given is much the same
with that which we had before (<scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p2.1" osisRef="Bible:Prov.23.17" parsed="|Prov|23|17|0|0" passage="Pr 23:17"><i>ch.</i> xxiii. 17</scripRef>), not to envy sinners,
not to think them happy, nor to wish ourselves in their condition,
though they prosper ever so much in this world, and are ever so
merry and ever so secure. "Let not such a thought ever come into
thy mind, O that I could shake off the restraints of religion and
conscience, and take as great a liberty to indulge the sensual
appetite, as I see such and such do! No; <i>desire not to be with
them,</i> to do as they do and fare as they fare, and to <i>cast in
thy lot among</i> them." 2. Here is another reason given for this
caution: "<i>Be not envious against</i> them, not only because
their end will be had, but because their way is so, <scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p2.2" osisRef="Bible:Prov.24.2" parsed="|Prov|24|2|0|0" passage="Pr 24:2"><i>v.</i> 2</scripRef>. Do not think with them,
<i>for their heart studies destruction</i> to others, but it will
prove destruction to themselves. Do not speak like them, for
<i>their lips talk of their mischief.</i> All they say has an ill
tendency, to dishonour God, reproach religion, or wrong their
neighbour; but it will be mischief to themselves at last. It is
therefore thy wisdom to have nothing to do with them. Nor hast thou
any reason to look upon them with envy, but with pity rather, or a
just indignation at their wicked practices."</p>
</div><scripCom id="Prov.xxv-p2.3" osisRef="Bible:Prov.24.3-Prov.24.6" parsed="|Prov|24|3|24|6" passage="Pr 24:3-6" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Prov.24.3-Prov.24.6">
<p class="passage" id="Prov.xxv-p3">3 Through wisdom is an house builded; and by
understanding it is established:   4 And by knowledge shall
the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
  5 A wise man <i>is</i> strong; yea, a man of knowledge
increaseth strength.   6 For by wise counsel thou shalt make
thy war: and in multitude of counsellors <i>there is</i>
safety.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Prov.xxv-p4">We are tempted to envy those that grow
rich, and raise their estates and families, by such unjust courses
as our consciences will by no means suffer us to use. But, to set
aside that temptation, Solomon here shows that a man, with prudent
management, may raise his estate and family by lawful and honest
means, with a good conscience, and a good name, and the blessing of
God upon his industry; and, if the other be raised a little sooner,
yet these will last a great deal longer. 1. That which is here
recommended to us as having the best influence upon our outward
prosperity is <i>wisdom,</i> and <i>understanding,</i> and
<i>knowledge;</i> that is, both piety towards God (for that is true
wisdom) and prudence in the management of our outward affairs. We
must govern ourselves in every thing by the rules of religion first
and then of discretion. Some that are truly pious do not thrive in
the world, for want of prudence; and some that are prudent enough,
yet do not prosper, because they lean to their own understanding
and do not acknowledge God in their ways; therefore both must go
together to complete a wise man. 2. That which is here set before
us as the advantage of true wisdom is that it will make men's
outward affairs prosperous and successful. (1.) it will <i>build a
house and establish it,</i> <scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p4.1" osisRef="Bible:Prov.24.3" parsed="|Prov|24|3|0|0" passage="Pr 24:3"><i>v.</i>
3</scripRef>. Men may by unrighteous practices build their houses,
but they cannot establish them, for the foundation is rotten
(<scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p4.2" osisRef="Bible:Hab.2.9-Hab.2.10" parsed="|Hab|2|9|2|10" passage="Hab 2:9,10">Hab. ii. 9, 10</scripRef>); whereas
what is honestly got will wear like steel and be an inheritance to
children's children. (2.) It will enrich a house and furnish it,
<scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p4.3" osisRef="Bible:Prov.24.4" parsed="|Prov|24|4|0|0" passage="Pr 24:4"><i>v.</i> 4</scripRef>. Those that
manage their affairs with wisdom and equity, that are diligent in
the use of lawful means for increasing what they have that spare
from luxury and spend in charity, are in a fair way to have their
shops, their warehouses, their <i>chambers, filled with all
precious and pleasant riches—precious</i> because got by honest
labour, and <i>the substance of a diligent man is
precious—pleasant</i> because enjoyed with holy cheerfulness. Some
think this is to be understood chiefly of spiritual riches. <i>By
knowledge the chambers</i> of the soul are filled with the graces
and comforts of the Spirit, those <i>precious and pleasant
riches;</i> for the Spirit, by enlightening the understanding,
performs all his other operations on the soul. (3.) It will fortify
a house and turn it into a castle: <i>Wisdom is better than weapons
of war,</i> offensive or defensive. <i>A wise man is in
strength,</i> is in a strong-hold, <i>yea, a man of knowledge
strengthens might,</i> that is, increases it, <scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p4.4" osisRef="Bible:Prov.24.5" parsed="|Prov|24|5|0|0" passage="Pr 24:5"><i>v.</i> 5</scripRef>. As we grow in knowledge we grow
in all grace, <scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p4.5" osisRef="Bible:2Pet.3.18" parsed="|2Pet|3|18|0|0" passage="2Pe 3:18">2 Pet. iii.
18</scripRef>. Those that <i>increase in wisdom</i> are
<i>strengthened with all might,</i> <scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p4.6" osisRef="Bible:Col.1.9 Bible:Col.1.11" parsed="|Col|1|9|0|0;|Col|1|11|0|0" passage="Col 1:9,11">Col. i. 9, 11</scripRef>. A wise man will compass that
by his wisdom which a strong man cannot effect by force of arms.
The spirit is strengthened both for the spiritual work and the
spiritual warfare by true wisdom. (4.) It will govern a house and a
kingdom too, and the affairs of both, <scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p4.7" osisRef="Bible:Prov.24.6" parsed="|Prov|24|6|0|0" passage="Pr 24:6"><i>v.</i> 6</scripRef>. Wisdom will erect a college, or
council of state. Wisdom will be of use, [1.] For the managing of
the public quarrels, so as not to engage in them but for an honest
cause and with some probability of success, and, when they are
engaged in, to manage them well, and so as to make either an
advantageous peace or an honourable retreat: <i>By wise counsel
thou shalt make war,</i> which is a thing that may prove of ill
consequence if not done by wise counsel. [2.] For the securing of
the public peace: <i>In the multitude of counsellors there is
safety,</i> for one may foresee the danger, and discern the
advantages, which another cannot. In our spiritual conflicts we
need wisdom, for our enemy is subtle.</p>
<h4 id="Prov.xxv-p4.8">The Malicious and the
Scornful.</h4>
</div><scripCom id="Prov.xxv-p4.9" osisRef="Bible:Prov.24.7-Prov.24.9" parsed="|Prov|24|7|24|9" passage="Pr 24:7-9" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Prov.24.7-Prov.24.9">
<p class="passage" id="Prov.xxv-p5">7 Wisdom <i>is</i> too high for a fool: he
openeth not his mouth in the gate.   8 He that deviseth to do
evil shall be called a mischievous person.   9 The thought of
foolishness <i>is</i> sin: and the scorner <i>is</i> an abomination
to men.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Prov.xxv-p6">Here is the description, 1. Of a weak man:
<i>Wisdom is too high</i> for him; he thinks it so, and therefore,
despairing to attain it, he will take no pains in the pursuit of
it, but sit down content without it. And really it is so; he has
not capacity for it, and therefore the advantages he has for
getting it are all in vain to him. It is no easy thing to get
wisdom; those that have natural parts good enough, yet if they be
foolish, that is, if they be slothful and will not take pains, if
they be playful and trifling, and given to their pleasures, if they
be viciously inclined and keep bad company, it <i>is too high</i>
for them; they are not likely to reach it. And, for want of it,
they are unfit for the service of their country: They <i>open not
their mouth in the gate;</i> they are not admitted into the council
or magistracy, or, if they are, they are dumb statues, and stand
for cyphers; they say nothing, because they have nothing to say,
and they know that if they should offer any thing it would not be
heeded, nay, it would be hissed at. Let young men take pains to get
wisdom, that they may be qualified for public business, and do it
with reputation. 2. Of a wicked man, who is not only despised as a
fool is, but detested. Two sorts of wicked men are so:—(1.) Such
as are secretly malicious. Though they speak courteously and
conduct themselves plausibly, they <i>devise to do evil,</i> are
contriving to do an ill turn to those they bear a grudge to, or
have an envious eye at. He that does so <i>shall be called a
mischievous person,</i> or <i>a master of mischief,</i> which
perhaps was then a common name of reproach; he shall be branded as
an <i>inventor of evil things</i> (<scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p6.1" osisRef="Bible:Rom.1.30" parsed="|Rom|1|30|0|0" passage="Ro 1:30">Rom.
i. 30</scripRef>), or if any mischief be done, he shall be
suspected as the author of it, or at least accessory to it. This
<i>devising evil is the thought of foolishness,</i> <scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p6.2" osisRef="Bible:Prov.24.9" parsed="|Prov|24|9|0|0" passage="Pr 24:9"><i>v.</i> 9</scripRef>. It is made light of, and
turned off with a jest, as only a foolish thing, but really it
<i>is sin,</i> it is exceedingly sinful; you cannot call it by a
worse name than to call it <i>sin.</i> It is bad to do evil, but it
is worse to devise it; for that has in it the subtlety and poison
of the old serpent. But it may be taken more generally. We contract
guilt, not only by the act of foolishness, but by the thought of
it, though it go no further; the first risings of sin in the heart
are sin, offensive to God, and must be repented of or we are
undone. Not only malicious, unclean, proud thoughts, but even
foolish thoughts, are sinful thoughts. If <i>vain thoughts lodge in
the heart,</i> they defile it (<scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p6.3" osisRef="Bible:Jer.4.14" parsed="|Jer|4|14|0|0" passage="Jer 4:14">Jer.
iv. 14</scripRef>), which is a reason why we should <i>keep our
hearts with all diligence,</i> and harbour no thoughts there which
cannot give a good account of themselves, <scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p6.4" osisRef="Bible:Gen.6.5" parsed="|Gen|6|5|0|0" passage="Ge 6:5">Gen. vi. 5</scripRef>. (2.) Such as are openly abusive:
<i>The scorner,</i> who gives ill-language to every body, takes a
pleasure in affronting people and reflecting upon them, <i>is an
abomination to men;</i> none that have any sense of honour and
virtue will care to keep company with him. <i>The seat of the
scornful</i> is the <i>pestilential chair</i> (as the LXX. calls
it, <scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p6.5" osisRef="Bible:Ps.1.1" parsed="|Ps|1|1|0|0" passage="Ps 1:1">Ps. i. 1</scripRef>), which no wise
man will come near, for fear of taking the infection. Those that
strive to make others odious do but make themselves so.</p>
</div><scripCom id="Prov.xxv-p6.6" osisRef="Bible:Prov.24.10" parsed="|Prov|24|10|0|0" passage="Pr 24:10" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Prov.24.10">
<p class="passage" id="Prov.xxv-p7">10 <i>If</i> thou faint in the day of adversity,
thy strength <i>is</i> small.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Prov.xxv-p8">Note, 1. In <i>the day of adversity</i> we
are apt to <i>faint,</i> to droop and be discouraged, to desist
from our work, and to despair of relief. Our spirits sink, and then
our hands hang down and our knees grow feeble, and we become unfit
for anything. And often those that are most cheerful when they are
well droop most, and are most dejected, when any thing ails them.
2. This is an evidence that our <i>strength is small,</i> and is a
means of weakening it more. "It is a sign that thou art not a man
of any resolution, any firmness of thought, any consideration, any
faith (for that is the strength of a soul), if thou canst not bear
up under an afflictive change of thy condition." Some are so feeble
that they can bear nothing; if a trouble does but <i>touch</i> them
(<scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p8.1" osisRef="Bible:Job.4.5" parsed="|Job|4|5|0|0" passage="Job 4:5">Job iv. 5</scripRef>), nay, if it does
but threaten them, they faint immediately and are ready to give up
all for gone; and by this means they render themselves unfit to
grapple with their trouble and unable to help themselves. <i>Be of
good courage</i> therefore, <i>and God shall strengthen thy
heart.</i></p>
<h4 id="Prov.xxv-p8.2">Pleasure and Advantages of
Wisdom.</h4>
</div><scripCom id="Prov.xxv-p8.3" osisRef="Bible:Prov.24.11-Prov.24.12" parsed="|Prov|24|11|24|12" passage="Pr 24:11-12" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Prov.24.11-Prov.24.12">
<p class="passage" id="Prov.xxv-p9">11 If thou forbear to deliver <i>them that
are</i> drawn unto death, and <i>those that are</i> ready to be
slain;   12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not
he that pondereth the heart consider <i>it?</i> and he that keepeth
thy soul, doth <i>not</i> he know <i>it?</i> and shall <i>not</i>
he render to <i>every</i> man according to his works?</p>
<p class="indent" id="Prov.xxv-p10">Here is, 1. A great duty required of us,
and that is to appear for the relief of oppressed innocency. If we
see the lives or livelihoods of any in danger of being taken away
unjustly, we ought to bestir ourselves all we can to save them, by
disproving the false accusations on which they are condemned and
seeking out proofs of their innocency. Though the persons be not
such as we are under any particular obligation to, we must help
them, out of a general zeal for justice. If any be set upon by
force and violence, and it be in our power to rescue them, we ought
to do it. Nay, if we see any through ignorance exposing themselves
to danger, or fallen in distress, as travellers upon the road,
ships at sea, or any the like, it is our duty, though it be with
peril to ourselves, to hasten with help to them and not <i>forbear
to deliver them,</i> not to be slack, or remiss, or indifferent, in
such a case. 2. An answer to the excuse that is commonly make for
the omission of this duty. Thou wilt say, "<i>Behold, we knew it
not;</i> we were not aware of the imminency of the danger the
person was in; we could not be sure that he was innocent, nor did
we know how to prove his innocence, nor which way to do any thing
in favour of him, else we would have helped him." Now, (1.) It is
easy to make such an excuse as this, sufficient to avoid the
censures of men, for perhaps they cannot disprove us when we say,
<i>We knew it not,</i> or, <i>We forgot;</i> and the temptation to
tell a lie for the excusing of a fault is very strong when we know
that it is impossible to be disproved, the truth lying wholly in
our own breast, as when we say, <i>We thought so and so, and really
designed it,</i> which no one is conscious of but ourselves. (2.)
It is not so easy with such excuses to evade the judgment of God;
and to the discovery of that we lie open and by the determination
of that we must abide. Now, [1.] God <i>ponders the heart and keeps
the soul;</i> he keeps an eye upon it, observes all the motions of
it; its most secret thoughts and intents are all naked and open
before him. It is his prerogative to do so, and that in which he
glories. <scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p10.1" osisRef="Bible:Jer.17.10" parsed="|Jer|17|10|0|0" passage="Jer 17:10">Jer. xvii. 10</scripRef>,
<i>I the Lord search the heart.</i> He <i>keeps the soul,</i> holds
it in life. This is a good reason why we should be tender of the
lives of others, and do all we can to preserve them, because our
lives have been precious in the sight of God and he has graciously
kept them. [2.] He knows and considers whether the excuse we make
be true or no, whether it was because we did not know it or whether
the true reason was not because we did not love our neighbour as we
ought, but were 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> [3.] He will judge us accordingly. As his knowledge cannot
be imposed upon, so his justice cannot be biassed, but he will
<i>render to every man according to his works,</i> not only the
commission of evil works, but the omission of good works.</p>
</div><scripCom id="Prov.xxv-p10.2" osisRef="Bible:Prov.24.13-Prov.24.14" parsed="|Prov|24|13|24|14" passage="Pr 24:13-14" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Prov.24.13-Prov.24.14">
<p class="passage" id="Prov.xxv-p11">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.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Prov.xxv-p12">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 (<scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p12.1" osisRef="Bible:Luke.24.41-Luke.24.42" parsed="|Luke|24|41|24|42" passage="Lu 24:41,42">Luke xxiv. 41, 42</scripRef>), even for children,
<scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p12.2" osisRef="Bible:Isa.7.15" parsed="|Isa|7|15|0|0" passage="Isa 7:15">Isa. vii. 15</scripRef>. 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> (<scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p12.3" osisRef="Bible:Prov.23.18" parsed="|Prov|23|18|0|0" passage="Pr 23:18"><i>ch.</i> xxiii. 18</scripRef>), nay, it shall
be infinitely outdone."</p>
<h4 id="Prov.xxv-p12.4">Cautions against Envy.</h4>
</div><scripCom id="Prov.xxv-p12.5" osisRef="Bible:Prov.24.15-Prov.24.16" parsed="|Prov|24|15|24|16" passage="Pr 24:15-16" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Prov.24.15-Prov.24.16">
<p class="passage" id="Prov.xxv-p13">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.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Prov.xxv-p14">This is spoken, not so much by way of
counsel to wicked men (they will not receive instruction, <scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p14.1" osisRef="Bible:Prov.23.9" parsed="|Prov|23|9|0|0" passage="Pr 23:9"><i>ch.</i> xxiii. 9</scripRef>), 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 some design against it; they lie in wait at the
door, to catch him when he stirs out, as David's persecutors,
<scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p14.2" osisRef="Bible:Ps.59.1" parsed="|Ps|59|1|0|0" passage="Ps 59:1">Ps. lix.</scripRef> <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>
</div><scripCom id="Prov.xxv-p14.3" osisRef="Bible:Prov.24.17-Prov.24.18" parsed="|Prov|24|17|24|18" passage="Pr 24:17-18" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Prov.24.17-Prov.24.18">
<p class="passage" id="Prov.xxv-p15">17 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let
not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:   18 Lest the <span class="smallcaps" id="Prov.xxv-p15.1">Lord</span> see <i>it,</i> and it displease him,
and he turn away his wrath from him.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Prov.xxv-p16">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
(<scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p16.1" osisRef="Bible:Ezek.26.2" parsed="|Ezek|26|2|0|0" passage="Eze 26:2">Ezek. xxvi. 2</scripRef>) <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 (<scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p16.2" osisRef="Bible:Ps.58.10" parsed="|Ps|58|10|0|0" passage="Ps 58:10">Ps.
lviii. 10</scripRef>); 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, <scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p16.3" osisRef="Bible:Ps.35.13-Ps.35.14" parsed="|Ps|35|13|35|14" passage="Ps 35:13,14">Ps.
xxxv. 13, 14</scripRef>), 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>
</div><scripCom id="Prov.xxv-p16.4" osisRef="Bible:Prov.24.19-Prov.24.20" parsed="|Prov|24|19|24|20" passage="Pr 24:19-20" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Prov.24.19-Prov.24.20">
<p class="passage" id="Prov.xxv-p17">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.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Prov.xxv-p18">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,
<scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p18.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.37.1" parsed="|Ps|37|1|0|0" passage="Ps 37:1">Ps. xxxvii. 1</scripRef>. 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> <scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p18.2" osisRef="Bible:Matt.6.2" parsed="|Matt|6|2|0|0" passage="Mt 6:2">Matt. vi. 2</scripRef>. He shall have none. Those are not
to be envied that have their portion in this life and must out-live
it, <scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p18.3" osisRef="Bible:Ps.17.14" parsed="|Ps|17|14|0|0" passage="Ps 17:14">Ps. xvii. 14</scripRef>. (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, <scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p18.4" osisRef="Bible:Job.21.14 Bible:Ps.37.1-Ps.37.2" parsed="|Job|21|14|0|0;|Ps|37|1|37|2" passage="Job 21:14,Ps 37:1,2">Job
xxi. 14; Ps. xxxvii. 1, 2</scripRef>.</p>
<h4 id="Prov.xxv-p18.5">Counsel to Magistrates.</h4>
</div><scripCom id="Prov.xxv-p18.6" osisRef="Bible:Prov.24.21-Prov.24.22" parsed="|Prov|24|21|24|22" passage="Pr 24:21-22" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Prov.24.21-Prov.24.22">
<p class="passage" id="Prov.xxv-p19">21 My son, fear thou the <span class="smallcaps" id="Prov.xxv-p19.1">Lord</span> 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?</p>
<p class="indent" id="Prov.xxv-p20">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,
<scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p20.1" osisRef="Bible:Rom.13.1-Rom.13.2" parsed="|Rom|13|1|13|2" passage="Ro 13:1,2">Rom. xiii. 1, 2</scripRef>. Those
that are truly religious will be loyal, in conscience towards God;
the godly in the land will be the <i>quiet 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>
</div><scripCom id="Prov.xxv-p20.2" osisRef="Bible:Prov.24.23-Prov.24.26" parsed="|Prov|24|23|24|26" passage="Pr 24:23-26" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Prov.24.23-Prov.24.26">
<p class="passage" id="Prov.xxv-p21">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.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Prov.xxv-p22">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 <scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p22.1" osisRef="Bible:Prov.28.23" parsed="|Prov|28|23|0|0" passage="Pr 28:23"><i>ch.</i>
xxviii. 23</scripRef>. 4. They must always give judgment according
to equity (<scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p22.2" osisRef="Bible:Prov.24.26" parsed="|Prov|24|26|0|0" passage="Pr 24:26"><i>v.</i> 26</scripRef>);
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>
</div><scripCom id="Prov.xxv-p22.3" osisRef="Bible:Prov.24.27" parsed="|Prov|24|27|0|0" passage="Pr 24:27" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Prov.24.27">
<p class="passage" id="Prov.xxv-p23">27 Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for
thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Prov.xxv-p24">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> <scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p24.1" osisRef="Bible:1Kgs.6.7" parsed="|1Kgs|6|7|0|0" passage="1Ki 6:7">1 Kings vi. 7</scripRef>.</p>
</div><scripCom id="Prov.xxv-p24.2" osisRef="Bible:Prov.24.28-Prov.24.29" parsed="|Prov|24|28|24|29" passage="Pr 24:28-29" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Prov.24.28-Prov.24.29">
<p class="passage" id="Prov.xxv-p25">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.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Prov.xxv-p26">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 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 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>
<h4 id="Prov.xxv-p26.1">The Vineyard of the
Slothful.</h4>
</div><scripCom id="Prov.xxv-p26.2" osisRef="Bible:Prov.24.30-Prov.24.34" parsed="|Prov|24|30|24|34" passage="Pr 24:30-34" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Prov.24.30-Prov.24.34">
<p class="passage" id="Prov.xxv-p27">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.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Prov.xxv-p28">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
(<scripRef id="Prov.xxv-p28.1" osisRef="Bible:Gen.3.18" parsed="|Gen|3|18|0|0" passage="Ge 3:18">Gen. iii. 18</scripRef>), "<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>
</div></div2>