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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1710)
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<HR>
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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. XXV.</FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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</CENTER>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Pleasures and Advantages of Wisdom.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<A NAME="Pr25_1"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 These <I>are</I> also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of
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Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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This verse is the title of this latter collection of Solomon's
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proverbs, for he <I>sought out and set in order many proverbs,</I> that
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by them he might be still <I>teaching the people knowledge,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ec+12:9">Eccl. xii. 9</A>.
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Observe,
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1. The proverbs were Solomon's, who was divinely inspired to deliver,
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for the use of the church, these wise and weighty sentences; we have
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had many, but still there are more. Yet herein Christ is greater than
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Solomon, for if we had all upon record that Christ said, and did, that
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was instructive, <I>the world could not contain the books that would be
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written,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Joh+21:25">John xxi. 25</A>.
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2. The publishers were Hezekiah's servants, who, it is likely, herein
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acted as his servants, being appointed by him to do this good service
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to the church, among other good offices that he did <I>in the law and
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in the commandments,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+31:21">2 Chron. xxxi. 21</A>.
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Whether he employed the prophets in this work, as Isaiah, Hosea, or
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Micah, who lived in his time, or some that were trained up in the
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schools of the prophets, or some of the priests and Levites, to whom we
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find him giving a charge concerning divine things
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+29:4">2 Chron. xxix. 4</A>),
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or (as the Jews think) his princes and ministers of state, who were
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more properly called his <I>servants,</I> is not certain; if the work
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was done by Eliakim, and Joah, and Shebna, it was no diminution to
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their character. They copied out these proverbs from the records of
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Solomon's reign, and published them as an appendix to the former
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edition of this book. It may be a piece of very good service to the
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church to publish other man's works that have lain hidden in obscurity,
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perhaps a great while. Some think they culled these out of the 3000
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proverbs which Solomon spoke
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+4:32">1 Kings iv. 32</A>),
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leaving out those that were physical, and that pertained to natural
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philosophy, and preserving such only as were divine and moral; and in
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this collection some observe that special regard was had to those
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observations which concern kings and their administration.</P>
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<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Prudential 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="Pr25_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="Pr25_3"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>2 <I>It is</I> the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour
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of kings <I>is</I> to search out a matter.
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3 The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart
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of kings <I>is</I> unsearchable.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Here is,
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1. An instance given of the honour of God: <I>It is his glory to
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conceal a matter.</I> He needs not search into any thing, for he
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perfectly knows every thing by a clear and certain view, and nothing
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can be hidden from him; and yet his own <I>way is in the sea</I> and
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his <I>path in the great waters.</I> There is an unfathomable depth in
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his counsels,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ro+11:33">Rom. xi. 33</A>.
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It is but a little portion that is heard of him. <I>Clouds and darkness
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are round about him.</I> We see what he does, but we know not the
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reasons. Some refer it to the sins of men; it is his glory to pardon
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sin, which is covering it, not remembering it, not mentioning it; his
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forbearance, which he exercises towards sinners, is likewise his
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honour, in which he seems to keep silence and take no notice of the
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matter.
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2. A double instance of the honour of kings:--
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(1.) It is God's glory that he needs not <I>search into a matter,</I>
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because he knows it without search; but it is the honour of kings, with
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a close application of mind, and by all the methods of enquiry, to
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search out the matters that are brought before them, to take pains in
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examining offenders, that they may discover their designs and bring to
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light the hidden works of darkness, not to give judgment hastily or
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till they have weighed things, nor to leave it wholly to others to
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examine things, but to see with their own eyes.
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(2.) It is God's glory that he cannot himself be found out by
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searching, and some of that honour is devolved upon kings, wise kings,
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that <I>search out matters;</I> their <I>hearts</I> are
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<I>unsearchable,</I> like the <I>height of heaven</I> or the <I>depth
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of the earth,</I> which we may guess at, but cannot measure. Princes
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have their <I>arcana imperii--state secrets,</I> designs which are kept
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private, and reasons of state, which private persons are not competent
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judges of, and therefore ought not to pry into. Wise princes, when they
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<I>search into a matter,</I> have reaches which one would not think of,
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as Solomon, when he called of a sword to divide the living child with,
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designing thereby to discover the true mother.</P>
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<A NAME="Pr25_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="Pr25_5"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>4 Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come
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forth a vessel for the finer.
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5 Take away the wicked <I>from</I> before the king, and his throne
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shall be established in righteousness.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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This shows that the vigorous endeavour of a prince to suppress vice,
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and reform the manners of his people, is the most effectual way to
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support his government. Observe,
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1. What the duty of magistrates is: To <I>take away the wicked,</I> to
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use their power for the terror of evil works and evil workers, not only
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to banish those that are vicious and profane from their presence, and
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forbid them the court, but so to frighten them and restrain them that
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they may not spread the infection of their wickedness among their
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subjects. This is called <I>taking away the dross from the silver,</I>
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which is done by the force of fire. Wicked people are the dross of a
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nation, the scum of the country, and, as such, to be taken away. If men
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will not take them away, God will,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+119:119">Ps. cxix. 119</A>.
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If the <I>wicked be taken away from before the king,</I> if he abandon
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them and show his detestation of their wicked courses, it will go far
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towards the disabling of them to do mischief. The reformation of the
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court will promote the reformation of the kingdom,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+101:3,8">Ps. ci. 3, 8</A>.
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2. What the advantage will be of their doing this duty.
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(1.) It will be the bettering of the subjects; they shall be made like
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silver refined, fit to be made <I>vessels of honour.</I>
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(2.) It will be the settling of the prince. <I>His throne shall be
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established in</I> this <I>righteousness,</I> for God will bless his
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government, the people will be pliable to it, and so it will become
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durable.</P>
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<A NAME="Pr25_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="Pr25_7"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>6 Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand
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not in the place of great <I>men:</I>
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7 For better <I>it is</I> that it be said unto thee, Come up hither;
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than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the
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prince whom thine eyes have seen.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Here we see,
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1. That religion is so far from destroying good manners that it reaches
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us to behave ourselves lowly and reverently towards our superiors, to
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keep our distance, and give place to those to whom it belongs "<I>Put
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not forth thyself</I> rudely and carelessly <I>in the king's
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presence,</I> or in the presence of great men; do not <I>compare with
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them</I>" (so some understand it); "do not vie with them in apparel,
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furniture, gardens, house-keeping, or retinue, for that is an affront
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to them and will waste thy own estate."
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2. That religion teaches us humility and self-denial, which is a better
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lesson than that of good manners: "Deny thyself the place thou art
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entitled to; covet not to make a fair show, nor air at preferment, nor
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thrust thyself into the company of those that are above thee; be
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content in a low sphere if that is it which God has allotted to thee."
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The reason he gives is because this is really the way to advancement,
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as our Saviour shows in a parable that seems to be borrowed from this,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Lu+14:9">Luke xiv. 9</A>.
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Not that we must <I>therefore</I> pretend modesty and humility, and
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make a stratagem of it, for the courting of honour, but
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<I>therefore</I> we must really be modest and humble, because God will
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put honour on such and so will men too. It is better, more for a man's
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satisfaction and reputation, to be advanced above his pretensions and
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expectations, than to be thrust down below them, <I>in the presence of
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the prince,</I> whom it was a great piece of honour to be admitted to
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the sight of and a great piece of presumption to look upon without
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leave.</P>
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<A NAME="Pr25_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="Pr25_9"> </A>
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<A NAME="Pr25_10"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>8 Go not forth hastily to strive, lest <I>thou know not</I> what to
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do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.
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9 Debate thy cause with thy neighbour <I>himself;</I> and discover
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not a secret to another:
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10 Lest he that heareth <I>it</I> put thee to shame, and thine
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infamy turn not away.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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I. Here is good counsel given about going to law:--
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1. "Be not hasty in bringing an action, before thou hast thyself
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considered it, and consulted with thy friends about it: <I>Go not forth
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hastily to strive;</I> do not send for a writ in a passion, or upon the
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first appearance of right on thy side, but weigh the matter
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deliberately, because we are apt to be partial in our own cause;
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consider the certainty of the expenses and the uncertainty of the
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success, how much care and vexation it will be the occasion of, and,
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after all, the cause may go against thee; surely then thou shouldst not
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<I>go forth hastily to strive.</I>"
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2. "Bring not an action before thou hast tried to end the matter
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amicably
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+25:9">
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<I>v.</I> 9</A>):
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<I>Debate thy cause with thy neighbour</I> privately, and perhaps you
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will understand one another better and see that there is no occasion to
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go to law." In public quarrels the war that must at length end might
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better have been prevented by a treaty of peace, and a great deal of
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blood and treasure spared. It is so in private quarrels: "Sue not thy
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neighbour as a <I>heathen man and a publican</I> until thou hast told
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him his fault between thee and him alone, and he has refused to refer
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the matter, or to come to an accommodation. Perhaps the matter in
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variance is a secret, not fit to be divulged to any, much less to be
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brought upon the stage before the country; and therefore end it
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privately, that it may not be discovered." <I>Reveal not the secret of
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another,</I> so some read it. "Do not, in revenge, to disgrace thy
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adversary, disclose that which should be kept private and which does
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not at all belong to the cause."</P>
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<P>
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II. Two reasons he gives why we should be thus cautious in going to
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law:--
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1. "Because otherwise the cause will be in danger of going against
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thee, and thou wilt <I>not know what to do</I> when the defendant has
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justified himself in what thou didst charge upon him, and made it out
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that thy complaint was frivolous and vexatious and that thou hadst no
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just cause of action, and so <I>put thee to shame,</I> non-suit thee,
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and force thee to pay costs, all which might have been prevented by a
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little consideration."
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2. "Because it will turn very much to thy reproach if thou fall under
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the character of being litigious. Not only the defendant himself
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+25:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>),
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but he that hears the cause tried will <I>put thee to shame,</I> will
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expose thee as a man of no principle, and <I>thy infamy will not turn
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away;</I> thou wilt never retrieve thy reputation."</P>
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<A NAME="Sec3"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Instructive Similes.</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="Pr25_11"> </A>
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<A NAME="Pr25_12"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>11 A word fitly spoken <I>is like</I> apples of gold in pictures of
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silver.
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12 <I>As</I> an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, <I>so
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is</I> a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Solomon here shows how much it becomes a man,
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1. To speak pertinently: <I>A word upon the wheels,</I> that runs well,
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is well-circumstanced, in proper time and place--instruction, advice,
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or comfort, given seasonably, and in apt expressions, adapted to the
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case of the person spoken to and agreeing with the character of the
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person speaking--<I>is like golden</I> balls resembling <I>apples,</I>
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or like true apples of a golden colour (golden rennets), or perhaps
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gilded, as sometimes we have gilded laurels, and those embossed <I>in
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pictures of silver,</I> or rather brought to table in a silver network
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basket, or in a silver box of that which we call <I>filigree</I>--work,
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through which the golden apples might be seen. Doubtless in was some
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ornament of the table, then well known. As that was very pleasing to
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the eye, so is <I>a word fitly spoken</I> to the ear.
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2. Especially to give a reproof with discretion, and so as to make it
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acceptable. If it be well given, by <I>a wise reprover,</I> and well
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taken, by an <I>obedient ear,</I> it is an <I>earring of gold</I> and
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an <I>ornament of fine gold,</I> very graceful and well becoming both
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the reprover and the reproved; both will have their praise, the
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reprover for giving it so prudently and the reproved for taking it so
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patiently and making a good use of it. Others will commend them both,
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and they will have satisfaction in each other; he who gave the reproof
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is pleased that it had the desired effect, and he to whom it was given
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has reason to be thankful for it as a kindness. <I>That is well
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given,</I> we say, <I>that is well taken;</I> yet it does not always
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prove that that is well taken which is well given. It were to be wished
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that a <I>wise reprover</I> should always meet with an <I>obedient
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ear,</I> but often it is not so.</P>
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<A NAME="Pr25_13"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>13 As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, <I>so is</I> a
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faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the
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soul of his masters.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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See here,
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1. What ought to be the care of a servant, the meanest that is sent on
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an errand and entrusted with any business, much more the greatest, the
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agent and ambassador of a prince; he ought to be <I>faithful to him
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that sends him,</I> and to see to it that he do not, by mistake or with
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design, falsify his trust, and that he be in nothing that lies in his
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power wanting to his master's interest. Those that act as factors, by
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commission, ought to act as carefully as for themselves.
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2. How much this will be the satisfaction of the master; it will
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<I>refresh his soul</I> as much as ever the <I>cold of snow</I> (which
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is hot countries they preserve by art all the year round) refreshed the
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labourers in the harvest, that <I>bore the burden and heat of the
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day.</I> The more important the affair was, and the more fear of its
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miscarrying, the more acceptable is the messenger, if he have managed
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it successfully and well. A faithful minister, Christ's messenger,
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should be thus acceptable to us
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+33:23">Job xxxiii. 23</A>);
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however, he will be a <I>sweet savour to God,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Co+2:15">2 Cor. ii. 15</A>.</P>
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<A NAME="Pr25_14"> </A>
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|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>14 Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift <I>is like</I> clouds and
|
|
wind without rain.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
<I>He</I> may be said to boast of a false gift,
|
|
|
|
1. Who pretends to have received or given that which he never had,
|
|
which he never gave, makes a noise of his great accomplishments and his
|
|
good services, but it is all false; he is not what he pretends to be.
|
|
Or,
|
|
|
|
2. Who promises what he will give and what he will do, but performs
|
|
nothing, who raises people's expectations of the mighty things he will
|
|
do for his country, for his friends, what noble legacies he will leave,
|
|
but either he has not wherewithal to do what he says or he never
|
|
designs it. Such a one is like the morning-cloud, that passes away, and
|
|
disappoints those who looked for rain from it to water the parched
|
|
ground
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jude+1:12">Jude 12</A>),
|
|
|
|
<I>clouds without water.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec4"> </A>
|
|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Miscellaneous Maxims.</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="Pr25_15"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>15 By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue
|
|
breaketh the bone.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
Two things are here recommended to us, in dealing with others, as
|
|
likely means to gain our point:--
|
|
|
|
1. Patience, to bear a present heat without being put into a heat by
|
|
it, and to wait for a fit opportunity to offer our reasons and to give
|
|
persons time to consider them. By this means even a <I>prince</I> may
|
|
be <I>persuaded</I> to do a thing which he seemed very averse to, much
|
|
more a common person. That which is justice and reason now will be so
|
|
another time, and therefore we need not urge them with violence now,
|
|
but wait for a more convenient season.
|
|
|
|
2. Mildness, to speak without passion or provocation: <I>A soft tongue
|
|
breaks the bone;</I> it mollifies the roughest spirits and overcomes
|
|
those that are most morose, like lightning, which, they say, has
|
|
sometimes broken the bone, and yet not pierced the flesh. Gideon with a
|
|
soft tongue pacified the Ephraimites and Abigail turned away David's
|
|
wrath. <I>Hard words,</I> we say, <I>break no bones,</I> and therefore
|
|
we should bear them patiently; but, it seems, <I>soft words</I> do, and
|
|
therefore we should, on all occasions, give them prudently.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Pr25_16"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>16 Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for
|
|
thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
Here,
|
|
|
|
1. We are allowed a sober and moderate use of the delights of sense:
|
|
<I>Hast thou found honey?</I> It is not forbidden fruit to thee, as it
|
|
was to Jonathan; thou mayest eat of it with thanksgiving to God, who,
|
|
having created things grateful to our senses, has given us leave to
|
|
make use of them. <I>Eat as much as is sufficient,</I> and no more.
|
|
<I>Enough is as good as a feast.</I>
|
|
|
|
2. We are cautioned to take heed of excess. We must use all pleasures
|
|
as we do honey, with a check upon our appetite, lest we take more than
|
|
does us good and make ourselves sick with it. We are most in danger of
|
|
surfeiting upon that which is most sweet, and therefore those that fare
|
|
sumptuously every day have need to watch over themselves, <I>lest their
|
|
hearts be at any time overcharged.</I> The pleasures of sense lose
|
|
their sweetness by the excessive use of them and become nauseous, as
|
|
honey, which turns sour in the stomach; it is therefore our interest,
|
|
as well as our duty, to use them with sobriety.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Pr25_17"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>17 Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbour's house; lest he be
|
|
weary of thee, and <I>so</I> hate thee.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
Here he mentions another pleasure which we must not take too much of,
|
|
that of visiting our friends, the former for fear of surfeiting
|
|
ourselves, this for fear of surfeiting our neighbour.
|
|
|
|
1. It is a piece of civility to visit our neighbours sometimes, to show
|
|
our respect to them and concern for them, and to cultivate and improve
|
|
mutual acquaintance and love, and that we may have both the
|
|
satisfaction and advantage of their conversation.
|
|
|
|
2. It is wisdom, as well as good manners, not to be troublesome to our
|
|
friends in our visiting them, not to visit too often, nor stay too
|
|
long, nor contrive to come at meal-time, nor make ourselves busy in the
|
|
affairs of their families; hereby we make ourselves cheap, mean, and
|
|
burdensome. Thy neighbour, who is thus plagued and haunted with thy
|
|
visits, will be <I>weary of thee and hate thee,</I> and <I>that</I>
|
|
will be the destruction of friendship which should have been the
|
|
improvement of it. <I>Post tres sæpe dies piscis vilescit et
|
|
hospes--After the third day fish and company become distasteful.</I>
|
|
Familiarity breeds contempt. <I>Nulli te facias nimis sodalem--Be not
|
|
too intimate with any.</I> He that sponges upon his friend loses him.
|
|
How much better a friend then is God than any other friend; for we need
|
|
not withdraw our foot from his house, the throne of his grace
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+8:34"><I>ch.</I> viii. 34</A>);
|
|
|
|
the oftener we come to him the better and the more welcome.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Pr25_18"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>18 A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour <I>is</I>
|
|
a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
Here,
|
|
|
|
1. The sin condemned is <I>bearing false witness against our
|
|
neighbour,</I> either in judgment or in common conversation, contrary
|
|
to the law of the ninth commandment.
|
|
|
|
2. That which it is here condemned for is the mischievousness of it; it
|
|
is in its power to ruin not only men's reputation, but their lives,
|
|
estates, families, all that is dear to them. A false testimony is every
|
|
thing that is dangerous; it <I>is a maul</I> (or <I>club</I> to knock a
|
|
man's brains out with), a flail, which there is no fence against; it is
|
|
<I>a sword</I> to wound near at hand and a <I>sharp arrow</I> to wound
|
|
at a distance; we have therefore need to pray, <I>Deliver my soul, O
|
|
Lord! from lying lips,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+120:2">Ps. cxx. 2</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Pr25_19"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>19 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble <I>is like</I>
|
|
a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
1. The <I>confidence of an unfaithful man</I> (so some read it) will be
|
|
<I>like a broken tooth;</I> his policy, his power, his interest, all
|
|
that which he trusted in to support him in his wickedness, will fail
|
|
him in time of trouble,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+52:7">Ps. lii. 7</A>.
|
|
|
|
2. <I>Confidence in an unfaithful man</I> (so we read it), in a man
|
|
whom we thought trusty and therefore depended on, but who proves
|
|
otherwise; it proves not only unserviceable, but painful and vexatious,
|
|
like a <I>broken tooth, or a foot out of joint,</I> which, when we put
|
|
any stress upon it, not only fails us, but makes us feel from it,
|
|
especially <I>in time of trouble,</I> when we most expect help from it;
|
|
it is like a broken reed,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+36:6">Isa. xxxvi. 6</A>.
|
|
|
|
Confidence in a faithful God, in time of trouble, will not prove thus;
|
|
on him we may rest and in him dwell at ease.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Pr25_20"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>20 <I>As</I> he that taketh away a garment in cold weather, <I>and as</I>
|
|
vinegar upon nitre, so <I>is</I> he that singeth songs to an heavy
|
|
heart.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
1. The absurdity here censured is <I>singing songs to a heavy
|
|
heart.</I> Those that are in great sorrow are to be comforted by
|
|
sympathizing with them, condoling with them, and concurring in their
|
|
lamentation. If we take that method, the <I>moving of our lips may
|
|
assuage their grief</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+16:5">Job xvi. 5</A>);
|
|
|
|
but we take a wrong course with them if we think to relieve them by
|
|
being merry with them, and endeavouring to make them merry; for it adds
|
|
to their grief to see their friends so little concerned for them; it
|
|
puts them upon ripping up the causes of their grief, and aggravating
|
|
them, and makes them harden themselves in sorrow against the assaults
|
|
of mirth.
|
|
|
|
2. The absurdities this is compared to are, <I>taking away a
|
|
garment</I> from a man in <I>cold weather,</I> which makes him colder,
|
|
and pouring <I>vinegar upon nitre,</I> which, like water upon lime,
|
|
puts it into a ferment; so improper, so incongruous, is it to sing
|
|
pleasant songs to one that is of a sorrowful spirit. Some read it in a
|
|
contrary sense: <I>As he that puts on a garment in cold weather</I>
|
|
warms the body, or as <I>vinegar upon nitre</I> dissolves it, so he
|
|
that <I>sings songs</I> of comfort to a person in sorrow refreshes him
|
|
and dispels his grief.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec5"> </A>
|
|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Forgiveness of Enemies.</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="Pr25_21"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Pr25_22"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>21 If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he
|
|
be thirsty, give him water to drink:
|
|
22 For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the
|
|
L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> shall reward thee.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
By this it appears that, however the scribes and Pharisees had
|
|
corrupted the law, not only the commandment of loving our brethren, but
|
|
even that of loving our enemies, was not only a new, but also an old
|
|
commandment, an Old-Testament commandment, though our Saviour has given
|
|
it to us with the new enforcement of his own great example in loving us
|
|
when we were enemies. Observe,
|
|
|
|
1. How we must express our love to our enemies by the real offices of
|
|
kindness, even those that are expensive to ourselves and most
|
|
acceptable to them: "If they be <I>hungry</I> and <I>thirsty,</I>
|
|
instead of pleasing thyself with their distress and contriving how to
|
|
cut off supplies from them, relieve them, as Elisha did the Syrians
|
|
that came to apprehend him,"
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+6:22">2 King vi. 22</A>.
|
|
|
|
2. What encouragement we have to do so.
|
|
|
|
(1.) It will be a likely means to win upon them, and bring them over to
|
|
be reconciled to us; we shall mollify them as the refiner melts the
|
|
metal in the crucible, not only by putting it over the fire, but by
|
|
heaping coals of fire upon it. The way to turn an enemy into a friend
|
|
is, to act towards him in a friendly manner. If it do not gain him, it
|
|
will aggravate his sin and punishment, and heap the burning coals of
|
|
God's wrath upon his head, as rejoicing in his calamity may be an
|
|
occasion of God's turning his wrath from him,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+24:17"><I>ch.</I> xxiv. 17</A>.
|
|
|
|
(2.) However, we shall be no losers by our self-denial: "Whether he
|
|
relent towards thee or no, <I>the Lord shall reward thee;</I> he shall
|
|
forgive thee who thus showest thyself to be of a forgiving spirit. He
|
|
shall provide for thee when thou art in distress (though thou hast been
|
|
evil and ungrateful), as thou dost for thy enemy; at least it shall be
|
|
recompensed in the resurrection of the just, when kindnesses done to
|
|
our enemies shall be remembered as well as those shown to God's
|
|
friends."</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec6"> </A>
|
|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Miscellaneous Maxims.</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="Pr25_23"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>23 The north wind driveth away rain: so <I>doth</I> an angry
|
|
countenance a backbiting tongue.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
Here see,
|
|
|
|
1. How we must discourage sin and witness against it, and particularly
|
|
the sin of slandering and backbiting; we must frown upon it, and, by
|
|
giving it an angry countenance, endeavour to put it out of countenance.
|
|
Slanders would not be so readily spoken as they are if they were not
|
|
readily heard; but good manners would silence the slanderer if he saw
|
|
that his tales displeased the company. We should show ourselves uneasy
|
|
if we heard a dear friend, whom we value, evil-spoken of; the same
|
|
dislike we should show of evil-speaking in general. If we cannot
|
|
otherwise reprove, we may do it by our looks.
|
|
|
|
2. The good effect which this might probably have; who knows but it may
|
|
silence and drive away a <I>backbiting tongue?</I> Sin, if it be
|
|
countenanced, becomes daring, but, if it receive any check, it is so
|
|
conscious of its own shame that it becomes cowardly, and this sin in
|
|
particular, for many abuse those they speak of only in hopes to curry
|
|
favour with those they speak to.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Pr25_24"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>24 <I>It is</I> better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than
|
|
with a brawling woman and in a wide house.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
This is the same with what he had said,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+21:9"><I>ch.</I> xxi. 9</A>.
|
|
|
|
Observe,
|
|
|
|
1. How those are to be pitied that are unequally yoked, especially with
|
|
such as are brawling and contentious, whether husband or wife; for it
|
|
is equally true of both. It is better to be alone than to be joined to
|
|
one who, instead of being a meet-help, is a great hindrance to the
|
|
comfort of life.
|
|
|
|
2. How those may sometimes be envied that live in solitude; as they
|
|
want the comfort of society, so they are free from the vexation of it.
|
|
And as there are cases which give occasion to say, "Blessed is the womb
|
|
that has not borne," so there are which give occasion to say, "Blessed
|
|
is the man who was never married, but who lies like a servant in <I>a
|
|
corner of the house-top.</I>"</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Pr25_25"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>25 <I>As</I> cold waters to a thirsty soul, so <I>is</I> good news from a
|
|
far country.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
See here,
|
|
|
|
1. How natural it is to us to desire to hear good news from our
|
|
friends, and concerning our affairs at a distance. It is sometimes with
|
|
impatience that we expect to hear from abroad; our souls thirst after
|
|
it. But we should check the inordinateness of that desire; if it be bad
|
|
news, it will come too soon, if good, it will be welcome at any time.
|
|
|
|
2. How acceptable such good news will be when it does come, as
|
|
refreshing as cold water to one that is thirsty. Solomon himself had
|
|
much trading abroad, as well as correspondence by his ambassadors with
|
|
foreign courts; and how pleasant it was to hear of the good success of
|
|
his negotiations abroad he well knew by experience. Heaven is a country
|
|
afar off; how refreshing is it to hear good news thence, both in the
|
|
everlasting gospel, which signified glad tidings, and in the witness of
|
|
the Spirit with our spirits that we are God's children.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Pr25_26"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>26 A righteous man falling down before the wicked <I>is as</I> a
|
|
troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
It is here represented as a very lamentable thing, and a public
|
|
grievance, and of ill consequence to many, like the <I>troubling</I> of
|
|
a <I>fountain</I> and the <I>corrupting</I> of a <I>spring,</I> for the
|
|
righteous to <I>fall down before the wicked,</I> that is,
|
|
|
|
1. For the righteous to fall into sin in the sight of the wicked--for
|
|
them to do any thing unbecoming their profession, which is <I>told in
|
|
Gath,</I> and <I>published in the streets of Ashkelon,</I> and in which
|
|
the <I>daughters of the Philistines rejoice.</I> For those that have
|
|
been <I>in reputation for wisdom and honour</I> to fall from their
|
|
excellency, this <I>troubles the fountains</I> by grieving some, and
|
|
<I>corrupts the springs</I> by infecting others and emboldening them to
|
|
do likewise.
|
|
|
|
2. For the righteous to be oppressed, and run down, and trampled upon,
|
|
by the violence or subtlety of evil men, to be displaced and thrust
|
|
into obscurity, this is the troubling of the fountains of justice and
|
|
corrupting the very springs of government,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+28:12,28,29:2"><I>ch.</I> xxviii. 12, 28; xxix. 2</A>.
|
|
|
|
3. For the righteous to be cowardly, to truckle to the wicked, to be
|
|
afraid of opposing his wickedness and basely to yield to him, this is a
|
|
reflection upon religion, a discouragement to good men, and strengthens
|
|
the hands of sinners in their sins, and so is like a <I>troubled
|
|
fountain</I> and a <I>corrupt spring.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Pr25_27"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>27 <I>It is</I> not good to eat much honey: so <I>for men</I> to search
|
|
their own glory <I>is not</I> glory.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
I. Two things we must be graciously dead to:--
|
|
|
|
1. To the pleasures of sense, for <I>it is not good to eat much
|
|
honey;</I> though it pleases the taste, and, if eaten with moderation,
|
|
is very wholesome, yet, if eaten to excess, it becomes nauseous,
|
|
creates bile, and is the occasion of many diseases. It is true of all
|
|
the delights of the children of men that they will surfeit, but never
|
|
satisfy, and they are dangerous to those that allow themselves the
|
|
liberal use of them.
|
|
|
|
2. To the praise of man. We must not be greedy of that any more than of
|
|
pleasure, because, <I>for men to search their own glory,</I> to court
|
|
applause and covet to make themselves popular, is not their glory, but
|
|
their shame; every one will laugh at them for it; and the glory which
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is so courted <I>is not glory</I> when it is got, for it is really no
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true honour to a man.</P>
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<P>
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II. Some give another sense of this verse: <I>To eat much honey is not
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good,</I> but to search into glorious and excellent things is a great
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commendation, it is true glory; we cannot therein offend by excess.
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Others thus: "As honey, though pleasant to the taste, if used
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immoderately, oppresses the stomach, so an over-curious search into
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things sublime and glorious, though pleasant to us, if we pry too far,
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will overwhelm our capacities with a greater glory and lustre than they
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can bear." Or thus: "You may be surfeited with eating too much honey,
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but the last of glory, of their glory, the glory of the blessed, is
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glory; it will be ever fresh, and never pall the appetite."</P>
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<A NAME="Pr25_28"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>28 He that <I>hath</I> no rule over his own spirit <I>is like</I> a city
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<I>that is</I> broken down, <I>and</I> without walls.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Here is,
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1. The good character of a wise and virtuous man implied. He is one
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that has <I>rule over his own spirit;</I> he maintains the government
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of himself, and of his own appetites and passions, and does not suffer
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them to rebel against reason and conscience. He has the rule of his own
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thoughts, his desires, his inclinations, his resentments, and keeps
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them all in good order.
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2. The bad case of a vicious man, who has not this rule over his own
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spirit, who, when temptations to excess in eating or drinking are
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before him, has no government of himself, when he is provoked breaks
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out into exorbitant passions, such a one is <I>like a city that is
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|
broken down and without walls.</I> All that is good goes out, and
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|
forsakes him; all that is evil breaks in upon him. He lies exposed to
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all the temptations of Satan and becomes an easy prey to that enemy; he
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|
is also liable to many troubles and vexations; it is likewise as much a
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reproach to him as it is to a city to have its walls ruined,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ne+1:3">Neh. i. 3</A>.</P>
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