P
R O V E R B S
CHAP. XV.
|
The
Proper Use of the Tongue.
|
|
|
|
1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but
grievous words stir up anger.
Solomon, as conservator of the public peace, here tells us, 1. How the peace
may be kept, that we may know how in our places to keep it; it is by soft
words. If wrath be risen like a threatening cloud, pregnant with storms and
thunder, a soft answer will disperse it and turn it away. When men are
provoked, speak gently to them, and give them good words, and they will be
pacified, as the Ephraimites were by Gideon's mildness (Judg. viii. 1-3);
whereas, upon a like occasion, by Jephthah's roughness, they were exasperated,
and the consequences were bad, Judg. xii. 1-3. Reason will be better spoken,
and a righteous cause better pleaded, with meekness than with passion; hard
arguments do best with soft words. 2. How the peace will be broken, that we,
for our parts, may do nothing towards the breaking of it. Nothing stirs up
anger, and sows discord, like grievous words, calling foul names, as Raca,
and Thou fool, upbraiding men with their infirmities and infelicities,
their extraction or education, or any thing that lessens them and makes them
mean; scornful spiteful reflections, by which men affect to show their wit and
malice, stir up the anger of others, which does but increase and inflame their
own anger. Rather than lose a jest some will lose a friend and make an enemy.
2 The tongue of the wise useth knowledge
aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.
Note, 1. A good heart by the tongue becomes very useful. He that has knowledge
is not only to enjoy it, for his own entertainment, but to use it, to use it
aright, for the edification of others; and it is the tongue that must
make use of it in pious profitable discourse, in giving suitable and
seasonable instructions, counsels, and comforts, with all possible expressions
of humility and love, and then knowledge is used aright; and to him
that has, and thus uses what he has, more shall be given. 2. A wicked heart by
the tongue becomes very hurtful; for the mouth of fools belches out
foolishness, which is very offensive; and the corrupt communication which
proceeds from an evil treasure within (the filthiness, and foolish talking,
and jesting) corrupts the good manners of some and debauches them, and grieves
the good hearts of others and disturbs them.
|
The
Righteous and the Wicked Contrasted.
|
|
|
|
3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place,
beholding the evil and the good.
The great truths of divinity are of great use to enforce the precepts of
morality, and none more than this--That the eye of God is always upon the
children of men. 1. An eye to discern all, not only from which nothing can be
concealed, but by which every thing is actually inspected, and nothing
overlooked or looked slightly upon: The eyes of the Lord are in every
place; for he not only sees all from on high (Ps. xxxiii. 13), but he is
every where present. Angels are full of eyes (Rev. iv. 8), but God is
all eye. It denotes not only his omniscience, that he sees all, but his
universal providence, that he upholds and governs all. Secret sins, services,
and sorrows, are under his eye. 2. An eye to distinguish both persons and
actions. He beholds the evil and the good, is displeased with the evil
and approves of the good, and will judge men according to the sight of his
eyes, Ps. i. 6; xi. 4. The wicked shall not go unpunished, nor the righteous
unrewarded, for God has his eye upon both and knows their true character; this
speaks as much comfort to saints as terror to sinners.
4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life:
but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.
Note, 1. A good tongue is healing, healing to wounded consciences by
comforting them, to sin-sick souls by convincing them, to peace and love when
it is broken by accommodating differences, compromising matters in variance,
and reconciling parties at variance; this is the healing of the tongue, which is
a tree of life, the leaves of which have a sanative virtue, Rev. xxii. 2.
He that knows how to discourse will make the place he lives in a paradise. 2.
An evil tongue is wounding (perverseness, passion, falsehood, and
filthiness there, are a breach in the spirit); it wounds the conscience
of the evil speaker, and occasions either guilt or grief to the hearers, and
both are to be reckoned breaches in the spirit. Hard words indeed break
no bones, but many a heart has been broken by them.
5 A fool despiseth his father's instruction:
but he that regardeth reproof is prudent.
Hence, 1. Let superiors be admonished to give instruction and reproof to those
that are under their charge, as they will answer it in the day of account.
They must not only instruct with the light of knowledge, but reprove with the
heat of zeal; and both these must be done with the authority and affection of
a father, and must be continued, though the desired effect be not immediately
perceived. If the instruction be despised, give reproof, and rebuke sharply.
It is indeed against the grain with good-humoured men to find fault, and make
those about them uneasy; but better so than to suffer them to go on
undisturbed in the way to ruin. 2. Let inferiors be admonished, not only to
submit to instruction and reproof (even hardships must be submitted to), but
to value them as favours and not despise them, to make use of them for their
direction, and always to have a regard to them; this will be an evidence that
they are wise and a means of making them so; whereas he that slights his good
education is a fool and is likely to live and die one.
6 In the house of the righteous is much
treasure: but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble.
Note, 1. Where righteousness is riches are, and the comforts of them: In
the house of the righteous is much treasure. Religion teaches men to be
diligent, temperate, and just, and by these means, ordinarily, the estate is
increased. But that is not all: God blesses the habitation of the just,
and that blessing makes rich without trouble. Or, if there be not much of this
world's goods, yet where there is grace there is true treasure; and those who
have but little, if they have a heart to be therewith content, and to enjoy
the comfort of that little, it is enough; it is all riches. The righteous
perhaps are not themselves enriched, but there is treasure in their house, a
blessing in store, which their children after them may reap the benefit of. A
wicked worldly man is only for having his belly filled with those treasures,
his own sensual appetite gratified (Ps. xvii. 14); but a righteous man's first
care is for his soul and then for his seed, to have treasure in his heart and
then in his house, which his relations and those about him may have the
benefit of. 2. Where wickedness is, though there may be riches, yet there is
vexation of spirit with them: In the revenues of the wicked, the great
incomes they have, there is trouble; for there is guilt and a curse;
there is pride and passion, and envy and contention; and those are troublesome
lusts, which rob them of the joy of their revenues and make them troublesome
to their neighbours.
7 The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but
the heart of the foolish doeth not so.
This is to the same purport with v. 2, and shows what a blessing a wise
man is and what a burden a fool is to those about him. Only here observe
further, 1. That we then use knowledge aright when we disperse it, not confine
it to a few of our intimates, and grudge it to others who would make as good
use of it, but give a portion of this spiritual alms to seven and
also to eight, not only be communicative, but diffusive, of this good,
with humility and prudence. We must take pains to spread and propagate useful
knowledge, must teach some that they may teach others, and so it is dispersed.
2. That it is not only a fault to pour out foolishness, but it is a
shame not to disperse knowledge, at least not to drop some wise word or
other: The heart of the foolish does not so; it has nothing to disperse
that is good, or, if it had, has neither skill nor will to do good with it and
therefore is little worth.
8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an
abomination to the LORD:
but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
Note, 1. God so hates wicked people, whose hearts are malicious and their
lives mischievous, that even their sacrifices are an abomination to
him. God has sacrifices brought him even by wicked men, to stop the mouth of
conscience and to keep up their reputation in the world, as malefactors come
to a sanctuary, not because it is a holy place, but because it shelters them
from justice; but their sacrifices, though ever so costly, are not accepted of
God, because not offered in sincerity nor from a good principle; they
dissemble with God, and in their conversations give the lie to their
devotions, and for that reason they are an abomination to him, because
they are made a cloak for sin, ch. vii. 14. See Isa. i. 11. 2. God has
such a love for upright good people that, though they are not at the expense
of a sacrifice (he himself has provided that), their prayer is a delight
to him. Praying graces are his own gift, and the work of his own Spirit in
them, with which he is well pleased. He not only answers their prayers, but
delights in their addresses to him, and in doing them good.
9 The way of the wicked is an
abomination unto the LORD:
but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness.
This is a reason of what was said in the foregoing verse. 1. The sacrifices
of the wicked are an abomination to God, not for want of some nice points
of ceremony, but because their way, the whole course and tenour of
their conversation, is wicked, and consequently an abomination to him.
Sacrifices for sin were not accepted of those that resolved to go on in sin,
and were to the highest degree abominable if intended to obtain a connivance
at sin and a permission to go on in it. 2. Therefore the prayer of the
upright is his delight, because he is a friend of God, and he loves him
who, though he have not yet attained, is following after righteousness,
aiming at it and pressing towards it, as St. Paul, Phil. iii. 13.
10 Correction is grievous unto him that
forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.
This shows that those who cannot bear to be corrected must expect to be
destroyed. 1. It is common for those who have known the way of righteousness,
but have forsaken it, to reckon it a great affront to be reproved and
admonished. They are very uneasy at reproof; they cannot, they will not, bear
it; nay, because they hate to be reformed, they hate to be reproved, and hate
those who deal faithfully and kindly with them. Of all sinners, reproofs are
worst resented by apostates. 2. It is certain that those who will not be
reproved will be ruined: He that hates reproof, and hardens his heart
against it, is joined to his idols; let him alone. He shall die, and
perish for ever, in his sins, since he would not be parted from his sins. 2
Chron. xxv. 15, I know that God has determined to destroy thee, because
thou couldst not bear to be reproved; see also ch. xxix. 1.
11 Hell and destruction are before the LORD:
how much more then the hearts of the children of men?
This confirms what was said (v. 3) concerning God's omnipresence, in
order to his judging of evil and good. 1. God knows all things, even those
things that are hidden from the eyes of all living: Hell and destruction
are before the Lord, not only the centre of the earth, and its
subterraneous caverns, but the grave, and all the dead bodies which are there
buried out of our sight; they are all before the Lord, all under his
eye, so that none of them can be lost or be to seek when they are to be raised
again. He knows where every man lies buried, even Moses, even those that are
buried in the greatest obscurity; nor needs he any monument with a Hic
jacet--Here he lies, to direct him. The place of the damned in particular,
and all their torments, which are inexpressible, the state of separate souls
in general, and all their circumstances, are under God's eye. The word here
used for destruction is Abaddon, which is one of the devil's
names, Rev. ix. 11. That destroyer, though he deceives us, cannot evade or
elude the divine cognizance. God examines him whence he comes (Job i. 7), and
sees through all his disguises though he is sly, and subtle, and swift, Job
xxvi. 6. 2. He knows particularly the hearts of the children of men. If
he sees through the depths and wiles of Satan himself, much more can he
search men's hearts, though they be deceitful, since they learned all their
fraudulent arts of Satan. God is greater than our hearts, and knows
them better than we know them ourselves, and therefore is an infallible Judge
of every man's character, Heb. iv. 13.
12 A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him:
neither will he go unto the wise.
A scorner is one that not only makes a jest of God and religion, but bids
defiance to the methods employed for his conviction and reformation, and, as
an evidence of that, 1. He cannot endure the checks of his own conscience, nor
will he suffer it to deal plainly with him: He loves not to reprove him
(so some read it); he cannot endure to retire into his own heart and commune
seriously with that, will not admit of any free thought or fair reasoning with
himself, nor let his own heart smite him, if he can help it. That man's case
is sad who is afraid of being acquainted and of arguing with himself. 2. He
cannot endure the advice and admonitions of his friends: He will not go
unto the wise, lest they should give him wise counsel. We ought not only
to bid the wise welcome when they come to us, but to go to them, as beggars to
the rich man's door for an alms; but this the scorner will not do, for fear of
being told of his faults and prevailed upon to reform.
13 A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance:
but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
Here, 1. Harmless mirth is recommended to us, as that which contributes to the
health of the body, making men lively and fit for business, and to the
acceptableness of the conversation, making the face to shine and rendering us
pleasant one to another. A cheerful spirit, under the government of wisdom and
grace, is a great ornament to religion, puts a further lustre upon the beauty
of holiness, and makes men the more capable of doing good. 2. Hurtful
melancholy is what we are cautioned against, as a great enemy to us, both in
our devotion and in our conversation: By sorrow of the heart, when it
has got dominion and plays the tyrant, as it will be apt to do it if be
indulged awhile, the spirit is broken and sunk, and becomes unfit for
the service of God. The sorrow of the world works death. Let us
therefore weep as though we wept not, in justice to ourselves, as well
as in conformity to God and his providence.
14 The heart of him that hath understanding
seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.
Here are two things to be wondered at:-- 1. A wise man not satisfied with his
wisdom, but still seeking the increase of it; the more he has the more he
would have: The heart of him that has understanding, rejoices so in the
knowledge it has attained to that it is still coveting more, and in the use of
the means of knowledge is still labouring for more, growing in grace, and
in the knowledge of Christ. Si dixisti, Sufficit, periisti--If you say, I have
enough, you are undone. 2. A fool well satisfied with his folly and not
seeking the cure of it. While a good man hungers after the solid satisfactions
of grace, a carnal mind feasts on the gratifications of appetite and fancy.
Vain mirth and sensual pleasures are its delight, and with these it can rest
contented, flattering itself in these foolish ways.
15 All the days of the afflicted are
evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.
See here what a great difference there is between the condition and temper of
some and others of the children of men. 1. Some are much in affliction, and of
a sorrowful spirit, and all their days are evil days, like those of old age,
and days of which they say they have no pleasure in them. They eat
in darkness (Eccl. v. 17) and never eat with pleasure, Job xxi. 25.
How many are the afflictions of the afflicted in this world! Such are not to
be censured or despised, but pitied and prayed for, succoured and comforted.
It might have been our own lot, or may be yet, merry as we are at present. 2.
Others enjoy great prosperity and are of a cheerful spirit; and they have not
only good days, but have a continual feast; and if in the abundance of
all things they serve God with gladness of heart, and it is oil to the wheels
of their obedience (all this, and heaven too), then they serve a good Master.
But let not such feast without fear; a sudden change may come; therefore rejoice
with trembling.
16 Better is little with the fear of the
LORD
than great treasure and trouble therewith. 17 Better is a
dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.
Solomon had said in the foregoing verse that he who has not a large estate, or
a great income, but a cheerful spirit, has a continual feast; Christian
contentment, and joy in God, make the life easy and pleasant; now here he
tells us what is necessary to that cheerfulness of spirit which will furnish a
man with a continual feast, though he has but little in the
world--holiness and love.
I. Holiness. A little, if we manage it and enjoy it in the fear of
the Lord, if we keep a good conscience and go on in the way of duty, and
serve God faithfully with the little we have, will be more comfortable, and
turn to a better account, than great treasure and trouble therewith.
Observe here, 1. It is often the lot of those that fear God to have but a
little of this world. The poor receive the gospel, and poor they still
are, Jam. ii. 5. 2. Those that have great treasure have often great trouble
therewith; it is so far from making them easy that it increases their care
and hurry. The abundance of the rich will not suffer them to sleep. 3.
If great treasure bring trouble with it, it is for want of the fear of God. If
those that have great estates would do their duty with them, and then trust
God with them, their treasure would not have so much trouble attending it. 4.
It is therefore far better, and more desirable, to have but a little of the
world and to have it with a good conscience, to keep up communion with God,
and enjoy him in it, and live by faith, than to have the greatest plenty and
live without God in the world.
II. Love. Next to the fear of God, peace with all men is necessary to the
comfort of this life. 1. If brethren dwell together in unity, if they
are friendly, and hearty, and pleasant, both in their daily meals and in more
solemn entertainments, that will make a dinner of herbs a feast
sufficient; though the fare be coarse, and the estate so small that they can
afford no better, yet love will sweeten it and they may be as merry over it as
if they had all dainties. 2. If there be mutual enmity and strife, though
there be a whole ox for dinner, a fat ox, there can be no comfort in it; the
leaven of malice, of hating and being hated, is enough to sour it all. Some
refer it to him that makes the entertainment; better have a slender dinner and
be heartily welcome than a table richly spread with a grudging evil eye.
|
Cum
torvo vultu mihi conula nulla placebit,
Cum placido vultu conula ulla placet.
The most sumptuous entertainment, presented with a sullen brow,
would offend me; while the
plainest repast, presented kindly,
would delight me.
|
18 A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he
that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.
Here is, 1. Passion the great make-bate. Thence come wars and fightings.
Anger strikes the fire which sets cities and churches into a flame: A
wrathful man, with his peevish passionate reflections, stirs up strife,
and sets people together by the ears; he gives occasion to others to quarrel,
and takes the occasion that others give, though ever so trifling. When men
carry their resentments too far, one quarrel still produces another. 2.
Meekness the great peace-maker: He that is slow to anger not only prevents
strife, that it be not kindled, but appeases it if it be already
kindled, brings water to the flame, unites those again that have fallen out,
and by gentle methods brings them to mutual concessions for peace-sake.
19 The way of the slothful man is as an
hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain.
See here, 1. Whence those difficulties arise which men pretend to meet with in
the way of their duty, and to be insuperable; they arise not from any thing in
the nature of the duty, but from the slothfulness of those that have really no
mind to it. Those that have no heart to their work pretend that their way is
hedged up with thorns, and they cannot do their work at all (as if God were a
hard Master, reaping where he had not sown), at least that their way is
strewed with thorns, that they cannot do their work without a great deal of
hardship and danger; and therefore they go about it with as much reluctance as
if they were to go barefoot through a thorny hedge. 2. How these imaginary
difficulties may be conquered. An honest desire and endeavour to do our duty
will, by the grace of God, make it easy, and we shall find it strewed with
roses: The way of the righteous is made plain; it is easy to be trodden
and not rough, easy to be found, and not intricate.
20 A wise son maketh a glad father: but a
foolish man despiseth his mother.
Observe here, 1. To the praise of good children, that they are the joy of
their parents, who ought to have joy of them, having taken so much care and
pains about them. And it adds much to the satisfaction of those that are good
if they have reason to think that they have been a comfort to their parents in
their declining years, when evil days come. 2. To the shame of wicked
children, that by their wickedness they put contempt upon their parents,
slight their authority, and make an ill requital for their kindness: A
foolish son despises his mother, that had most sorrow with him and perhaps
had too much indulged him, which makes his sin in despising her the more
sinful and her sorrow the more sorrowful.
21 Folly is joy to him that is
destitute of wisdom: but a man of understanding walketh uprightly.
Note, 1. It is the character of a wicked man that he takes pleasure in sin; he
has an appetite to the bait, and swallows it greedily, and has no dread of the
hook, nor feels from it when he has swallowed it: Folly is joy to him;
the folly of others is so, and his own much more. He sins, not only without
regret, but with delight, not only repents not of it, but makes his boast of
it. This is a certain sign of one that is graceless. 2. It is the character of
a wise and good man that he makes conscience of his duty. A fool lives at
large, walks at all adventures, by no rule, acts with no sincerity or
steadiness; but a man of understanding, the eyes of whose understanding
are enlightened by the Spirit (and those that have not a good understanding
have no understanding), walks uprightly, lives a sober, orderly,
regular life, and studies in every thing to conform himself to the will of
God; and this is a constant pleasure and joy to him. But what
foolishness remains in him, or proceeds from him at any time, is a grief to
him, and he is ashamed of it. By these characters we may try ourselves.
22 Without counsel purposes are disappointed:
but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.
See here, 1. Of what ill consequence it is to be precipitate and rash, and to
act without advice: Men's purposes are disappointed, their measures
broken, and they come short of their point, gain not their end, because they
would not ask counsel about the way. If men will not take time and pains to
deliberate with themselves, or are so confident of their own judgment that
they scorn to consult with others, they are not likely to bring any thing
considerable to pass; circumstances defeat them which, with a little
consultation, might have been foreseen and obviated. It is a good rule, both
in public and domestic affairs, to do nothing rashly and of one's own head. Plus
vident oculi quam oculus--Many eyes see more than one. That often proves
best which was least our own doing. 2. How much it will be for our advantage
to ask the advice of our friends: In the multitude of counsellors
(provided they be discreet and honest, and will not give counsel with a spirit
of contradiction) purposes are established. Solomon's son made no good
use of this proverb when he acquiesced not in the counsel of the old men, but
because he would have a multitude of counsellors, regarding number more
than weight, advised with the young men.
23 A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth:
and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!
Note, 1. We speak wisely when we speak seasonably: The answer of the mouth
will be our credit and joy when it is pertinent and to the purpose, and is spoken
in due season, when it is needed and will be regarded, and, as we say,
hits the joint. Many a good word comes short of doing the good it might have
done, for want of being well-timed. Nor is any thing more the beauty of
discourse than to have a proper answer ready off-hand, just when there is
occasion for it, and it comes in well. 2. If we speak wisely and well, it will
redound to our own comfort and to the advantage of others: A man has joy by
the answer of his mouth; he may take a pleasure, but may by no means take
a pride, in having spoken so acceptably and well that the hearers admire him
and say, "How good is it, and how much good does it do!"
24 The way of life is above to the wise,
that he may depart from hell beneath.
The way of wisdom and holiness is here recommended to us, 1. As very safe and
comfortable: It is the way of life, the way that leads to eternal life,
in which we shall find the joy and satisfaction which will be the life of the
soul, and at the end of which we shall find the perfection of blessedness. Be
wise and live. It is the way to escape that misery which we cannot but see
ourselves exposed to, and in danger of. It is to depart from hell beneath,
from the snares of hell, the temptations of Satan, and all his wiles, from the
pains of hell, that everlasting destruction which our sins have deserved. 2.
As very sublime and honourable: It is above. A good man sets his affections
on things above, and deals in those things. His conversation is in
heaven; his way leads directly thither; there his treasure is, above,
out of the reach of enemies, above the changes of this lower world. A good man
is truly noble and great; his desires and designs are high, and he lives above
the common rate of other men. It is above the capacity and out of the sight of
foolish men.
|
The
Righteous and the Wicked Contrasted.
|
|
|
|
25 The LORD
will destroy the house of the proud: but he will establish the border of the
widow.
Note, 1. Those that are elevated God delights to abase, and commonly does it
in the course of his providence: The proud, that magnify themselves,
bid defiance to the God above them and trample on all about them, are such as
God resists and will destroy, not them only, but their houses,
which they are proud of and are confident of the continuance and perpetuity
of. Pride is the ruin of multitudes. 2. Those that are dejected God delights
to support, and often does it remarkably: He will establish the border of
the poor widow, which proud injurious men break in upon, and which the
poor widow is not herself able to defend and make good. It is the honour of
God to protect the weak and appear for those that are oppressed.
26 The thoughts of the wicked are an
abomination to the LORD:
but the words of the pure are pleasant words.
The former part of this verse speaks of thoughts, the latter of words, but
they come all to one; for thoughts are words to God, and words are judged of
by the thoughts from which they proceed, so that, 1. The thoughts and
words of the wicked, which are, like themselves, wicked, which aim at
mischief, and have some ill tendency or other, are an abomination to the
Lord; he is displeased at them and will reckon for them. The thoughts of
wicked men, for the most part, are such as God hates, and are an offence to
him, who not only knows the heart and all that passes and repasses there, but
requires the innermost and uppermost place in it. 2. The thoughts and words
of the pure, being pure like themselves, clean, honest, and sincere, are
pleasant words and pleasant thoughts, well-pleasing to the holy God, who
delights in purity. It may be understood both of their devotions to God (the
words of their mouth and the meditations of their heart, in prayer and
praise, are acceptable to God, Ps. xix. 14; lxix. 13) and of their
discourses with men, tending to edification. Both are pleasant when they come
from a pure, a purified, heart.
27 He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own
house; but he that hateth gifts shall live.
Note, 1. Those that are covetous entail trouble upon their families: He
that is greedy of gain, and therefore makes himself a slave to the world,
rises up early, sits up late, and eats the bread of carefulness, in pursuit of
it--he that hurries, and puts himself and all about him upon the stretch, in
business, frets and vexes at every loss and disappointment, and quarrels with
every body that stands in the way of his profit--he troubles his own house,
is a burden and vexation to his children and servants. He that, in his
greediness of gain, takes bribes, and uses unlawful ways of getting money,
leaves a curse with what he gets to those that come after him, which sooner or
later will bring trouble into the house, Hab. ii. 9, 10. 2. Those that are
generous as well as righteous entail a blessing upon their families: He
that hates gifts, that shakes his hands from holding the bribes that are
thrust into his hand to pervert justice and abhors all sinful indirect ways of
getting money--that hates to be paltry and mercenary, and is willing, if there
be occasion, to do good gratis--he shall live; he shall have the comfort of
life, shall live in prosperity and reputation; his name and family shall live
and continue.
28 The heart of the righteous studieth to
answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.
Here is, 1. A good man proved to be a wise man by this, that he governs his
tongue well; he that does so the same is a perfect man, Jam. iii. 2. It
is part of the character of a righteous man that being convinced of the
account he must give of his words, and of the good and bad influence of them
upon others, he makes conscience of speaking truly (it is his heart
that answers, that is, he speaks as he thinks, and dares not do
otherwise, he speaks the truth in his heart, Ps. xv. 2), and of
speaking pertinently and profitably, and therefore he studies to answer,
that his speech may be with grace, Neh. ii. 4; v. 7. 2. A wicked man is proved
to be a fool by this, that he never heeds what he says, but his mouth pours
out evil things, to the dishonour of God and religion, his own reproach,
and the hurt of others. Doubtless that is an evil heart which thus overflows
with evil.
29 The LORD
is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.
Note, 1. God sets himself at a distance from those that set him at defiance: The
wicked say to the Almighty, Depart from us, and he is, accordingly, far
from them; he does not manifest himself to them, has no communion with
them, will not hear them, will not help them, no, not in the time of their
need. They shall be for ever banished from his presence and he will behold
them afar off. Depart from me, you cursed. 2. He will draw nigh to
those in a way of mercy who draw nigh to him in a way of duty: He hears the
prayer of the righteous, accepts it, is well pleased with it, and will
grant an answer of peace to it. It is the prayer of a righteous man
that avails much, Jam. v. 16. He is nigh to them, a present
help, in all that they call upon him for.
30 The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: and
a good report maketh the bones fat.
Two things are here pronounced pleasant:-- 1. It is pleasant to have a good
prospect to see the light of the sun (Eccl. xi. 7) and by it to see the
wonderful works of God, with which this lower world is beautified and
enriched. Those that want the mercy know how to value it; how would the
light of the eyes rejoice their hearts! The consideration of this should
make us thankful for our eyesight. 2. It is more pleasant to have a good
name, a name for good things with God and good people; this is as
precious ointment, Eccl. vii. 1. It makes the bones fat; it gives a
secret pleasure, and that which is strengthening. It is also very comfortable
to hear (as some understand it) a good report concerning others; a good
man has no greater joy than to hear that his friends walk in the truth.
31 The ear that heareth the reproof of life
abideth among the wise.
Note, 1. It is the character of a wise man that he is very willing to be
reproved, and therefore chooses to converse with those that, both by their
words and example, will show him what is amiss in him: The ear that can
take the reproof will love the reprover. Faithful friendly reproofs are
here called the reproofs of life, not only because they are to be given
in a lively manner, and with a prudent zeal (and we must reprove by our lives
as well as by our doctrine), but because, where they are well-taken, they are
means of spiritual life, and lead to eternal life, and (as some think) to
distinguish them from rebukes and reproaches for well-doing, which are rather
reproofs of death, which we must not regard nor be influenced by. 2. Those
that are so wise as to bear reproof well will hereby be made wiser (ch.
ix. 9), and come at length to be numbered among the wise men of the age, and
will have both ability and authority to reprove and instruct others. Those
that learn well, and obey well, are likely in time to teach well and rule
well.
32 He that refuseth instruction despiseth his
own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.
See here, 1. The folly of those that will not be taught, that refuse
instruction, that will not heed it, but turn their backs upon it, or will
not hear it, but turn their hearts against it. They refuse correction
(margin); they will not take it, no, not from God himself, but kick
against the pricks. Those that do so despise their own souls; they show
that they have a low and mean opinion of them, and are in little care and
concern about them, considered as rational and immortal, instruction being
designed to cultivate reason and prepare for the immortal state. The
fundamental error of sinners is undervaluing their own souls; therefore they
neglect to provide for them, abuse them, expose them, prefer the body before
the soul, and wrong the soul to please the body. 2. The wisdom of those that
are willing, not only to be taught, but to be reproved: He that hears
reproof, and amends the faults he is reproved for, gets understanding,
by which his soul is secured from bad ways and directed in good ways, and
thereby he both evidences the value he has for his own soul and puts true
honour upon it.
33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction
of wisdom; and before honour is humility.
See here how much it is our interest, as well as duty, 1. To submit to our
God, and keep up a reverence for him: The fear of the Lord, as it is the
beginning of wisdom, so it is the instruction and correction of
wisdom; the principles of religion, closely adhered to, will improve our
knowledge, rectify our mistakes, and be the best and surest guide of our way.
An awe of God upon our spirits will put us upon the wisest counsels and
chastise us when we say or do unwisely. 2. To stoop to our brethren, and keep
up a respect for them. Where there is humility there is a happy presage of
honour and preparative for it. Those that humble themselves shall be exalted
here and hereafter.
Contents
|
Next
Section
