PROVERBS.

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HE Proverbs of Solomon *. A wife act- I ing fon maketh a glad father; but a foolish fon in his behaviour, is the very heavinefs of his mother.

Filial duty. They who are religiously educated ought to reward parental diligence, by proportionable increase of wisdom, and good works. Their honour and usefulness is unspeakable. No perfonal lofs is equal to disappointment from a bad child. Maternal grief is enhanced by strength of former love, and affection for her husband.

Treasures of wickedness profit nothing in 2 the end; but wealth by righteousness delivereth from premature death.

Riches when valuable. How many speak to their children, as though money could answer all things? Eccl. xii. 13. Mic. vi. 14, 15. By means of unlawful purchases, cometh lofs of credit, peace and happiness, for both worlds, Luke xvi. 19, &c. Pfal. xlix. 16, &c. Equitable righteousness imports a mixture of mercy. It is fufficient to ground a Proverb, that it holds in common, Pfal. XXXV. 25. Matth. v. 7.

* Parables, appofite fimilitudes. Here thofe of Solomon, fridly fpeaking, commence; and therefore are rarely to be dif tinguished by paragraphs. The antithefis, or two parts of a Proverb, ferve beft to explain each other.

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The Lord will not usually fuffer the foul * of the compaffionating righteous to, famifh, from lack of neceffaries; but much more frequently he cafteth away the ill acquired fubitance of the perfidious wicked.

Beneficence profitable. Temporal rewards under the law were engaged for by covenant; befides being a native fruit of fober, religious virtue, Pfal. xxxiv. 9, &c. How often do large eftates come to nothing? And how little folid contentment do they yield? 1 Tim. vi. 8.

He foon becometh poor, that dealeth with a flack prodigal hand; but the hand of the upright diligent maketh proportionably rich.

Diligence and prodigality. The riotous confume their poffeffions faft. Sudden judgements, likewife, are seen to overtake them. An ufeful employment is a fafe inberitance. It directs when to open the hand, and when to but it. Sudden elevations are not eafily kept up. The active foul must be employed one way or other. Sloth leads to dangerous evil methods of gain; whereas, wealth, acquired by degrees, is generally fure and lafting.

He that honeftly gathereth in fummer ‡ Seafen, is a wife doing fon; but he that fleepeth S even in bufy harvest with others, is a son that, under just poverty, caufeth fhame extenfive and durable.

Indufry and floth. which ought to be laid not be brought back.

*Or life.

riches.

There is a time for every thing, hold of. Loft opportunities canWaste not the experience of

+ Or will overthrow the wicked for their Some, the hand of fraud, Job xxvii. 4. Pfal. xxxii. 2. 2 Kings ix. 3. H. Put for fit feafons in general. § Put for indolence.

want and pain, for inftruction. Take advice from known tender love. Use honest gains with moderation and cheerfulness. Youth is the proper cultivating time for future life.

Manifold and large bleffings are to be seen 6 upon the head of the beneficent juft, but the marks of violence, with infult overwhelming, covereth the mouth of the wicked. t

Juflice and violence. Temporal good wages to virtue are frequent, and fpiritual ones certain. Bleflings poured from above ought to diffuse themselves. Rifing upon the hurt of others is ever liable to discovery and punishment, Gen. xlix. 25, 26.

The memory of the beneficent juft, long 7 after death, is bleffed by multitudes; but the name of the wicked from neglect shall rot for

ever.

Reputation. Regard a good fame, as one end of life, though not the chief, Rom. xiv. 18. Phil. iv. 8. To be thus approved of the wife is true praife, and cheerfully paid. Worthy examples ought to live as long as poffible, in the breasts of obliged perfons. Death unmasks human characters. Even innocent relations may suffer from rotting memories. Splendid monuments do but recall their bafenefs.

The wife in heart will receive useful com- 8 mandments for both worlds; but a mere prating fool, with the little he has, fhall fall in time under complete ruin.

Government of the tongue. Our firft point of wisdom is to know and feel the various leffons of religious virtue. Such will ever grow fpiritually. Self-conceit would ufurp

* Put for the whole man. † Or face. H.

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the whole of converfatim; and ufually from innocent topics, to provoking ruinous ones, Matth. vii. 1, 2. Modeft worth is flow to speak, swift to hear, Jam. i. 19.

He that walketh in the course of his life uprightly, walketh furely to both honour and hap piness; but he that of defign perverteth his ways of behaviour, fhall Joon be known to miferable disgrace.

Uprightness beneficial. Sincere words and practice enfure credit; whereas, the lying tongue is but for a moment. Who would not deal with an established honeft man? Good characters fhine by clofe inquifition. Troubles in the road of virtue, prove beneficial. God and confcience are against the perverter.

Even he that proudly winketh with the eye to deceive, caufeth to himself much forrow in the end; but a perpetual prating fool, for conniv ing purposes, fhall fall, through time under total

ruin.

Deceit and evil Speaking. Mischievous arts are various; and the lefs eafy they are to difcern, their hazard is greater. Signs of cunning fhould put people upon their guard. Hypocrify and rafhnefs tend to great hurt.

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The mouth of a benevolent righteous man is like a falubrious well of life, for invigorating; but the love of violence covereth the mouth of the wicked from useful discourse, and shall stop his own for ever.

Converfation. Social natures need to be revived and fweetened, as by water-fprings. The man of pious love ftudies to please, that he may edify. Oaths and flander:

*Some, lurketh in the mouth. H.

are his abhorrence. We exprefs by ingenuous artless figns what we ftrongly feel. R.

Hatred, from any cause whatever, ftirreth up 12 vexatious ftrifes; but pure genuine love covereth to the utmost all fins of others, while it feeks to amend them.

Love and hatred. Good neighbourhood is a chief fatisfaction Malice can never want pretexts for fpeaking and doing evil. It fees and magnifies the fmalleft efcapes; dwells on them, and produces much mifery. A common foe of this fort ought to be run down, and frequently is fo. Generous love is captivating, 1 Cor. xiii. 4, &c. Even her rebukes are sweet, Pfal. cxli. 4, 5.

In the lips of him that hath good under- 13 ftanding, folid wifdom is found: but a rod is fought for as it were, to scourge the back of him that is void of understanding, for right conduct.

Practical knowledge. Speeches, gracious and beneficial, flow from a piously enlightened mind. Some difcourfe only that they may appear learned, and call for contempt. One difcreet practical principle is of more use than his whole ftore. Wife fentences contain often much in few words, and give the high pleasure of discovering what was unexpressed. R.

Wife men lay up knowledge, for use and 14 Safety; but the mouth of the foolish wicked der, with all his boast, is ever near to deflruction.

Useful wifdom. Pious and moral principles should be kept in mind, often and carefully pondered. Few have ingenuity to retract unadvised words. With advanced age, understanding fhould ripen. R. Wife men are