their thoughts. When Job's friends scorned him, his eyes poured out tears unto God. Christ was left in his distress by all his disciples, but he was not alone, for the Father was with him. But it is an encouragement to our faith, that he had, in the days of his flesh, so large experience of the sorrows of poverty, for in that he himself hath suffered, being tempted, he is able also to succour them that are tempted *.

Ver. 8. He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good.

Spiritual wisdom is not natural to men, and the best scholars, and greatest philosophers, live and die fools, unless they get into their possession that wisdom which cometh from above, and is taught in the holy Scrip

tures.

The way of getting this wisdom is to be sensible of our need of it, to trust in him to whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge belong, for the communication of it, and to be diligent in the use of the means which he hath appointed, and will bless, for conveying

it to us.

We must not only get, but keep this precious treasure, retaining it in our hearts, shewing it forth in all our behaviour, and refusing to part with it on any account t.

Many think that those men who are so careful to seek and retain wisdom, are great losers, buying it at too high a price, and refusing to part with it at the risk of every thing that is valuable in the eyes of men. But the Spirit of God assures us in this place, that they are great gainers, and never can be losers. They may hate their wealth and ease, their friends and life, for the sake of wisdom, but when they do so, they are lovers of their souls, and millions of lives are not to be put in competition with an immortal soul. They may meet with loss and disgrace, with persecution and death, but still

*Heb. ii. 18.

+ Ch. xxiii, 23.

they find good, for they not only find those eternal ad- . vantages which infinitely outweigh every temporal loss *, but even these losses themselves are good to them that find wisdom, which, like the pretended philosopher's stone, turns every thing into gold. That is truly good to us, which does us good, and that does us good which makes us good, or brings us nearer to the possession of the chief good. The keeper of wisdom does not always find that which appears good to a carnal eye, but he always finds that which appears good in the eyes of God, and consequently in his own eyes. Paul found much good in the things that appear the most frightful objects in nature to the greatest part of

men.

Ver. 9. A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.

These sins are very pernicious, and yet Solomon knew and found them so common, that he publishes a double warning against them, almost in the same breath, verse

5.

Ver. 10. Delight is not seemly for a fool, much less for servants to have rule over princes.

Wisdom turns every thing to a man's advantage and honour, but folly turns gain into loss, and makes a man ridiculous and contemptible, when he is surrounded with every thing that might make him happy, and procure him respect. Delight is a thing that all men wish to enjoy, but when a fool is furnished with every mean of pleasure, his folly is heightened into madness, and he is found to be seventimes more a fool than he appeared to be when he was in other circumstances, A whip is proper for an ass, and a rod for the fool's back, but delight and the means of procuring it are the same thing to a fool, as a golden bridle to that lazy animal †.. + Chap. xiv. 24.

* Romans viii. 13.

It is still more unseemly for servants to have rule over princes, for although servants have as good blood in their veins as princes, and are born with the same rational powers, yet their education and habits of life, make them quite unfit for the arts of government. And pride, that universal vice, has never a greater opportunity of gaining full dominion in a man, than when he is unexpectedly raised from the lowest to the highest stations. But this proverb, like many others, is true only in general, and not in every particular instance; for Joseph was very justly raised, from slavery and imprisonment, to reign over princes, and Solomon himself assures us, that a wise and poor child is worthy of much more respect than an old and foolish king.

Besides the instruction contained in this sentence, to those that have the disposal of high offices in their hands, it teaches us all to value wisdom above pleasure, and all the means of pleasure. Wisdom can make a man happy without them, and wisdom alone can make them means of happiness to us, and enable us to use them without abusing them into means of our own dishonour.

It teaches us also to be pleased with our own condition. How ridiculous would an illiterate rustic appear, were he to be placed in a pulpit, or a man of low birth if he were seated on a throne! It is God's office to choose our stations, and ours to discharge with cheerfulness the duties of them.

When God raised Joseph, and Saul, and David, to power, and when he called fishermen to be apostles, this proverb could not be applied to them, because God gave them a spirit suited to their offices, and in like manner, when he raises the meanest of the sons of men to spiritual honours, he bestows upon them a suitable disposition of soul. Those that are made kings and priests unto God and the father of Christ, have the spi

rit of sons, working in them those heavenly tempers which become those who are exalted so highly by the grace of God.

Ver. 11. The discretion of a man deferreth his anger, and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.

Are you affronted by any person? Now is the time for knowing whether you are a wise man or a fool. If you are a fool, you will follow that maxim of fools, that a man behaves honourably when he will not suffer any man to give him the least shadow of affront, without forcing him to repent it, if possible, or at least shewing that it is rather the want of power than will, that hinders him from taking revenge. If you are wise, then you will not suffer passion to domineer in your breasts, but when you find it raising insurrections, will force it to yield to the dominion of reason and religion; and before you display it in your words and behaviour, you will consider calmly whether you have reason to be angry, or so much reason as passion would make you believe; and if you have reason, yet another question still remains, Dost thou well to be angry? or dost thou well to be angry to such a degree?

A wise man will not only defer his anger, but pass over offences. Joab could suppress his anger at Abner for killing Asahel, but he was not a wise man, for his resentment broke forth at a fit opportunity, and instigated him to shed the blood of war in the time of peace. David was a man of a very different spirit. He not only restrained Abishai from killing Shimei, when he was fleeing from Jerusalem, but he pardoned that of fender when he was returning in triumph to his palace. It was not revenge, but the love of peace, and a desire of the public welfare, that made David charge Solomon, on his death-bed, to keep his eye on that dangerous traitor.

It is our duty and wisdom to pass by, not only slight

offences, but injuries of a deeper dye, such as may be called transgressions; for we need sometimes the forgiveness of such from men, and every day we are obliged to supplicate the forgiveness of transgressions from God, and we are bound to forgive men, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven us.

It is the discretion of a man to be slow to anger and ready to forgive; for as it is not the water that surrounds a ship, but the water which soaks into it, that sinke it, so it is not the injury done by another man that endangers us so much as the impression it makes upon ourselves. Our fretful and revengeful thoughts are the torment of our hearts, and deprive us of the government of our own souls, and it is a piece of folly, when our neighbour does us an injury, to do a much greater to ourselves, when we mean to be revenged on him.

It is a greater glory for a man to govern himself, than to take strong cities, and rule over mighty nations. It is the wisdom and honour of sinning creatures, to behave to offenders as men that need pardon for themselves. It is the glory of Christians to learn meekness and lowliness from Christ. It is the glory of pardoned sinners to shew forth the virtues of him that called them, to which they owe so much, not only in their praises but in all their conversation.

Ver. 12. The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion, but his favour is as dew upon the grass.

We must be loyal to the king for wrath, if we. will not be loyal for conscience sake; for here the Bible requires it, and represents the great danger of disobedience, to affright those that will not be governed by a sense of duty. As the lion among the beasts of the forest, so is a king among men, and as the roaring of the lion is terrible to the beasts, so is the displeasure of the king to those that offend him. But his

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