Ver. 23. The fear of the Lord tendeth to life, and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.

Religion is the soul of happiness, it makes the present life long and happy, as far as a long and happy life is really for our advantage, and it is the beginning of eternal life in the soul. He that is governed by the fear of the Lord enjoys heart-felt satisfaction, and the joys that spring from it are not like the short-lived joys of the world, that die away into sadness and misery; they last through life, they are vigorous in old age, when the pleasures of sense have lost their relish, and they triumph over death and all its terrors. Christians are indeed exposed to heaviness through manifold temptations, but the fear of the Lord, and the faith of Christ, has often produced joy unspeakable and full of glory in such seasons; and the disquiets which the people of God often feel, are owing for the most part to the imperfections of their religious dispositions, and are blessed by God as means of improving their grace, and introducing sweeter joys into their souls. Christians have unfailing grounds of satisfaction, for they have health in their souls, they know that all their affairs are managed by a wise and gracious Providence, and they have the sure promises of the life to come. If God himself can give satisfaction to the souls which he has made, they have it, or shall have it in due time, for he manages all things for their good, and his eternal excellencies are their portion.

The saint of God is entirely delivered from the miseries of man's fallen state, as far as it can consist with the plan of his recovery which divine wisdom has contrived. The calamities which he suffers are unstinged to him through the Redeemer's cross, which, like the tree that Moses cast into the waters of Marah, makes bitter things sweet. He is not visited with any unne

cessary evil, and those evils that visit him are made good on the whole by the tendency which they have to do him good, and make him good. Reproaches and tribulations, sicknesses and deaths, are the common lot of men, and they are very evil things to those who are strangers to God, but they are good to them that love God, for they are appointed and useful means to make them partakers of God's holiness, and prepare them for that blessed world where sins and sorrows are no more*.

Ver. 24. A slothful man kideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

Solomon was a mortal enemy to sloth, as every wise man will be. He has often told us of the mischievous effects of this vice, and here he holds up the sluggard as an object of contempt and laughter, to make him ashamed, if possible, of his laziness, and to awaken us to diligence in the duties of our calling and religion.

It is a mark of a sluggard to make a great business of a little affair, and to make much ado about nothing at all. It is a business to the sluggard to take his hand out of his bosom, and it is a grievous affair for him to put it to his mouth to feed himself. Were it not for shame, he would desire to be fed like an infant, and he will at length be tempted to grudge that men cannot live like trees, on which their proper nourishment falls down from the clouds.

A man that employs his hands with diligence, is able not only to support himself and his family, but to give something likewise to him that needs; and he finds less trouble in his work, and enjoys more contentment than a sluggard would do, if you should bring every thing to him that is needful for his support, with

* Ch. iv. 26, 27. iii. 7. 8. + The word bosom ought to

John viii. 52. have been dish. Eph. iv, 28.

out any labour of his own hands, because the things that no man can do for him are oppressions to his sluggish soul. It is a greater burden to a sleepy man to strip himself and go to bed, than for another man to perform some laborious service.

Awake, thou sluggard, out of thy deep sleep, unless thou desirest to be miserable through life; for life itself is an intolerable slavery when every piece of work is a burden.

Beware of spiritual sloth, which makes every duty of religion a toil. God loves a cheerful servant, that rejoices and works righteousness, but he will accept of no drowsy and spiritless services, which are a dishonour to him and to his ways. To the slothful Christian it seems a burden to pray, and to believe in Christ, although by these duties we only ask, and receive, and eat our spiritual food. The lively Christian admires the grace of God, which hath made these holy exercises our duty; but the sluggard grudges that he cannot have heaven in a morning dream.

Ver. 25. Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware ; and reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge.

The wise man has already told us that it is needless to reprove a scorner, because his pride will make reproofs useless to him. What, then, is to be done with him? Shall he be suffered to proceed in his wicked courses, and to corrupt others by his example? No; he ought to be smitten, at least when he lays himself open to the vengeance of the laws; and although there is little hope of reclaiming one that is so much hardened in wickedness, yet his punishment will be useful to other men, who will hear, and fear, and do no more so wickedly. The simple and thoughtless will be made to see how dangerous it is to follow the example of one that has suffered unto imprisonment, or whipping,

or death, for his vices, and those who would not be restrained from evil by the fear of God, and the thoughts of an eternal world, will be checked by the fear of men, and the terror of present punishment. It is a necessary thing in a land to punish gross offences; for without the execution of justice on the wicked, iniquity would overflow all its banks, and men would not live with safety among their fellow-creatures. We have, therefore, reason to bless God for the institution of magistracy*, and should concur in our stations to assist in the execution of the just laws against vice.

But a wise man needs not be smitten for his faults, which are generally of a much less atrocious nature than those of the scorner. He is not, however, to be connived at, or left to his own wisdom, to inform him of his miscarriages. Men are commonly too dim-sighted to discern their own miscarriages in a proper light, and reproofs are means appointed and blessed by God for bringing wise men themselves to the exercise of a lively sorrow and repentance.

Are you afraid to reprove a wise man, lest he should take it amiss? You need not fear this, if he is really a wise man. He will love thee for reproving him, and will understand knowledge. A fool is displeased when he is supposed capable of falling into a fault; but a wise man is meek and lowly, sensible of his imperfection and frailty, and when he goes out of the road of duty, is glad and thankful to be set right.

This proverb teaches us, how vain it is for men, through the pride of character, to cavil at admonitions, and endeavour to justify themselves in opposition to plain fact. Instead of serving our character by this behaviour, we greatly hurt it. When we receive reproof with gratitude, we shew ourselves wise men.

* Rom. xiii.

When we are displeased with it, we shew that we are fools, or at least that our wisdom is mingled with much folly. To affect the character of perfect men, is a plain evidence that we know not ourselves, and do not remember the present state of human nature.

Ver. 26. He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach.

Some children are so graceless, as to think it no sin to steal from their parents, and to take at their own hands that portion of the goods which they think belongs to them. Others abuse the fondness of their parents, and ungratefully make use of it as a mean of robbing them by their own consent. Both these kinds of wicked children may be said to waste their parents. There is another kind of children who have some reverence for their father, because their interest depends on his will; but they have so little regard for their mothers, that they chase them away from their houses, by rendering their life uncomfortable, or by wasting that portion of goods which pertains to them. Esau, profane as he was, had some regard for his father, and sought his blessing with many tears; but he valued not his mother, and resolved to kill her dearest son, as soon as her husband's head was laid in the dust. On the other side, dutiful children will at all times endeavour to make their mothers happy, especially when they are reduced to the affliction of a widowed condition.

Those sons that behave so undutifully to their parents bring a reproach on themselves, which spreads to the whole family. They are monsters of mankind, who are entirely destitute of natural affection, and feel no gratitude for the highest obligations which one human person can receive from another. They barbarously disappoint and counteract the most reasonable hopes that can be formed by men, and prove the torment and