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intimating, that wisdom makes a man fomething like God, re21 fembling him in knowledge and goodness. My fon, let not them 22 depart from thine eyes: keep found wisdom and difcre

tion: So fhall they be life unto thy foul, and grace to thy 23 neck. Then fhalt thou walk in thy way fafely, and thy foot fhall not stumble; thou shalt go about thy bufinefs 24 comfortably and fuccefsfully. When thou lieft down, thou fhalt not be afraid; yea, thou fhalt lie down, and thy fleep shall be sweet; no anxious diftra&ting cares or painful 25 reflections fhall disturb thy repofe. Be not afraid of fudden fear, neither of the defolation of the wicked, when it cometh; of enemies and wicked men, who are ready to 26 lay all waste. For the LORD fhall be thy confidence, and fhall keep thy foot from being taken by those who lie in wait to destroy thee. And if thou defireft that God fhould hear thy prayers, and help thee,

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Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, 28 when it is in the power of thine hand to do [it.] Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and tomorrow I will give; when thou haft it by thee; not only pay thy just debts, but be kind and liberal to thofe in diftrefs; keep not any one in a cruel or unnecessary fufpenfe. 29 Devife not evil against thy neighbour, against his perfon, property, or reputation, feeing he dwelleth fecurely by thee, does not fufpect thee, is off his guard, and therefore it were greater bafeness and wickedness to injure him. Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm; do not go to law, or engage in quarrels, where there is no real or intended injury, or none that is 31 very great. Envy thou not the oppreffor, and choose 32 none of his ways, tho' he thrives by them. For the froward [is] abomination to the LORD: but his fecret [is] with the righteous; they are his friends and favourites.

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The curfe of the LORD [is] in the house of the wick34 ed: but he bleffeth the habitation of the juft. Surely he fcorneth the fcorners, will expofe them to fcorn and contempt: but he giveth grace unto the lowly, that is, fa35 vour with himself and with men. The vife fhall inherit glory, tho' they may be diffatisfied for a while: but fhame hall be the promotion of fools; fhame fhall render them confpicuous,

confpicuous, and their folly will appear more remarkable and fhameful by their exaltation.

TH

REFLECTION S.

HIS chapter is fo full of excellent inftructions for the conduct of life, that every verfe fuggefts them, Let us particularly attend to the following remarks.

1. The happy confequences of getting wifdom, fhould excite us diligently to purfue it. Solomon was fo fenfible of the weakness of human nature, of the importance of gaining wifdom, and how neceffary it was that this should be inculcated again and again upon young people, that he urges it by a variety of arguments. The knowledge and practice of piety and virtue conduce to the health of the body, the peace of the mind, to our living upon good terms with others, and being refpected by them. It tends to our fuccefs in business, and adds an additional charm to all the comforts of life; above all, it enfures the favour of God. How juftly then does Solomon represent this as the best trade and merchandife! Let us therefore apply our minds to religion, that we may find, by our own experience, the truth of these observations, Godliness hath the promise of the life which now is, and of that which is to come.

2. Humility and prayer are the best means of engaging the divine direction and bleffing. The first maxim of importance to young people is, not to be wife in their own eyes, nor lean to their own understandings. Conceit makes them rash and contemptible, keeps them in ignorance, and makes them unwilling to fubmit to the rules and restraints of religion, But God giveth grace to the lowly, and therefore, fenfible of our own weakness, let us truft in him; and by daily, ferious prayer, acknowledge him in all our ways, efpecially in all affairs of difficulty and importance. We must not only believe that there is an overruling providence, but feriously acknowledge it. Then will God direct us in the right way; and tho' we meet with affliction in it, it will end well, in everlasting peace and joy.

3. Let us learn how we are to behave under the afflictions of life. The apoftle quotes the eleventh verse of this chapter,

chapter, in Heb. xii. 5. and calls it an exhortation that speaks to us as unto children. This is an important hint, viz. that all these exhortations speak to us, as well as to thofe for whose immediate ufe Solomon wrote them. May we not defpife the chaftening of the Lord, nor think lightly of it, or that it is not fent with a good defign, and capable of being very ufeful. Nor muft we be weary of it, or, as the apostle fays, faint under it, tho' it may be long continued. Tho it fhould grow heavier and heavier, we ought not to murmur, nor take unlawful methods to remove it: we should not think it more than we need, or that it is continued longer than is for our good. All proceeds from love; it is not the fword of an enemy, but the rod of a father; that is, a token of his love, and the means of his children's happinefs.

4. We are taught the fureft and readiest way of thriving in the world. Hearken, ye men of trade, to the exhortation of the wifeft man and the greatest trader that ever lived; the merchandize of wisdom is better than that of filver; and the gain thereof than fine gold. Honour the Lord with your fubftance; do good with it, relieving the poor, and fupporting the interefts of religion. Honour him with your increafe: as your fubftance increases, do the more good with it. This is the way to have his bleffing, which maketh rich, and addeth no Jorrow with it. When we have opportunities of doing good, we ought to embrace them quickly and readily; not bid our neighbour come again to-morrow.

If he

demand juftice of us, a juft debt, it is unjuft to defer payment. If he folicit charity, it is barbarous to keep him in fufpenfe; his wants may be urgent, and we may die before the morrow. Let us never ftudy to find excufes for omitting or deferring to do good; for God loveth a cheerful giver.

5. We are here taught to guard against anxious fears; be not afraid of fudden fear, which is indeed apt to put a man into confufion, because he has not time to recollect himself. But this is a difpofition we should strive against, for our own fakes, and the honour of religion. It is very weak to give way to every little alarm, or to believe every story which foolish and wicked men may fpread. It is also very unbecoming

unbecoming those who profefs to believe that the Lord reigneth. Be not afraid of the defolation of the wicked when it cometh, much less when it is at a distance, and leaft of all when it is only fufpected or rumoured. The Lord is the confidence of his people, and therefore they should not fear. But if they difhonour him and his providence by their unbelief, it may provoke him to give them up a prey to their own tormenting fears, and thus make their lives very miferable. Fear the Lord then and depart from evil, and 'fear nothing else.

CHA P. IV.

Solomon here continues his exhortations to all, especially to young people, whom he addresses with the tender concern of a father.

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E AR, ye children, the inftruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, not a trifling, indifferent matter, but what is abfolutely neceffary for your peace and happiness forfake ye not my law. To recommend thefe inftructions he relates that they were fuch as he received from his pious father. For I was my father's fon, tender and only [be4 loved] in the fight of my mother. He taught me alfo, and faid unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: 5 keep my commandments, and live. Get wifdom, get understanding, labour, traffick for it, that is, feek it as diligently as men do the wealth and honours of this world: forget [it] not; neither decline from the words of my 6 mouth. Forfake her not, and fhe fhall preserve thee: love her, and the fhall keep thee, as thy fureft, ftrongest 7 guard. Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore} get wifdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and fhe fhall promote thee: fhe fhall bring 9 thee to honour, when thou doft embrace her. She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory fhall fhe deliver to thee. Thus far he feems to 10 repeat David's inftruction to him; he then goes on, Hear, O my fon, and receive my fayings; and the years of

thy

11thy life fhall be many. I have taught thee in the way 12 of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. When thou goeft, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble; wisdom will deliver thee from intricacies and perplexities, which thou wouldst otherwife fall into. Religion is an eafy and fafe thing. A mind under the influence of irregular paffions is ftraitened; as a man, whose shoe is too tight, is galled, and the fpeed, 13 the eafe, and the gracefulness of his motion spoiled. Take faft hold of inftruction; let [her] not go: keep her; 14 for fhe [is] thy life. Enter not into the path of the 15 wicked, and go not in the way of evil [men.] Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pafs away; a beautiful climax or gradation; ftay not in the path, go not into. it, even for a little while to make experiment; avoid entering upon it, come not near it, go any other way rather than 16 that. For they fleep not, except they have done mifchief; and their fleep is taken away, unless they cause [fome] to fall; they have no fatisfaction till they have ac17 complished their wicked defigns. For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence; they subsist on ill gotten gain; wickedness is meat, drink, and fleep to 18 them, all their bufinefs and pleasure. But the path of the juft [is] as the fhining light, that fhineth more and more unto the perfect day; a wife man makes progress in religion, and he finds its pleasure increafing; as the rifing fun fhines brighter and brighter, till it comes to the perfec19 tion of its luftre. The way of the wicked [is] as darknefs: they know not at what they stumble; little accidents bring mischief upon them; events which they never thought of, and which there was no probability of their falling into.

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My fon, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto 21 my fayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; 22 keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they [are]

life unto those that find them, and health to all their 23 flesh; a remedy under all their griefs and troubles. Keep thy heart with all diligence, guard it more cautiously than any thing else; for out of it [are] the iffues of life; the heart is the fpring of action, and thy actions will be good or

bad

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