we ourselves should become the objects of it. The servant that loves a faithful reprover, and truly regards his own soul, will chuse to live in a house where God is feared, and family religion enforced; and every man possessed of this humble disposition, will chuse that company in which he is most likely to be told of his faults.

Those that reprove others, ought to dispense their salutary admonitions with meekness and prudence, that they may not render this ordinance of God disgusting and offensive by their manner of dispensing it, and render themselves accountable for the mischief done by this means to precious souls.

Ver. 32. He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul; but he that heareth reproof gaineth understanding.

We are born like the wild ass's colt, and need not only instruction, but reproof, to make us wise; but some are such enemies to themselves, that they will not suffer themselves to be taught wisdom. The scorner hates his reprover, but he is the greatest enemy to himself, whilst he spurns at the physician for giving him those prescriptions that are absolutely necessary for his health, though disagreeable to his vitiated palate. He is more brutish than the horse or mule, for these animals, although they want the benefit of reason, and are stubborn at first, will rather be tamed than destroyed.

But the man is happy who suffers the word of exhortation and reproof, for though he is at present chargeable with many faults and follies, yet he is in the way of reformation, and takes the sure method of getting understanding. He is meek and teachable, and God will bless to his soul that word which he receives with meekness.

Solomon gives us frequent advices on this point, but

they are all needful, for no duty is harder to our proud spirits, than receiving reproofs with calmness, and applying them to the correction of our lives.

Ver. 33. The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility *.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and it instructs men in every other branch of wisdom; for a right impression of the excellencies of God upon our spirits, will dispose us with due reverence to search the scriptures, and to acquiesce in the wise instructions which they contain; it will powerfully influence us to make a thankful use of Christ, as he is made of God wisdom to us, and to follow the conduct of the Holy Spirit. The fear of the Lord will be a preservative to us from sin and folly, and an incentive to all holy conversation and godliness; and a good understanding have all they that do the commandments of God.

"And before honour is humility." For whilst we humbly renounce our own righteousness, and place all our dependence on the grace of God, we are exalted in imputed righteousness; and when we are pure in spirit, we are prepared for the kingdom of heaven. He to whom all judgment is committed, hath declared, and will make it good, "He that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

The honours of this world are so short-lived, that they are scarcely worth the naming. Sometimes the proud push themselves into high stations, and yet they cannot attain the summit of their ambitious aims, without the permission of that Providence from which promotion comes; and it is certain, that God hates the proud, and will not suffer them to rise into eminence for their real advantage, but rather to signalize his

* See Proverbs ix. 10. xi. 2,

vengeance, by spurning them, in due time, into disgrace and misery.

Alexander and Julius Cæsar blazed for a time ; but how much more illustrious and durable were the ho nours of David, who thought himself quite unworthy to be the king's son-in-law, and compared himself to a partridge and a flea, but was exalted by God to the throne of his kingdom over Israel, and to the greater honour of being a prophet in the church, and the sweet singer of Israel!

CHAPTER XVI.

Ver. 1. The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord.

A

MAN cannot put his heart into a proper order, nor manage his thoughts so as to be ready for any good word or work, by his own abilities. We cannot expel sin from our hearts, nor furnish them with holy dispositions; and when our hearts are purified by the grace of God, we cannot, without new supplies of grace, prepare them for praying, or speaking to the edifica tion of our fellow Christians. One of the best of men tells us, that he was not sufficient of himself to think any thing as he ought. It is our duty to prepare our hearts, and fix our thoughts for every religious service to which we are called; and it is our sin when we are

careless about it: but we must not attempt this work in our own strength. In every thing we must direct our eyes to God, the fountain of all goodness, praying to him, as David did for his people, that he may prepare our hearts unto himself *. To encourage us to apply to God for his needful assistance, we are here told, that the preparation of the heart belongs to him; and in other passages of scripture we are encouraged by his promises, to expect this favour at his hands +.

We must depend on God for every thing. The answer of the tongue is from the Lord, as well as the preparation of the heart. He fashions the hearts of men, and makes their tongues to speak what he pleases. He pressed Balaam's tongue, against his heart, into the service of Israel, and would not suffer Laban to speak to Jacob either good or bad, when he came to him with a full resolution to do him some mischief. Caiaphas was made to speak a noble truth, when he designed only to suggest a politic counsel; and Pilate had not power to pronounce the condemning sentence against our Lord, till it was given him from above.

However well our thoughts are ranged in our minds, yet we cannot utter them to the advantage of men, and the glory of God, unless the Lord enlarge our hearts and loose our tongues; and therefore David prays that his lips, which were closed, might be opened, and Paul begs the prayers of the Ephesians, that utterance might be given.

We must beg from God the gifts of the Spirit for ministers, and the gift of prayer and Christian conference for ourselves, under a firm persuasion that we are altogether unable of ourselves to think or speak, or perform any good thing, and that every good and perfect gift is from above, even from the Father of lights, who

1 Chron. xxix. 18.

+ Psal. x. 17. Phil. ii. 13.

bestows his gifts freely, but requires the praise of them to be rendered back to himself.

The truth contained in this text must not slacken, but encourage our Christian diligence *.

Ver. 2. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.

How different is the judgment which men form of themselves, from that which God makes of them! He looks down from heaven to see how men behave, and behold, he sees all men walking in ways that are not good. They are filthy and abominable, and yet so blind, that they generally think their way clean and pure. They will acknowledge that they are not free from sin, but they have no impressions of the evil of sin. Their great transgressions they account venial trespasses. Their lesser iniquities, which they daily commit, are accounted mere motes, not worth the minding; and every slight appearance of goodness, their vain imagination exalts into a shining virtue.

The reason of men's good opinion of their ways is, that they are unacquainted with their own spirits, and take no pains to be acquainted with the secret principles and aims that animate and direct the course of their life. No kind of knowledge is more necessary, nor seldomer sought after and obtained, than the knowledge of a man's self.

But it will profit us nothing to be pure in our own eyes, if we are abominable in the eyes of Him with whom we have to do, for not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth. The better that a bad man thinks of himself, he is the more abhorred of the Lord, who is the irreconcileable enemy of pride and self-conceit, and calls those men

* Ezek. xxxvi. 27. Phil. ii. 12, 13.