ing; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise

counsels.

This book contains wise counsels for directing a man under every perplexing difficulty in the way of peace and safety, and enabling him to give the most seasonable and prudent counsels to others.

How precious are wise counsels! and what a treasure is a wise counsellor to his friends and neighbours !This book will also enable a wise man,

Ver. 6. To understand a proverb, and the interpretation thereof; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

The dark sayings of fools and triflers are not worth a thought; but the dark sayings of the wise are worthy to be studied till we obtain a complete knowledge of their meaning; for they are dark at first hearing only, on account of the sublimity of their views, and the force of their manner of expression, which contains much useful instruction in small compass.

Are we old or young, wise or unwise? Here is milk for babes, and strong meat for those that are of full age, Here are plain instructions for the ignorant, and depths of wisdom proper to exercise and enrich the minds of the most intelligent.

Let us attend, and learn, and practise. It is Solomon the son of David, and king of Israel, that speaks. He speaks to the simple and inexperienced, and to the wise. He speaks of the most important points of truth, and a greater than Solomon is here. Christ spoke by his Spirit in the prophets, and he still speaks from heaven to us. He speaks by his word and by his Spirit. He opens the understandings of men, that they may understand the Scriptures. Christ is the Word and the Wisdom of God, and he is made to us wisdom. Let us depend upon him as our wisdom, that his Spirit

may write in our hearts the things written in this book: so shall we be the epistle of Christ, written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, and our conversations will be living commentaries on the proverbs of Solomon.

Some of the most necessary parts of wisdom are explained and enforced from the 7th to the 17th verse. The first of these is, that

Ver. 7. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

The fear of the Lord, so often recommended in this book, is not that fear which hath torment in it, and is excluded by love; but that fear which is joined with faith, and keeps it from degenerating into presumption, whilst faith keeps fear from sinking into despondency. It is a lively impression of the excellency of God upon the soul, whereby a man is disposed to walk before him unto all pleasing, and to put far away every thing provoking and offensive to the eyes of his glory. It is therefore justly made to signify the whole of religion in the heart and life of man.

Great commendations are bestowed on this grace in Scripture. It makes a chief part in the noble characters of Abraham and Job, and here Solomon tells us that it is the beginning, the ground-work, and the comprehensive sum of all true knowledge.

He that wants the fear of the Lord does not know him; and he that knows not God, knows nothing as he ought to know it. He knows neither his business in life, nor his happiness. A rational creature without the fear and knowledge of God, is like a soldier that never saw a sword, or a lawyer that never read an act of parliament. But he that knows the Lord so as to fear him, knows Christ, through whom we see those glorious perfections that are the object of our reverence. He knows his duty and happiness, and he is on the

plain road to the knowledge of every thing necessary to make the man of God perfect.

Let no man say that this kind of knowledge deserves not our study, because it is generally despised; it is indeed despised, but by whom? The wise man tells us, -But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Who would despise a pearl because an idiot would not give his rattle for it? It is no dishonour to the divine wisdom to be despised by any man; but it is the utmost dishonour to any man to despise the wisdom of God. He is an unreasonable and foolish man that has not the faith of Christ and the fear of the Lord *.

The next part of doctrine taught by the wise man, respects the reverence due to the instructions of parents. Ver. 8. My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.

This exhortation speaks to us as unto children; Solomon is entitled to the authority, and addresses us with the tenderness of a father. If such, then, be the affection with which he addresses us, surely we owe him the reverence of children. God is our heavenly Father. All his precepts are the expressions of divine goodness, and we are unnatural to our Maker if we forget them.

It is here supposed that parents will instruct their children. They are monsters rather than parents, who do not love the fruit of their own bodies. Love will dispose persons to do all the good they can to the objects of it; and the best thing that can be done for children, is to teach them the fear of the Lord. To be careful about providing the supports of life, or raising portions for children, without taking care of their souls, is like taking care of the clothes, and being indifferent about the body that wears them. "O ye people,"

2 Thess. iii. 2.

cried an ancient philosopher, "why do ye toil in raising estates for your children, and neglect to prepare them by needful instructions for enjoying them ?"

Mothers are to instruct their children, as well as fathers. Solomon gratefully remembered the instructions he received in his younger years from Bathsheba ; and the last chapter of this book contains the noble instructions which a wise king had learned from his mother.

Perhaps the reason why the names of the mothers of the kings of Judah are recorded along with their characters is, because the lessons and example of their mothers had a considerable influence in forming their behaviour.

Children are required to hear, and reverence, and obey the instructions of their fathers. Next to the duties we owe immediately to God, the commandments require us to obey our parents in the Lord *. He that despiseth his earthly father, is no doubt a despiser of the Father of spirits. A proper regard to the wise and godly instructions of parents, gives a happy presage of good behaviour in after life. Vice and ruin, on the other hand, are the ordinary consequences of irreverence to these natural guardians of our tender years.

The sages of heathen antiquity, though themselves born of women, usually held them in such small respect, that they almost confined to the father precepts that regarded filial duty. The more enlarged wisdom of Solomon, however, pleads the cause of the mother in forcible words. The instructions of a mother are to be considered by us as a law that we are never to forsake. When old, she is still entitled to our respect; and we are never to leave those good paths into which her affectionate care has directed our steps.

* Exod. xx.

But what advantage is proposed to us by attending to the voice of parental admonition?

Ver. 9. For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

Young people are generally fond of fine clothes, and of ornaments to their bodies; but with regard to this, Solomon here sets their notions right. Reverence to parents, a dutiful regard to their instructions, and the wisdom which is learnt from them, is by far the most beautiful ornament. It will make the face to shine ; it will be a chain to the neck; it will be a graceful ornament, more beautiful than a crown of gold, to the head. With such ornaments was our Lord himself ar

rayed, while he dwelt among us. He was subject to his parents, though himself their Maker and Saviour *.

Young people are generally disposed to hearken to advice; but because human nature is in a corrupt state, they are generally more prone to follow bad advice than good. Having therefore exhorted them to reverence and to obey God and their parents, he now proceeds to warn them against hearkening to the enticing words of seducers to sin, ver. 10.--19.

not.

Ver. 10. My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou

Sinners have generally so much of the venom of the old serpent in them, that they do not wish to go unattended to hell, but desire to make others as much the children of the devil as themselves. Sinners, after complying with the suggestions of their tempter, generally proceed from evil to worse, till they become devils themselves, and aid their master in ruining others.

The young ought to remember, that they will meet with ill advisers; and if so, how firmly should they resolve, through the grace of God, to hold on in the

Luke ii. 51, 52.