20 I went by the fieldof the ſlothful, and by th ; vineyardofthe man void ofunderitanding; r And lo, it wasallgrownover with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the ſtone wall.
thereof was broken down. | + Heb-S_+ 32 Then I ſaw, and + confidered iz well: I looked
my bart upon it, and received inſtruction ». | n I learned Wiſdom by his folly, and by his groſs idleneſs was provoked tv greater cace and d.ligence. | : 33 * Yetalirtle ſleep o, a little ſlumber, a little fold-
ding of the hands to ſleep: o See this, and the following Verſe in Prov: 6: 10, 11. 34 So (hal thy poverty come,as one that travelleth;
Fitch s and thy want as f an armed man, Shu.LY, EC H AP. XXV.
obſcruations about Kings, 1--7. A caution againſt Contentions, 8, ag ainſt revealing of Secrets, 9, The reaſon of this Caution, 10. With arvers =
ther Rules, 11 + 28, f Pn a are alſo proverbs of Solomon. which the
. men of b Hezekiah king ofJudah copied ourc.
#s Which are contain'd in this and the following Chapters. b Cer. tain perſons appointed by Hezekiah for thar work, whether Prophets as Iſaiah, Hſ:a, or Micah, who lived in his days,or ſome others,it is neither evident nor material. Molt of them are p2lirtica] Precepts, and ſuch as in a ſpecial manner concerned Hezek:ah,and ocherPrinces to know, for the condutt of their Houſe and Kingdom. c Either our of other Books or Writings of Solomon, concerning natural or civil things, of which we read, 2 Kings 4; 32: Or out of the hiſtorical] Records which were then extant concerning Solomon's ſpeeches and ations in the Hiſtory of the Kings of Judah, which is ofc mentio» ned in holy Scripture. :
2 * 1tis the glory of God & to conceal a thing e: but ; *Der: 29% the honour of kings is f to ſearch out a matter g-
d It is agreeable ro the Nature,and highly conducing tothe Hos nour of God, becauſe it is a Teſtimony of his infinite Wiſdom and | Knowledg?, of his abſolute Power and Severaignty,and of his other tacomprehenitble PerfeQions.e To keep his counſels,and the reaſons of his actions in his own Breaſt,rhat he needs not to impart them to any other for taeir advice and afliſtance, as being ſelf-ſufficient both for the contrivance and execution of whatſoever pleaſerh him, and accountable ro none for any of his matters. f But Kings muſt nor affe& ro be like God in this reſpe&, becauſe they are Crearures,and ' therefore ignorant and inſufficient,and accountable to an higherAu-
chority. gln th: condu& of their great affairs,nor to lean to their own underſtandings,nor to be weddzd to their own wills, but to communicate their counſels to others, that ſo they may ſearch and find our the true and right way,and ro be ready to give a ſatisfaftory account of the Juſtice and reatonablenels of them as occaſion ſhall
: 2 b requires | "Y
unto the . wicked, Thou arr nations ſhal
Heb: a efſing of
Ch.20:22 a OM; 12: 17419.
® chi6;9. &c. d
2VY, - Roem:u:33
according to
EX 5 © Chap. XXy.
hb As no Man upon Earth can exactly diſcover the heioht of Hea- ven or the depth :fEarth, oc difccrn what 1s ccntatned in them, £s Though wiſe Kings will ſe:rch out cther men and things, yet their inward thoughts & purpoſes are hardly diſcoverable;partly becauſe every Mans Heart lies out of the ſight of others; and r arcly becauſe it is the practice of Kings induſtriouſly to conceal rheir imer tions.
4 Take away the drofs from the ſilver, and there tha! come forth a veſſel for the finer &.
k Then, and nottill then ir is fir for that uſe.
5 * Takeaway the wicked from betore the king and , (._, ' his throne (hal be eſtabliſhed 2 in righteouſneſs x. es { From his Court and Counſels. » By removing them who by their wicked counſels & prattices provoked Gods diſpleatureagain{t the King and blaſted his Repurz-tion, and alienared the hewrrs of his People from him. = By ſuch impartial execut:;on of Juſtice |
6 + Put not forth thy ſeif o in the prelence of the + Hebe; king, and ſtand not in the place of great men p. not a 0 Heb.Do not magnijie,or glorife thy ſelf, by vaunting ſpeech or carri- glory, F age, but, which is in:plied, carry thy teIlf humbly and modeſtly, | | which is moſt pleafing to Kings,and moſt becoming & ſafe for thee. p Do nor afte& nor uſe frequent and familiar Society with greater Perſons than thy ſelf, whereby thou maiſt eaſily involve tuy ſelf in much guilt,and expoſe thy ſelf ro envy or contempt,and to many other inconventencies.
7 * Forbetter it is q that itbe ſaid unto thee »,Come up hither : than thatchou ſhould(t be put lower in the preſence of che prince whom thine eyes have ſeen «.
q Ic is more for thy credit and comfort, r By ſome publick Offia cer, or by the King himſelf. s Into whoſe preſence & acqueintance thou haſt 1o boldly intruded thy ſelf, who as before he obierved thy impudence,ſo now he ſecs and tuffers this publick diſgrace to be cait upon thee.
8 Go not forth haftily * to ſtrive «; leſt :hou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath
put thee to ſhame x.
£ Without neceſſary cauſe and due conſideration, « Either judici-
ally or otherwiſe. x For thy folly in undertaking what thou waſt
_ able to accomplith, and for thy injuſtice in charging him wrong=
Tully «
9 Debatethy cauſe with thy neighbour himſelf y;and | Or,diſcra [| diſcover not a ſecret z toanother. ms hs y If thou haſt any quarrel with him, firſt try to compoſe it by ſecrer of 4 private diſcourſe with him. Compare Mat. 5: 25« & 18. 15.Luke 12, notheri | 58+ z Any ſecret. Let no heat of contention provoke thee to dis
vulge anyof his ſecret counſels commirred to thytruſt,or tOoreproach
him with any of his ſecrer faults,as 1s uſual ir. Law ſuits, and other contentions. Or, rhe jecret,any ſecret difference between thee and
bim, which therefore is fitteſt ro be ended ſecretly between you,and
not to be imparted to any other.
*Lu:14:36
thine infamy turn not away b.
a Reproach thee for thy groſs violation of the Laws of Prudence
and Juſtice,and Chariry,and friendſhip therein. & And that diſgrace
+2" pag didſt deſign againſt another fall, and be faſtened upoR
Thy lelf. k
11 A word-+ fitly ſpoken c 5s like apples of gold in pictures of ſilver d. + Heb:/pai c For the matter, and ſeaſon, and other circumſtances of ir. £enu90n bij d Which it ſcems was uſual in thole times.and was grateful to the Whiels- Eye for the beauty and variety both of the Colours and Figures,the | golden Apples appearing through Net-work of Silver, or being ens