; Heb. ir aſhadow ; which in Scripture uſe notes both ProteCtion and Refreſhment: And thus far Wiſdom and: Money agree. & But herein Knowledge or Wiſdom ( which commonly ſignifie the ſame thing ) excels Riches,that whereas Riches frequently expoſe Men to death or deſtruQion, true- Wiſdom doth ofr-times preſerve a man from temporal, and always from eternal Ruine. r *Cch:1.15- x3 Conſider the work /of God ; for * who can make SeJoi4: || that ſtraight which he hath made crooked m ? for im 1 Not of Creation, but of Providence ; his wiſe, and juſt, and > Gr ' powerful Government of all Events in the World, which is propo- 09'* 4{cd as thelaſtand beſt Remedy againſt all murmurings and ſinful diſquietments of mind, under the ſenſe of the great and many diſ- orders which happen in the World, as is implyed, v. 10. againſt which Wiſdom 1s preſcribed as one Remedy, v. 11, 12, and now here is another. »» No Man can withſtand, or correQ, or alterany of Gods works; and therefore all ſelf-rormenting frettings and dif- contents at the injuries of men, or calamities of times, are not on- Iy ſinful, but alſo vain and fruitleſs. This reaſon implyes that there 3s an Hand or Work of God in all mens aQions, either effeCting them, if they be good, or permitring them if they be bad, and or- derins and over-ruling them, whether they be good or bad. And God is here ſaid to make things crooked, as he is ſaid to make the hearts of ſinners fat or hard, Iſa. 6. 10, and elſewhere, not poſitive- Iy, but privatively,becauſe he denies or withdraws from men that Wiſdom or Grace which ſhould make them ftraight, ;
14 In the day of proſperity be joyful », but in the day of adverſity cenfider e:God alſo hath + ſer the one over againſt the other p,to the end that man ſhould find nothing after him 9.
» Enjoy Gods favours with chearfulneſs and thankfulneſs. 0 To wit, Gods work, which is eaſily underſtood our of the foregoing verſe, Conſider that it is Gods hand, and therefore ſubmar to 1t ; humble thy ſelf under his hand, be ſenfible of it, and duly affeCted with it : conlidr alſo why God ſends it, for what ſins, and with what deſign. This is a proper ſeaſon for ſerious conſideration, wheras Proſperity relaxeth the mind, and calls it forth to outward things. Bur this clauſe may be, and is by ſome rendred thus, and look for a day of adverſity. In Proſperity rejoyce with trembling, and ſo as to expett a change, p God hath wiſely ordained theſe ,viciſh- tudes, thut Proſperity and Adverſity ſhould ſucceed one another in the courſe of mens Lives. q Either 1. After man himſelf, or, as 1t may be rendred, after ir, #: e. after his preſent condition, whether it be proſperous or affliftive. So the ſenſe is, That no man might be able to foreſee, or find out what ſhal certainly befall him afrer- wards,and therefore might live in a conſtant dependance upon God and might neither deſpair in trouble, nor be ſecure or preſumpru- ous in proſperity, becauſe of the frequentand ſudden changes from one tothe other, Or 2. Affter God, That ne man might come after God. and review his works, and find any fault in them or pre= tend thar he could have managed things better, becauſe this mixrure of Proſperity and Adverſity is moſt convenient both for the Glory of Gods Wiſdom, and Juſtice, and Goodneſs, and for the benefit of Mankind, who have an abſolute need of this vicifficude, leſt they ſhould be either corrupted and ruined by perpetual Proſperity, as many have been, or overwhelmed wich uninterrupted Adverſi-
+ Heb. made.
T'- | : . *Ch.8:i4 15 All :biogsr have I ſeen in the days of my vanity s :* here is a juſt may that periiheth in his righteouſ- neſs t ; and there is a wicked man that prolongeth bis life in Is wickedneſs «,
r Allſorts of events, -both ſuch as have been already mentioned, and ſuch as Iam abour to declare. 5 Since I have come into this vain and tranſitory Life, #t Either 1, Notwithſtanding his Righre-: ouſneſs; whom his Righteouſneſs doth not deliver 11 common ca-. Jamities, Exzek: 21: 3, 4. and 33:12. Or 2. For kis Righteoufheſs,. which expoſeth him to the Envy: and Hatred.and Rage of Perſecu- tors or wicked men. Tn is ſometimes uſed for for ; but it is not ſo taken in the next clauſe which anſwersto this,and therefore the for. mer ſeerfis to be the truer Interpretation, « Notwithſtanding all his wickedneſs, whereby he provokes and deſerves the juſtice toth of God and Men; who yet, for many wiſe and juſt r:aſons,is permit- ted to live long unpuniſhed and ſecure,
f Heb, be * 16 Be not righteous overmuch x, neither make thy @flate. (elf over-wiſe 5:wby ſhouldeſt thou + deſtroy thy ſelf 2? \ x This Verſe and the next have a manifeſt reference to v. 15. being rwo inferences drawn from the two clauſes of the obſervation
there recorded: And this Verſe was delivered by Solowon, either
s. In the name and perſon of an ungodly man, who taketh"*occaſion
to dilwade men from the praftice ofRighteouſneſs and true Wiſe
dom, becauſe of the danger which attends it,and is expreſſed in the middie of the former, and the end of this Verſe. Therefore, ſaith he, it is not good to be more nice than wiſe, take heed of Stri&- neſs, Zeal, and forwardneſs in Religion, And then the next verſe contains an Antidote to this poiſonous ſuggeſtion ; yea rather,ſaith be, be not wicked or foohiſh overmuch;for that will nor preſerve
. thee, as thou maiſt imagine, from the laft clauſe of v. 15. but will occaſion and haſten thy ruine. But ſeing theſe words are very ca- pable ofanother ſenſe, and there is no proof or evidence of this | tenſe in chem, as there is in all other places where Solon ſpeaks in | the perſon of an Epicure, this Interpretation may ſeem to be dange- | rous, and liable to miſconſtrution- Or 2: In his own Perſon, And | fo theſe words are a caution to prevent, as far as may be, that de- | ftruQion which ofr attends upon righteous Men, as was obſerved '
w. 15. Be not righteous overmuch, either 1. By being too ſevere in
obſerving, cenſuring, and puniſhing the faulrs of orhers beyond the
rules of equity, wichout giving any allowance for humane infir. anity, extraordinary temptations, the {tate of times, and other cir. | Cc ances. Or 2. By being more juſt than God requires, cither| laying thoſe yokes and burdens upon a mans ſelf, or ethers, which God ihath not impoſed upon him, and which are too heavy for him afwhich ſec on Mas, 23. 4. or condemning or avoiding thoſe
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TASTES;