O God, let good men reprove me; this shall be a special favour and blessing to me, which, instead of hurt, shall be sovereign and profitable unto me: this shall not be as a stone to break my head, but as sweet oil to refresh and supple it; which I shall be ready to repay unto them, in the day of their calamity.

CXLI. 6 When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.

These men, when they shall see the judgments of God executed upon their rulers and commanders, who set them on work, shall then find favour, in the day of affliction, in my words, and shall › acknowledge the fidelity and good purpose thereof.

CXLI. 7 Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth.

Our bones lie scattered upon the mouth of the grave, through their cruelty, as chips are wont to lie scattered about, when a man heweth wood.

CXLII. 7 The righteous shall compass me about.

The godly men shall come about me, to see and applaud thy gracious deliverances of me, and to help me to praise thy mercy.

CXLIII. 5 I remember the days of old.

I call to remembrance thy ancient mercies to me, and from thence fetch assurance of thy present goodness.

CXLIII. 7 Lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. Lest I be utterly comfortless, as those that are forsaken of all hopes and possibilities of life, and have yielded themselves over to the grave.

CXLIV. 6 Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them.

O God, do thou take this revenge into thine own immediate hand do thou smite them with thy thunderbolt, or lightning from heaven let those fiery darts of thine strike them through.

CXLIV. 12 That our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace.

That our daughters may be both goodly and fruitful, like unto the corner stones of a royal building, upon which the structure of a fair and lasting pile may be raised.

CXLIV. 14 That there be no breaking in, nor going out; no complaining in our streets.

That there be no sacking of our cities, no carrying away into captivity, no shrieking and outeries at the violence of an enemy raging in our streets.

CXLV. 14 He raiseth up all those that be bowed down.

Those, that stoop under their afflictions, and are depressed to the earth, he raiseth up with seasonable comfort.

CXLVII. 4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names,

He well knoweth the number of the stars, which he hath created; and causeth them in their seasons, so to arise, as if he called them up by their several names.

CXLVII. 13 He maketh strong the bars of thy gates.

It is he, that makes thy cities strong and invincible.

CXLVII. 15 He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.

Whatsoever his pleasure is concerning his creatures upon earth, it is speedily and effectually accomplished.

CXLVII. 18 He causeth his eind to blow, and the waters flow. He causeth a moist and thawing wind to blow; and then the waters, which were bound up with a firm ice, do return to their former flowing.

CXLVIII. 6 He hath made a decree which shall not pass.

He hath, by his eternal decree, ordered the motions and effects of these supernal creatures, which cannot be altered or eluded.

CXLVIII. 7 Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps.

Let the great God, the Creator and Preserver of all things, have glory from all his wonderful works; let them shew forth his mighty power and wisdom, in creating and disposing of them; even from this inferior globe of the earth, and sea: let God be magnified in those huge and fearful whales and sea-dragons, which he hath made; and in those vast and deep waters, wherein he hath placed them.

CXLIX. 4 He will beautify the meek with salvation.

Those, that meekly depend upon him, he will make glorious; both with his rich blessings here, and with salvation hereafter. CXLIX. 6 And a two edged sword in their hand.

Let that sword of the Spirit, even that two edged sword, which divideth the hearts and reins, the word of truth, be in the mouths and hands of his holy ones.

CXLIX. 8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;

Which powerful word of his, in the mouths of his faithful messengers, shall be able to hamper and restrain the most furious tyrants of the earth; and bring the great potentates of the world, in humble subjection, to the Gospel of peace;

CXLIX. 9 To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints.

And, upon their perverseness and obstinate continuance in their sins, to denounce against them those judgments, which are written in the book of God. Behold then, what honour God hath put upon his saints, to be so powerful agents powerful agents both in mercy and judgments.

CL. 6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Let every creature, that liveth and breatheth upon the earth, praise the name of the Lord; and, in his kind, yield glory to his Creator.

PROVERBS.

I. 1 The Proverbs of Solomon.

The grave, wise, proverbial sentences of Solomon.

I. 2 To know wisdom and instruction.

The use whereof is, to give true, moral, and spiritual wisdom and instruction to those, that do carefully read or hear them.

I. 8 Forsake not the law of thy mother.

Do not take advantage by the weakness of that sex, to think it safe for thee, to slight that charge which thy mother shall lay upon

thee.

I. 17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. Well might the foolish bird be warned and kept off, by the sight of the net, which is spread for her; but she, being intent upon her food, minds not her danger, and so is heedlessly caught so shall it be with thee, my son, if thou, in a desire of wicked gain, shalt suffer thyself to be enticed by lewd men.

I. 18 And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.

While they think they lay wait for the blood of others, alas, they lay wait for their own; and go closely to work to betray and destroy their own souls.

I. 19 Gain, which taketh away the life of the owners thereof. Evil gain brings destruction upon the getter of it; so as he loseth himself, while he vainly thinks to win these outward things.

I. 20 Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets. He, that is the Eternal, and Uncreated Wisdom of the Father, useth all means to draw men unto God, both by his works and by his word, he inviteth all men to the knowledge and love of the truth. I. 23 I will pour out my spirit unto you. I will make known my words unto you.

I offer unto you, both my word outwardly to your ears, and a plentiful measure of my Spirit inwardly to your hearts, to make that word effectual unto you.

I. 26 I also will laugh at your calamity.

As you have slighted and disregarded me and my word, so will I, you, in the day of your extremity: I will not care that you are plagued; yea, it shall be a pleasure to me to see your just smart. I. 32 The prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

Foolish sinners are hardened in their wicked courses by the sense of their continuing prosperity; and are thereupon carried on to their destruction.

II. 7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous.

To those, that are true and upright of heart, he will, in his good time, reveal true and saving knowledge; and that sound spiritual wisdom, which shall make them eternally happy.

II. 19 None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.

VOL. III.

So powerful are her enticements, and her infection so deadly, that it is a great wonder, if any of those, who are miscarried by her lustful and wanton baits, do ever recover themselves again, and return to the paths of life.

III. 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart.

Lay thou fast hold on the everlasting mercy and truth of God, so as no evil occurrence may slacken thy confidence thereon; and, withal, be not thou removed from the exercise of mercy and truth, towards thy brethren; make much of these, and keep them close to thee, as thine own soul.

III. 27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.

Withhold not good from them, to whom it ought to be given or done, whether upon their deserving or upon their need, when God gives thee the power to perform it.

IV. 16, 17 Their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

As the natural sleep arises from the vapours sent up out of the stomach, so doth the rest of these wicked men: when they have eaten wickedness as bread, and poured in violence and oppression as wine, then can they repose themselves, in a false quietness and

contentment.

IV. 23 For out of it are the issues of life.

For, as the heart is the fountain of the natural life, so it is of the spiritual: there is the seat of grace and holiness: from thence flows either the happiness or nisery of man.

IV. 25 Let thine eyes look right on, &c.

Let neither thine eyes nor thine other senses be drawn aside, either to the right hand or to the left; but let them be directed aright, according to the law of thy God.

V. 3 The lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb. The lips of a harlot are full of sweet enticenients.

V. 15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.

Enjoy thou the lawful pleasures and contentments of thine own wife; and let her chaste love be as some clear and pure waters out of thine own well, to refresh and satisfy thee.

V. 17 Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee. Those streams of a happy and comfortable issue, which shall be derived from thee, let them be only thine own, deduced from the chaste and holy marriage-bed: let not the adulterous womb or loins have any share in them.

VI. 3 Make sure thy friend, &c.

Use all seasonable importunity unto that friend, to whom thou art engaged; and make all means for a discharge from that friend, for

whom thou art engaged; that so, by this earnest solicitation of both parts, thou mayest be freed.

VI. 13 He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers.

The lewd man composeth all his parts to deceit : every gesture of his tendeth to fraud: the very motion of his eyes, of his feet, of his fingers, is vocal and significant; and expresseth some secret intimation of guile.

VI. 30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;

Theft is an odious sin; yet, if we would compare the thief with the adulterer, we shall find much difference in the heinousness of the offence men are not wont to be inexorably cruel against him, that steals out of his pure need;

VI. 31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.

But if he be found, how dear soever he pay for his fault, by way of satisfaction or mulct, the sum is yet accepted of the party wronged. But whoso committeth adultery, &c.

VII. 4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister.

Be thou so familiar with wisdom, as if she were thy own natural

sister.

VII. 14 I have peace offerings with me; this day have I paid my vows.

I have plentiful provision of cheer; and, besides, I can handsomely veil our meeting under a fair pretence of devotion, so as thou mayest boldly and cheerfully resort unto my house.

VII. 23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.

Thus he yieldeth to her lust, until the revenging husband, out of his just jealousy, give a deadly stroke to his adulterous rival; or till the just judgment of God seize upon body and soul; being thus heedlessly drawn in, as a bird is into the snare, not considering, that, under the shew of a little chaff or straw, her life is laid for.

VII. 26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.

For she hath first wounded, and after vanquished and slain many; yea, not only of the meaner and baser sort, but many, that have been most famous for valour, strength, wisdom, have been foiled and undone by her.

VIII. 2 She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths.

Thus doth the harlot, by her secret whisperings, allure men to their destruction; but the pure, holy, heavenly wisdom of the glorious and everliving God, doth openly invite all men to her gracious counsel, to her most chaste and happy embracements. She therefore standeth forth in the most frequent and conspicuous