Proverbs 1

5. Christ when he teaches, makes men willing to learn. Men may teach others, but they have no mind to learn (Proverbs 1:7): Fools despise instruction; they rage at the word, as if a patient should rage at the physician when he brings him a cordial: thus backward are men to their…

If a surgeon comes to heal a man's wound, he will not be healed, but bolts out his surgeon, is the surgeon bound to heal him? (Proverbs 1:24). I have called, and you refused. (Psalm 81:11). Israel would none of me.

Some will rather lose their souls than lose their jest: these are guilty of taking God's name in vain. Tremble at it: such as mock at Scripture, God will mock at their calamity (Proverbs 1:26). 3. They abuse God's Word, and take his name in vain, that bring Scripture to countena…

(1.) In hearkening to their counsel. Proverbs 1:8: Hear the instruction of your father, and forsake not the law of your mother. Parents are as it were in the room of God; if they would teach you the fear of the Lord, you must listen to their words as oracles, and not be as the d…

God will not pity them. They derided his Spirit, and now he will laugh at their calamity (Proverbs 1:26). The Saints will not pity them: they persecuted the Saints upon earth, therefore they will rejoice to see God's justice executed on them (Psalm 58:10).

(1.) The bread of idleness (Proverbs 31:27): She does not eat the bread of idleness. An idle person does vivere aliena quadra, he lives at another body's cost, and is at their finding (Proverbs 1:25): His hands refuse to labor. We must not be as the drones which eat the honey th…

Q. Did God procure man's deliverance, because man did so deserve? A. Man deserved it not, but the contrary, because he fell wilfully from that happy estate wherein he was created, whereas he might have continued happy if he would: therefore it had been no unrighteous thing if Go…

2. The soul is shown, or made to see the sufficiency of Christ Jesus: it could never see it, or believe it, if it were not shown, by a powerful work of the Spirit. Yes, the heart of man makes strong opposition against the way of the Gospel, it hates the knowledge thereof (Prover…

3. They have seen something of the enmity, and opposition of their hearts against the knowledge of the truth, and the light of the Gospel; the heart naturally is full of this enmity, and opposition (2 Corinthians 10:4, 5). The true believer knows something of this, of those stro…

First, it serves to press us to hearken to the Lord's call; many are kept off by vanity and pleasures, others by their own fears. To the first sort I shall only represent the danger of neglecting God's invitation, and slighting a call (Proverbs 1:25, 26): You have set at nought…

Does not Scripture say quite otherwise? Proverbs 1:32: 'The prosperity of fools destroys them.' So also Psalm 73.

Is it a happiness to command others, and be more slaves to the worst of creatures, than any can be to them? The wicked man's well spread table sometimes proves his snare and his destruction is bound up in his very prosperity: (Proverbs 1:32) and the prosperity of fools shall des…

And when the Gospel comes and tenders the way and means for the soul's delivery, offering its aid and assistance to that end; this also is looked on as an enemy, and is rejected, and all its offers to that end. See (Proverbs 1:20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25) and (John 3:19). This then i…

For some man may think that the same things may be said for them that here in answer to this eleventh objection are said for the parishes in England: such one must remember two things: first, that we do not say simply, a covenant makes a company a true church, but (as was said b…

He is burdened with mens sins, and desires to bring punishments upon them; as a man under a great burden desires to be eased; In Isaiah 1. Oh! I will ease me of mine Adversaries. And in Ezekiel 5:13. you shall find there that God in threatning of wrath says, that he would do thu…

As if the sinner should say, You would turn me to God; but I will not be turned! The blessed God says, Turn at my reproof, I will pour out my Spirit to you (Proverbs 1:23). There are preventive insinuations, upon which, if we essay to turn, plentiful effusions of the Spirit may…

Contrary, is forbidden general ignorance of good and evil (Hosea 4:6; Ephesians 4:17). To love it, desire it, delight in it (Proverbs 1:22). Practice is the following or flying of the thing known to be commanded or forbidden.

And therefore to press this use a little, we shall show you here, 1. what it is that we exhort you to, and 2. what is the force of this motive. 1. We would commend to you in general, that you would endeavor the salvation of your own souls, this is it, He cries to you (Proverbs 1…

They shall go with their flocks and herds to seek the Lord, but they shall not find him; for he has withdrawn himself from them. (Proverbs 1:24) I called, and you refused; verse 26. then this must follow, verse 28. (as also John 8:21, the like is) they shall call upon me, but I…

Verse 32: For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dies. 3. In the Lord's crying to sinners (Proverbs 1:20): Wisdom cries, she utters her voice in the streets. The word is to cry with strong shouting, either for joy (Psalm 81:2), or sorrow (Lamentations 2:19), which expre…

4. Because that love which is built upon holiness is the most durable and lasting. There is a confederacy in evil, as between drunkards with drunkards, and robbers with robbers (Proverbs 1:14): Cast in your lot among us, let us all have one common purse. Or when men conspire aga…

That his suggestions might make the greater impression upon her, he manages all his discourse with her, that all the advice which he seems to give her, proceeded of his love, and good affection towards her and her husband; pretending a more than ordinary desire and care of man's…

This kind of tempting of God is compounded of unbelief and presumption. There is unbelief in it, when we dare sin against the clear light and checks of conscience, and venture upon his threatenings: You cannot drive a dull ass into the fire that is kindled before him (Proverbs 1…

And by these shall we finde the true Church of God in England, Ireland, Scotland, Germanie, France, &c. Againe, in that the Church is called our Mother, the Papist gathers that her commandements must be obaied, Prov 1:8. and therefore in their Catechismes, beside the commandemen…

Again, this condemns the damnable opinion of atheists, who think all things come to pass by nature, or fortune; and that doomsday is but a dream: and that stick not to say, It is in vain to serve God, and what profit is it, that we have kept his commandments; and that we have wa…

He therefore oftentimes makes them stand confounded, to the end men may know that their wisdom is nothing else but a vanishing smoke. For there is no true wisdom but that which is grounded upon the fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom, as Solomon teaches (Proverbs 1:7 a…

Moreover it seems the fear of God should be added for an exposition, that the Prophet might the better manifest that the knowledge of which he spoke was the guide of piety, being neither idle nor vain, but penetrating with efficacy into our hearts to conform us to the fear of Go…

The devil would beg as earnestly as you, if he had any hope to get salvation by it, and yet be as much of a devil as he is now. What can have more justice in it than that in Proverbs 1:24-28: Because I have called, and you refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regard…

All these are mercies additional to that great mercy CHRIST, Matth. 6:33 they are given with him, as in Romans 8:32 this is the Tenure by which we hold them, 1 Corinthians 3. 21, 22, 23. Look, what we lost in Adam, is restored again with Advantage in Christ: immediately upon the…

(3.) Consider, that if ever you be rescued out of that miserable condition you are in, such cross Providences, as these you complain of, are the most probable means to do it. Alas! prosperity and success is not the way to save, but destroy you, Proverbs 1:32 You must be bound in…

And it is of a person that by convictions had been fetcht off from his wicked companions, and entered into a reformed course of life; but after this, through the inticement of his old companions, the subtilty of Satan, and corruption of his own heart, did again relapse into the…

To others nothing is sanctified either as an Instrument or occasion of any spiritual good; but as the worst things are ordered to the benefit of the saints, so the best things wicked men enjoy do them no good. Their prayers are turned into sin, Psalm 109:7 The Ordinances are the…

Interchangeable dispensations, take up all our affections, with all our graces: for they are gracious affections, exercised and seasoned with grace, of which we speak. The stirring of natural affections as merely such, is but the moving of a dunghill to draw out a stinking steam…

Therefore we read (Acts 7:5): "You stiff-necked people, and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you have always resisted the Holy Ghost"; meaning the preaching of the word, by the ministry of his Apostles. So (Proverbs 1:24): "I have called, and you have refused, etc." But then sec…

But when ignorance comes to be willful, that a man does not know, and he will not learn — a man is an ignorant man yet he thinks he knows more than all the preachers can tell him — this is a sad sign you are not effectually called. Hence you read (Proverbs 1:22): How long, you s…

But the word is indifferent; [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉]; and notes only a recompense suitable to that whereunto it is applied. So is [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉], used by our Apostle (Romans 1:27), excellently expressed by Solomon (Proverbs 1:31): Sinners shall eat of the fruit…

There is such a phrase in war, when they go violently upon a place, they are said to storm the place, to storm the gates of a castle or of a city; so here, they fell upon them, that is, they came violently upon them like a storm. In (Proverbs 1:27), destruction is described to c…

But God deceives none: whoever comes to him on his proposal of repentance, shall find forgiveness. It is said of some indeed, that he will laugh at their calamity, and mock when their fear coms, Proverbs 1:26. He will aggravate their misery, by giving them to see what their prid…

My fruit (saith wisdom) is []ter then fine gold—I cause to walke in the way of righteousnes, and in the m[]ds of the paths of judgment. Prov. 1[]. 23. The wise heart guids the mouth wisely, and adds doctrine unto his lips.

Let this excite violence in the things of God; it is the main errand of our living here; shall we go out of the world and forget our errand? 4. How violent are the wicked in ways of sin! violent for their malicious lusts (Proverbs 1:16): Their feet run to evil. Violent for their…

It is even so as to spiritual seasons. Christ neglected, and grace despised, in the season when God offers them, are irrecoverably lost (Proverbs 1:28). Then (that is, when the season is over) they shall call upon me but I will not hear.

And has pointed them to know where it is treasured, namely in Christ (Colossians 2:13): in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, bids them come to him for it, and encourages them so to do (James 1:5): if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask it of God, that gives…

And there are, I fear, more abominations as great as these, which have not yet seen the light; and may her example, and these warnings drawn forth by it, drive such to a timely repentance, and making of their peace with God. Let young ones more especially learn by her, to rememb…

Both which are clear in Scripture, if we confess that we are debtors to the Lord, and to his just law, and his holy sovereignty, in that he yields his influences, and in his having mercy on whom he will, and in hardening whom he will, in the Lord's drawing of men or his not draw…

For he cites these Scriptures. So (Proverbs 1) Wisdom crys without, she uttereth her voice in the streets. Christ, the eternal wisdom of the Father, never proclaimed the wisdom of the Gospel, which has so many Gospel-promises annexed to it, to the stupid Brasilians: read Proverb…

Jeremiah 51:9. We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: well then, it follows, forsake her, let us go every one into his own Country, for her judgement is reached up to heaven, and is lifted up to the skies. So God is clear, and even Babylons refusing to be healed, a…

Answ. But his cannot (as Mr. Fenner says) does not hinder. If a wicked man's cannot only did hinder him, he might excuse himself before the tribunal of Christ; Lord, you know, I did my best, I would have been ruled by your Word, but I could not; I would have been humbled and ref…

Experience, in my weak apprehension, may speak influence of grace oyls the wheels of the soul. Prov. 1:5. A wise man will hear, and encrease learning: and a man of understanding, shall attain to wise counsels. We grow hot, like hot iron redded in the fire, by praying, and are so…

1. Are there any who abhor God? such a sad word is spoken of the Jews (Zech. 11:8): Three Shepherds also I cut off in one month, and my soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me. Departing from God, as a whorish woman forsakes her husband, is charged upon the confederat…

Psalm 119:1. Blessed are they that walk in the law of the Lord, they shall do no iniquity; then upon the account of a holy walk, the Lord must bestow influences of grace to preserve men from doing acts of iniquity. And there must be a promise of influences, that such as walk in…