Exposition of Proverbs 1-3, Expositions · Chapter 3 · Verse 4
VER. IV. So ſhalt thou find favour, and good understanding in the ſight of God and man.
THE wiſe man having preſſed two duties, that go againſt the hair in our corrupted nature, mercy, and truth, now he urges them with promiſes of rewards often inculcated elſewhere, and ſuitable to the things required. Hee that ſhewes mercy to men, ſhall find mercy with God. And he that deales truly with men, ſhall have underſtanding, how to manage his affairs wiſely in the world: or to joyn them together. Hee that deals mercifully, and truly, ſhall be loved of God, and eſteemed wiſe among men. Theſe are two ſpurs to the former two duties. For the word
So. Heb. And. See on Chap. 2.9. and on ver. 22. there on the word But.
Shalt thou find. Heb. Find thou. The imperative for the future. The commanding phraſe for the promiſing. So, Keep my Commandments, and live. Chap. 4.4. That is, And thou ſhalt live. For where God promiſes, mercy, there he commands a bleſſing. Pſal. 133.3. And all creatures muſt help to bring it. Thus the Poets ſpeak alſo, Si faetura gregem ſuppleverit, aureus esto Virgil. If thy flock bring forth abundantly, be thou a golden (or, rich) man. That is, thou ſhalt be ſo. So on the contrary the future, or promiſing tenſe is put for the Imperative, or commanding. Thou ſhalt have no other Gods. That is, Have not. For Gods command ties us, as much as mans promiſe ties him. For Find. See on Chap. 1.13. Some read it, And find favour. As if wiſdom did admoniſh men to ſeek for favour by thoſe vertues.
Favour. See on Chap. 1.9. on the word, Grace. Thou ſhalt find comfort, kindneſſe, liking, good acceptation. As men by their comely perſonage, or wiſe carriage, or good offices find ſavour with Princes.
And good underſtanding. Thou ſhalt be eſteemed a wiſe man. The Nations ſhall ſay, ſurely this great Nation is a wiſe, and understanding people. Deut. 4.6. For Good. See on Chap. 2.9. For understanding. See on Chap. 13. on the word Wiſdom.
In the ſight. Heb. In the eyes. See on Chap. 11.17. Of God. See Chap. 2.5.
And man. foreign. Signifies.
1. A man in generall. Man that is born of a woman. Iob. 14.1.
2. It was the name of the firſt man, that ever was. Adam knew his wife. Gen. 4.1. Here it is taken in the firſt ſenſe, yet collectively, man for men; as often elſe where. The laſt words admit of a threefold ſenſe. Some underſtand them thus, Thou ſhalt know how to carry thy ſelf well in all offices to bee done to God, or man. But that is onelyonly toward God, and man. In the ſight of them is more. As in the firſt Commandement, Thou ſhalt have no other Gods in my ſight. It is a greater fault for a woman to lie with an adulterer in her husbands ſight, then elſe where. Others thus, God, and man will favour thee, and acknowledge, that thou haſt carried thy ſelfe wiſely. Others thus, Thou ſhalt have good ſucceſſe: For that the word will alſo bear. God will be ſo gracious to thee, and men ſo friendly, that thou ſhalt thrive wonderfully, and men ſhall take notice, and bear witneſſe of it. The ſecond way is beſt, and moſt agreeable to the common uſe of the original word. The ſum is, if thou exerciſe mercy and truth toward men, God, and men will favour thee, and approve, and bear witneſſe of thy great underſtanding.
Figures. A metaphor in Find. Thou ſhalt obtain it, as men get things they find. Another metaphor in the eyes, or ſight of God. For God hath no eyes, yet wil he take notice of it, as men do of what they ſee. In the eyes of men, that is, in their ſight: for men take notice of thoſe things that come within the reach of their eyes. The meaning is, they wil look upon thee with delight: a metonymie of the cauſe for the effect.
Note. 1. The things promiſed which are two. 1. So ſhalt thou find favour. 2. And good underſtanding.
2. The large extent of them, in the ſight of God and man. Some things pleaſe men, that offend God; other things pleaſe God, that offend men: thy waies ſhal pleaſe both. This is a great, but a rare bleſſing.
Doct. 1. Good things cannot be too often inculcated. This is familiar with Solomon in this book of the Proverbs, to urge the ſame things, though with ſome variety of words. My ſon, hear the inſtruction of thy father. Chap. 1.8. My ſon, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandements with thee. Chap. 2.1. My ſon, forget not my Law, but let thine heart keep my commandments. Chap. 1.3. This courſe is approved by Saint Paul. To write the ſame things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is ſafe. Phil. 3.1.
Reaſ. 1. Becauſe of the dulneſſe of our apprehenſion; matters of truth and holineſſe may be ſpoken often, before we underſtand them.
2. Becauſe of the deadneſſe of our affections, that have no love to either, naturally.
3. Becauſe we are more forgetfull of good things, then of other.
Uſe. It condemnes the niceneſſe of men, that cannot endure to hear old fundamental truths often preſſed, but are ſo pleaſed with new things, that they run into old errors: a Miniſter muſt bring forth old things for matter, new for manner. Every Scribe which is inſtructed unto the Kingdome of Heaven, is like unto a man that is an houſe-holder, which bringeth forth out of his treaſure things new and old. Mat. 13.52. Brethren, I write no new commandament unto you, but an old commandment, which ye had from the beginning: the old commandment is the word, which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandement I write unto you, which thing is true in him, and in you, becauſe the darkneſſe is paſt, and the true light now ſhineth. 1 John. 2.7.8.
Doct. 2. God gives fit rewards. For good carriage to men, he gives favour with men: For Nebuchadnezzars ſervice in taking Tirus, God gives him the land of Aegypt. Son of man, Nebuchadnezar, King of Babylon, cauſed his army to ſerve a great ſervice against Tyrus. Every head was made bald, and every ſhoulder was peeled: yet he had no wages, nor his Army for Tyrus, for the ſervice that he had ſerved against it. Therefore thus ſaith the Lord God, behold I wil give the land of Aegypt unto Nebuchadnezar King of Babylon, and he ſhal take her multitude, and take her ſpoile, and take her prey, and it ſhal be the wages of his army. I have given him the land of Aegypt for his labour, wherewith he ſerved against it, becauſe they wrought for me, ſaith the Lord God. Ezek. 29.18, 19.20. Thoſe that honour God with their encreaſe, God wil give to them a greater increaſe. Honour the Lord with thy ſubstance, and with the first fruits of all thine increaſe, ſo ſhal thy barnes be filled with plenty, and thy preſſes ſhal burst out with new wine. verſe 9, 10. of … Chap.
Reaſ. 1. To allure men the more to do good offices; ſuitable wages makes a ſervant diligent.
2. To ſhew Gods great approbation of them, by the likeneſſe of the rewards to the duties.
Uſe. Obſerve the proportion of your rewards to your duties, ſee Gods mercy and wiſdome in it, and give him glory.
Doct. 3. Mercy and truth find favour with God. So did Joſeph, Moſes, David, Chriſt.
Reaſ. 1. Becauſe they are a part of Gods image, and that he likes, where ever he finds it: God doth good to all, he keeps his word, and likes them that do ſo.
2. Though God get no good by them in us, yet his Church doth: ſometimes his people need mercy from men, ſometimes truth in performances, and upright dealing in thoſe with whom they have to doe. This God counts as done to himſelfe. In aſmuch as ye have done it unto one of the leaſt of theſe my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Mat. 25.40.
Uſe. Let us be encouraged to deal mercifully, and truly with all men: If others, or they with whom we deal regard it not, God will, we ſhal have great need of his favour in death, and judgment, if we will not ſee what need we have of it now.
Doct. 4. Mercy and truth will find favour with Men. The former examples prove it.
Reaſ. 1. In regard of men, they love to be dealt mercifully and truly with all themſelves, even they that deal not ſo with others, and therefore they commend it in others, and think well of them, and wiſh well to them out of ſelfe-love, as many an Adulterer likes a chaſt Wife: And as other men, ſo eſpecially they that get good by our merciful, and juſt dealing, wil favour us, and ſpeak well of us.
2. God will encline mens hearts to favour ſuch, as deal mercifully and truly; yea, oftentimes God, who gives credit, and faſhioneth mens opinions, and enclines mens hearts as he pleaſe, makes ſtrangers, heathens, yea enemies, that uſe to hate all religion and goodneſſe, by nature, and have particular quarrels with the perſons of godly men, makes them, I ſay, to commend godly men, for their mercy and truth, and ſometimes to do them much good. Thus Sau… …lents, and confeſſes David's innocency. Thou art more right…ous then I, for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evill. 1 Sam. 24.17. This Ezra bleſſes God for; Bleſſed be the Lord God of our fathers, which hath put ſuch a thing as this into the Kings heart, and bath extended mercy unto me before the King, and his councellors, and before all the Kings mighty Princes. Ezr. 7.27.28.
Vſe. Behold a ſecond motive to merciful and true dealing: O, ſay they, men wil not do ſo to us. We anſwer, they ſhould do ſo, and if God ſee it fit, he wil make them to deal ſo with you.
Doct. 5. Mercy and truth teach a man how to direct his waies before God. It is ſeen in the Centurion, He loveth our Nation, and hath built us a Synagogue. Then Jeſus went with him. Luk. 7.5.6. And in Cornebus, who was a devout man, and one that feared God, which gave much almes to the people, and prayed to God alwaies. Acts 10.1, 2.
Reaſ. 1. Becauſe theſe things are pleaſing to God, though done to men, and therefore he teacheth ſuch, how to carry themſelves wiſely before himſelfe alſo.
2. Becauſe there is a chain of graces, and they love to go together. Like will to like.
Uſe. Lo a third motive to be merciful, and true dealing: wiſe carriage before God is to be got, as a reward of it. And that is a great mercy, ſuch an one, as all people may wonder at, and and ſay, Surely this great Nation is a wiſe and understanding people. Deut. 4.6.
Doct. 6. Mercy and truth teach a man how to direct his waies before men alſo. So they taught David. They taught him to behave himſelf wiſely, ſo that He was accepted in the ſight of all the people, and alſo in the ſight of Sauls ſervants. 2 Sam. 18.5. So it taught Joſeph. When they heard that Joſephs brethren were come, it pleaſed Pharaoh well, and his ſervants. Gen. 45.16. His good carriage got this reſpect to himſelfe, and his. So did Abrahams among the Canaanites. Thou art a mighty Prince among us: in the choice of our Sepulchres bury thy dead. Gen. 236.
Reaſon. 1. Becauſe they conduce much to direct us in our carriage in the world.
2. The want of either makes men noted for folly in their affairs.
Uſe. See a fourth argument to mercifull and true dealing. They that care not for obeying God, yet would with Saul be honoured before the people. Mercy and truth will be a good means to bring this honour from men, as giving us the ſerpents ſubtlety with the doves innocency.