wish for the spiritual and temporal advantages of his neighbours, and to imitate our gracious Saviour, who went about doing good; for the Spirit of Christ is in him, and the fruit of this Spirit is in all goodness. He does not value himself on this account, as if there were any merit in paying a debt which he owes to men on God's account *. All his hopes are founded upon that infinite goodness, which provided salvation for selfruined sinners; yet his goodness is well-pleasing unto the Lord, who blesses him with the smiles of his countenance, and will remember him concerning all his works, and all his thoughts and designs of love, according to the multitude of his mercies t. We must not do as others do to us, nor be discouraged in the practice of goodness, by the unthankful returns which we meet with from ungrateful men, but perform our duties to our fellow-creatures, from a regard to God, and with a view to his acceptance through Christ. Is the praise or gratitude of men worthy to be the subject of a thought, when we read that a good man shall obtain favour from the Lord ? If our goodness is produced by a regard to men, it is not goodness, but selfishness in disguise, and verily its whole reward is from men ||. "But the man of wicked devices will he condemn." Such a man may be artful enough to disguise his selfish plans, under the mask of religion and benevolence, like the old Pharisees; but the eyes of the Judge of the world are like a flame of fire, they pierce into the secrets of every soul, and there is no dark design harboured, which shall not be completely disclosed in the day of Christ. When our Lord was upon earth, he discovered and condemned the corrupt hearts of many Rom. xiii, 8. +Eph. vi. 8. Nehem. xiii. 14, 22, 31. hypocritical rogues; and at the day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God, no vain pretender to goodness shall stand in the congregation of the righteous. Even those that refused to minister to the necessities of others, shall be commanded to hell; and how shall they escape, whose hearts were pre-occupied with wicked devices, to the ruin or damage of those who were made of the same blood with themselves! Ver. 3. A man shall not be established by wickedness ; but the root of the righteous shall not be moved. A man sometimes appears to be established, and often hopes to be so by wickedness; but it is all a delusion. Had Zimri peace who founded his throne on treason? A man may with more reason hope to build himself a sure house upon pillars of ice, than to establish his fortunes upon an accursed ground. "But the root of the righteous shall not be moved." The leaves of the trees of righteousness may wither, their branches may be tossed hither and thither by the tempests of tribulation and affliction; but they are rooted in Christ, and kept night and day by the Almighty t, and therefore their root is safe from the rage of earth and hell. Ver. 4. A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband ; but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones. A virtuous woman fears the Lord, reverences her husband, manages her house with prudence and care, behaves charitably to the poor, and kindly to all. To what should we compare such a woman? Should we resemble her to a bracelet, or say that she is a necklace of gold to her husband? Such comparisons would be quite below her worth. She makes him as happy | as a king, and procures him such respect and honour, that she deserves to be compared to that royal orna ment that encircles the head of Majesty. She is to her husband a crown enriched with those lovely vir tues, which shine with more radiant lustre than the diamonds of the East. She is health to her husband's bones, for the sight of her amiable behaviour, and the pleasure of her society, inspires him with that habitual cheerfulness which doth good like a medicine. But the woman that wants virtue makes her husband ashamed, and is as rottenness in his bones. Her peevish temper or passionate behaviour, her extravagant expences or her sordid avarice, the levity of her speech or the scandal of her vices, make him the object of pity or scorn when he is abroad, and fill him with anguish at home. She is not a help, but a torment to him that hath made her bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh. A man may get out of a fever in a few weeks; but the misery of this living disease is, that unless the Almighty grace of God work an uncommon cure, it will prey upon a man's bones and spirits, till the death of one of the married parties brings relief. Let such, then, as have wives to chuse, consider that the man should be the glory of Christ, as the woman of the man; that a good wife is from the Lord; and that it is therefore their interest to live to the praise of Christ, to resolve to marry only in the Lord, and to seek this precious gift from him, by humble prayer. Let wives consider seriously, whether they wish for happiness and honour to their husbands, or disgrace and misery; and whether it be better for themselves to prove helpers to the joy, and crowns to the head of their husbands, or living plagues to them, and fires to consume their vitals *. 1 Cor. xi. 5.-10. Let husbands give honour to their wives, and encourage them in virtue, by their kindness and approbation. What tender love does Christ shew to those, whom he is pleased to betrothe to himself in lovingkindness! So ought husbands to love their wives *. Ver. 5. The thoughts of the righteous are right; but the counsels of the wicked are deceit. As far as we are warranted or concerned to judge of the character of our neighbours, we must draw our opinion of them from their words and behaviour; but we are to form our judgment of ourselves, chiefly by our thoughts, which are the immediate product of our hearts; for as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. The thoughts of the righteous are right. Evil and foolish thoughts often rise up in their minds, but they hate vain thoughts, and will not allow them a lodgingplace. Their love to God produces many delightful meditations concerning his excellency and grace, and constant desires to shew forth his glory. Their charity to men excludes ungrounded suspicion and evil surmises, and in their deliberations about their conduct, disposes them to consider not only how they may serve their own interests, but how they may contribute to the happiness of their neighbours. Should any plan be suggested to them that appears greatly conducive to their own advantage, it will be rejected with abhorrence, unless it consist with the happiness of those whom they are constrained, by the command of God and the love of Christ, to love as themselves. But a wicked man's pleasure lies in those thoughts, that feed upon the earthly objects where his fancied happiness lies, and the schemes which he forms in his mind are crooked and artful. He must if possible be gratified in his pursuits, though others should be * Eph. v, rendered unhappy; and because the persons at whose expense he means to serve himself, will naturally stand in his way, he contrives to cover his real designs with the false appearances of honesty and charity, that he may not be obstructed in their accomplishment. Ver. 6. The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood: but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them, There is a ready communication between the tongue and the heart; when men's counsels are deceit, it may therefore be expected, that their words will be to lie in wait for blood. There are passions in the hearts of wicked men, that are murder in the sight of God, and have a natural tendency to mischief and blood; but through the good providence of the universal Ruler, they are checked by the terrors of conscience, or the fear of punishment from men, or some other means, and the world is prevented from becoming a scene of universal outrage. But some wicked men are so unprincipled, that the life of their neighbours is of small account with them, if they can accomplish their own cursed designs. Their tongues have the subtilty and poison of the serpent in them, and by their devilish arts, they draw men into dangers fatal to their reputation, their souls, and their bodies. "But the mouth of the upright shall deliver them." Their wise answers preserve themselves, and their wise counsels preserve others from ruin. Thus Mephibosheth preserved himself from the snares of Ziba; and our Lord Jesus Christ often preserved himself from the well-laid devices of his deceitful enemies *. God will severely punish the wicked for their de ceitful counsels and their deceitful tongues; for, Isa. xxxiii. 16. |