Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 3.djvu/643



We have now before us,

I. A new Author, or Penman rather, or Pen, (if you will,) made use of by the Holy Ghost, for making known the mind of God to us, writing as moved by the Finger of God, so the Spirit of God is called; and that is Solomon, through his hand came this book of Scripture, and the two that follow it, Ecclesiastes and Canticles, a Sermon and a Song. Some think he wrote Canticles when he was very young, Proverbs in the midst of his days, and Ecclesiastes when he was old. In the title of his song, he only writes himself Solomon, perhaps, because he wrote it before his accession to the throne, being filled with the Holy Ghost when he was young. In the title of his Proverbs he writes himself the son of David, king of Israel, for then he ruled over Israel. In the title of his Ecclesiastes he writes himself the son of David, king of Jerusalem, because then, perhaps, his influence was grown less upon the distant tribes, and he confined himself very much in Jerusalem. Concerning this author we may observe, 1. That he was a king, and a king's son. The penmen of scripture, hitherto, were most of them men of the first rank in the world, as Moses and Joshua, Samuel and David, and now Solomon; but, after him, the inspired writers were generally poor prophets, men of no figure in the world, because that dispensation was approaching in which God would choose the weak and foolish things of the world to confound the wise and mighty, and the poor should be employed to evangelize. Solomon was a very rich king, and his dominions very large, a king of the first magnitude, and yet he addicted himself to the study of divine things, and was a prophet, and a prophet's son. It is no disparagement to the greatest princes and potentates in the world to instruct those about them in religion and the laws of it. 2. That he was one whom God endued with extraordinary measures of wisdom and knowledge, in answer to his prayers at his accession to the throne; his prayer was exemplary, Give me a wise and an understanding heart; the answer to it was encouraging, he had that, and all other things were added to him. Now here we find what good use he made of the wisdom God gave him; he not only governed himself and his kingdom with it, but he gave rules of wisdom to others also, and transmitted them to posterity. Thus must we trade with the talents with which we are trusted, according as they are. 3. That he was one who had his faults, and in his latter end turned aside from those good ways of God which in this book he had directed others in. We have the story of it, 1 Kings xi. and a sad story it is, that the penman of such a book as this should apostatize as he did; tell it not in Gath; but let those who are most eminently useful take warning, by this, not to be proud or secure; and let us all learn not to think the worse of good instructions, though we have them from those who do not themselves altogether live up to them.

II. We have here a new way of writing, in which divine wisdom is taught us by Proverbs, or short sentences, which contain their whole design within themselves, and are not connected with one another. We have had divine laws, histories, and songs, and now divine proverbs; such various methods has Divine Wisdom used for our instruction, that, no stone being left unturned to do us good, we may be inexcusable if we perish in our folly. Teaching by proverbs was, 1. An ancient way of teaching, it was the most ancient way among the Greeks; the seven wise men of Greece had each of them some one saying that they valued themselves upon, and that made them famous: these sentences were inscribed on pillars, and had in great veneration, as that which was said to come down from heaven; A cœlo descendit, γνῶθι σεαυτὸν—Know thyself, is a precept which came down from heaven. 2. It was a plain and easy way of teaching, which cost neither the teachers nor the learners much pains, nor put their understandings or their memories to the stretch. Long periods, and arguments far-fetched, must be laboured both by him that frames them and by him that takes them; while a proverb, which carries both its sense and its evidence in a little compass, is quickly apprehended and subscribed to, and is easily retained. Both David's devotions and Solomon's instructions are sententious, which may recommend that way of expression to those who minister about holy things, both in praying and preaching. 3. It was a very profitable way of teaching, and served admirably well to answer the end. The word Mashal, here used for a proverb, comes from a word that signifies to rule, or have dominion, because of the commanding power and influence which wise and weighty sayings have upon the children of men; he that teaches by them, dominatur in concionibus—rules his auditory. It is easy to observe how the world is governed by proverbs; As saith the proverb of the ancients, (1 Sam. xxiv. 13. ) or, as