fruitfulness, and perseverance therein, from him; and
the grace of the Spirit in the heart, which is the
root of the matter, the hidden man of the heart,
from hence are fruits meet for faith and repentance,
and good works, which are both pleasant and profita-
ble. The Targum is, "the root of the righteous shall
"remain, or be established ;" see ver. 3.
Ver. 13. TIre wicked is snared by the transgression of
his lips, &c.]] A wicked man often brings himself into
trouble by giving his tongue too great a liberty, and
by making free with the characters of others; some-
times by treasonable speeches against his sovereign;
sometimes by bearing false Witness, and by lies and
perjuries, of which he is convicted in open court;
and by calumnies, reproaches, detraction, and scan-
dal raised by him, and cast on his neighbour, who
sues him for these things: or in the transgression of the
lips is an evil snare; or the snare of an evil many; by
the wicked things they say they lay a snare for others,
which the simple and uncautious are taken in; so
heretics inshare men by their good words and fair
speeches, and plausibility of their doctrines; so an-
tichrist, by lies in hypocrisy, and by His deceivab',e-
hess of unrighteousness. But the just shah come out
of trouble; or escape it; he escapes the snare that is
laid for him, and so the trouble consequent upon it; a
just man escapes trouble by not giving his tongue the
fiberty wicked men do; dnd when he by any means
falls into trouble, he gets out of it again by giving good
words to those in whose hands he is; and by his
prayers and supplications unto God. The righteous
are sometimes in trouble, and in such sort of trouble
as others are not; by reason of their own corruptions,
Satan's temptations, the hidings of God's face, as
well as various outward afflictions; out of all which
the Lord delivers them sooner or later, in life or in
death, Psal. xxxiv. 19. Jarchi exemplifies this in the
case of righteous Noah, who escaped the flood, when
the world of the ungodly were destroyed by it, for
the transgression of their lips, saying, as in Job'xxi. 15,
what is the Almighty .s &c.
Vet. 14. A man shah be satisfled with good by the
fruit of his mouth, &c.] The wholesome advice, the
good instruction, and sound doctrine he delivers to
others, which are the fruit of his lips, and come forth
by them from his heart; these redound to his own
advantage, are not only a satisfaction to his mind upon
reflection, but because of these he is filled with good
things, even to satiety, both in this life and that to
come; see 1 Tim. iv. 6. or a man shall be satisfied with
good .from the fruit of the mouth; or be satisfied from
the fruit of the mouth of a man{z}; that is, of another
man; either of a private man, by his prayers, by the
account he gives of his own experience, by the con-
versation he has with him about the truths of the
Gospel; or of a faithful minister of the word, who is
the means of feeding the souls of men with good
things, even to satisfaction, with the wholesome words
of our Lord Jesus Christ, with the sincere milk of the
word, with the bread of life, even with the finest of
the wheat. And the recompense of a man's hand shall
be rendered unto him; if his words turn to his account,
much more his works; if he is filled with good things
for the sake of the one, much more will he be recom-
penced in a way of grace on account of the other; and
not for the one without the other, nor for words with-
out works: or the ,recompense of a man's hands, or of
his works which his hands do, he shall render to him {a};
that is, God, who renders to every man according to
his works; which serves not to establish the doctrine
of merit, but to shew the goodness and grace of God
in taking notice of and accepting the imperfect works
of men through Christ, and for his sake.
Ver. 15. The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
&c.] Whether it be the way of open prothneness, or
self-righteousness, it appears to him to be the right
way; it seems to him avery plain one, and he finds it
pleasant; and, trusting to carnal sense, corrupt reason,
and a false judgment, and having a high opinion of
himself and his own knowledge, never asks after the
right way, nor takes the advice of others. But he that
hearkeneth unto counsd is wise; that asks advice and
takes it of such who are men of age and experience,
men of longer standing, and are wiser than himself;
who consults the word of God about the right way of
walk, worship, and salvation, and makes the testimonies
of God the men of his counsel, which are able to make
him wise unto salvation; who hearkens to the counsel
of Gospel ministers, and obeys it; and especially to
Jesus Christ the wonderful Counsellor, and to the
advice he gives, Hey. iii. 18. and who not only hears
his words, but does them; such an one is a wise man,
Matt. vii. 24, c25.
Vet. 16. A fool's wrath is presently known, &c.]
Having no command of himself, he cannot repress it,
nor keep it in; no sooner is he provoked but he shews
it in his countenance, and by his words and actions; it
it is to be seen in the fire of his eyes, in the frowns of
his face, in the gnashing of his teeth, and in the stamp-
ing of his feet, as well as in the bitter expressions of
his mouth: or a fool's wrath in that day is/cnown{b}; in
the same day in which the provocation is given; yea, in
the same hour, and in the same moment; he cannot
defer shewing it for the least space of time; or it is
openly known, it is to be seen and observed by every
one: or thus, a fool ispresently known by his wrath {c}; see
Eccl. vii. 9. But a prudent man covereth shame; con-
ceals his anger and resentment at any injury done him
by words or actions, which if suffered to break out
would bring shame and disgrace to him; or he cov,rs
the injury itself, the disgraceful words that are spoken
of him, and the shameful actions done unto him; he
puts up with the contempt that is cast upon him, and
bears it patiently; takes no notice of the offence given.
him, and much less seeks revenge; in which he acts a
prudent part, for by so doing he creates less trouble to

{y} \^er vqwm Mytpv evpb\^ in praevaricatione labiorum laqueus
malus, Montanus, Michaelis, Schultens, so Junius & Tremellius, Pis-
cator, Cocceius; vel laquens hominis mali, Mercerus, Gejerus.
{z} \^vya yp yrpm\^ de fructu oris viri, Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus,
Schultens.
{a} \^wl bwvy\^ reddet ei, Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus, Gejerus,
Michaelis; restituet ei, Munster, so Aben Ezra; ei refundet,
Schultens.
{b} \^Mwyb\^  eo die quo irritatur, Tigurine version; eodem die, Junius
& Tremellius; so Banyans, Mercerus, Gejerus.
{c} Cognoscitur ex ira sua, Munster.