dence, or a witness in any cause, being found a false
one; and. as a man, he shall be punished in body or
estate by the civil magistrate, and his soul shall perish
eternally, unless he has true repentance for his sin: or,
a witness of lies shall perish {k}. it may be applied to any
teachet of false doctrine; and to the man of sin, and
his followers, that speak lies in hypocrisy; every one
that loves and makes a lie shall die the second death,
an:t be excluded from eternal happiness, Rev. xxi. 8,
27. But the .man that heareth ; before he speaks, and
speaks what he hears, and does not devise things him-
self; but witnesses the truth, and nothing else, to the
best of his knowledge: speaketh co,stautly; invariably
and consistently, what is all of a piece, and by which
he ah,des; or continually, as Jarchi; or for ever; he
is made use of as a witness as long as he lives, when-
ever there is occasion tbr him; the Vulgate Latin ver-
sion renders it, he speaks victory; his testimony, being
true anti valid, carries the cause: it ,nay be applied to
a faithful teacher, who hearkens to the word of God,
and speaks according to that; such an one speaks out
,.he doctrine of the word constantly, boldly, with cer-
tainty, without any hesitation or staggering.
Vet. 29. A wic],'ed .mart hardeneth his .face, &c.]
Against all corrections and reproofs of parents, mas-
ters, ministers, and others; he blushes not at sins com-
mitted, and is not ashamed of them, but glories in
them: or, he strengthens with his face{l}; he puts an
impudent face upon his words, and confirms them by
his impudence; if he tells the most notorious lies, and
sa;s things the most shameful and scandalous, his coun-
enance does not alter, by which he would be thought
to liave spoken what is right and true. But as for the
apright, he dirccteth his way; or his ways {m}; according
to the various reading; the man that is upright in heart,
and walks uprightly, he directs his way according to
the word of God; and, if he does amiss, when sensible
he is ashamed of it, and amends.

Ver. 30. There is no wisdom nor understanding, nor
counsel against the Lord.] No human schemes what-
ever, formed with the greatest wisdom and prudence,
can ever prevail against God, or set aside or hinder the
execution of any design of his; nothing that is pointed
against his church, his cause, and interest, his truths
and ordinances, in the issue shall succeed; all that are
found fighters against him shall not prosper, let them
be men of ever so much sagacity and wisdom; though
there may be ever so many devices in a man's heart,
and these ever so well planned, they shall never defeat
the counsel of the Lord; see ch. xix. 2l. The Tar-
gum is," there is no wisdom, 4.c. as God's;" and so
the Syriac version, as the Lord's; there is none like
his, there is none to be compared with his; there is
none of any value and worth but his; all is folly in
comparison of that: or there is none before the Lord";
no wisdom of the creature can stand before him, it
presently vanishes and disappears.
Ver. 31. The horse is prepared against the day oJ'
battle, &c.] The horse is a warlike creature, and was
much used formerly, as now, in war; these are pre-
pared against the day of battle, to mount the cavalry
with; and men are apt to put too great confidence in
them: this is mentioned instead of all other military
preparations and instruments of war. But safety is of
the Lord; a horse is a vain thing for safety, Psal. xxxiii.
17. victory is only of the Lord; salvation depends
upon him; it is he that covers men's heads in the day
of battle, and gives them victory over their enemies:
or salvation, is of the Lordø; this is true of spiritnal
and eternal salvation, as well as of temporal salvation;
it is of the Lord, Father, Son and Spirit; and so is
the safety of the saints; and their final perseverance
to eternal glory, which is owing to the love of God,
covenant-interest, security in Christ, the grace of the
Spirit, and the power of God; see Hos. xiv. 3.

Vet. 1. GOOD name is rather to be chosen than
great riches, &c.] The word good is not in the text,
but is rightly supplied, as it is by the Targum, Septua-
gint, and Vutgate Latin versions; for it is not any
name that is more eligible than riches; nor is it a
need name among any sort of persons; for to
have a good name with some turns to a man's re-
proach rather than to his credit; but a good name
among good men, a name in the house of God, which
is better than sons and daughters; a new name, the
name of the children of God, which no man know-
tth but he that receiveth it; this is to be perferred to
a multitude of riches: it is not to be procured by them,
and is where they are not, or are lost, but this con-
tinues; see Eccl. vii..t. And loving favour rather them

silver and gold; favour with God and man, especially
with God, whose loving-l{indness is better than life,
and all the enjoyments of it: or, as it may be rendered,
grace is better than silver and gold {p}; the grace of God
through Christ, the grace of Christ, in whom all fulness
of it dwells, the grace of the Spirit of Christ; faith is
more precious than gold that perisheth; and if a man
would give all the substance of his house for love it
wonld be contemned; the Spirit and his grace are not
to be purchased for money.
Vet. e. The rich and poor meet together, &c.] In
an hostile way, as some; they rush upon one another;
the rich despise the poor, and the poor envy the rich;
they cannot speak well one of another, as the Arabic
version; or they are depen{lent on one another, they

{k} \^Mybzk de\^ testis mendaciorum, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius,
Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis, Schultens.
{l} \^wynpb zeh\^ robarat vultu suo, Baynus; in faciebus suis, Montanus.
{m} \^wykrd\^ \~ta odouv autou\~, Sept. vias suas, Baynus, Tigurine version,
Mercerus, Gejerus.
{n} \^hwhy dgnl\^ in conspectu Jehovae, Gejerus; coram Domino,
Gussetius, p. 495.
{o} \^hewvth hwhyl\^ a Domino autem (datur) salns, Tigurine version;
Domino est salvatio, Cocceius; Jehovae est salus, Schultens; so
Junius & Tremellius, Mercerus, Gejerus.
{p} \^bwj Nx\^ gratia melior, Munster, Tigurine version, Junius & Tre-
mellius, Michaelis; so Schultens.