1:or riches certainly make themselves wings ; or, it in
making makes itself wings{x}; even that which is not,
on which men cause their eyes to fly; no sooner are
their eyes upon that, but that flies away from them
like a bird with wings; see ]2_los. ix. 11. Either men
are taken from that, or that from them, and sometimes
very swiftly and suddenly. They fly away as an eagle
towards herefen.; the eagle flies very swiftlv, none more
swiftly; it flies towards heaven, out of sight, and out
of reach, and out of c. all; so riches flee away to God,
the original giver of them, from whence they came,
and who is the sole disposer of them; they own him as
the proprietor and distributor of them; and they flee
to heaven as it were for fresh orders where they should
be, and into whose hands they should come next;
they flee away, so as not to be seen any more, and
be recovered by those who have fortnerly enjoyed
them.
Vet. G. Eat thou not the l,'ead of him that hath an
evil e!/e, &c.] A sordid covetous man, that grudges
every- bit that is eaten, in opposition to a man of agood
eye, or a bountiful one, that is liberal and generous,
ch'. xxii. 9. if he invites to a meal, do not accept of it,
sit not down at his table to eat with him: neither desire
thou his dainty meats; or savoury food, so as to lust
after it; see the note on yet. 3.
Vet. 7. For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he, &c.]
He is not the man his mouth speaks or declares him to
be, but what his heart thinlis; which is discovered by
Iris 1ooks and actions, and by which he is to be judged
of, and not by his words. Eat and drink, saith he to
thee, but his heart is not with thee; he bids you eat
and drink, but he does not desire you should, at least
but very sparingly; it is only a mere compliment, not
a hearty welcome.
Vet. 8. The morscl which thou hast eaten, shalt thou
romit up, &c.] It shall turn in thy stomach, thou shall
not be able to keep it, when thou understandest thou
art not welcome; or thou wilt wish thou ha,,lst never
eaten a bit, or that thou couldest vomit up what thou
hast; so disagreeable is the thought of being unwel-
come, or when this appears to be the case. And lose
thy sweet words; expressed in thankfulness to the mas-
ter of the feast, in praise of his tbod, in pleasantry with
him, and the other guests at table; all which are re-
pented of whefi a man finds he is not welcome.
Ver. 9. Speak not in the ears of a ,fool, &c.'] For it
is only beating the air, and speaking to the wind; it is
casting pearls before swine, and that which is holy to
dogs. By the .fool is meant a wicked man, one aban-
doned to sin, and hardened in it; that scoffs at all ad-
monitions and reproofs, that derides the word, and the
preachers of it, and makes a mock at all good men,
and every thing they say; and therefore what is se-
rious and sacred should not be said to them, since it
only becomes the object of their banter and ridicule.
For he will despise the wisdom of thy words; not only
the words of doctrine, reproof, and con'ection, but the
wisdom of them; or let them be ever so wisely spoken;
for if the wisdom of God and Iris words, the truths of
the Gospel, are foolishness with such, and despised by
them, then much more the wisdom even of the best
of men, and-the wisest things they say'; yea, when
they deliver the wisdom of God m a mystery, the
hi{lden wisdom, the Gospel of Christ, which therefore
should be spoken among them that are perfect, 1 Cot.
i. 24, 25. and if. 6, 7.
Ver. 10. Remove not the old landmark, &c.] See
th note on oh. xxii. '28. ,4rid enter not into the fields
of tlte fatherless; to carry off the increase of them, to
reap their wheat, or mow t!ieir grass, or turn in cattle
to eat it; or to encroach upon them, take in any part
of them, or join the whole to their own; for if there is
a woe to them th:tt lay tield to field, much more to
them that enter into and take the tields of the father-
less, and .ioin them to their own, Isa. v. 8.
Ver. 11. For their Redeemer is .mighty, &c.] As he
must needs be, since the Lord of hosts is his name;
who sympathizes with them, has mercy on them, is
their father, antl their fiiend; see Jet. 1. 34. Hos.
xiv. 3. Psal. lxviii. 5. He shrill plead their cause .with
thee; or against thee, as the Vulgate Latin version;and
will certaitflv carry it. for them, and against thee; for,
when he undertakes a cause, he pleads it thoroughly.
Vc,'. 12. Aptly thine heart unto instruction, &c.] To
the instruction of parents, and to the instruction of
ministers of the word; to the Scriptures, which are
profitable to instruction in righteousness; to the in-
struction of' wisdom, or to the Gospel of Christ, which
instructs in things relating to him, and to salvation by
him: or, bring in thine heart to instruction {y}; not only
bring thy body to the place of instruction, the house
of God, but bring thine heart thither also. And thine
ears to the words of knowledge; the doctrines of the
Gospel, which are the means of the knowledge of God
and Christ, and of all divine, spiritual, and hcavenly
tidings; and of a growth in the knowledge of them;
and therefore should be diligently hearkened and cor-
dially artended to.
Vet. 13. Withhold not correction from the child, &c.]
When he has committed a fault, and correction is ne-
cessary; for to spare it is the ruin of the child, and no
proof of true affection in the parent, but the reverse;
see ch. xiii. '24. and xix. 18. For, if thou bentest him
with a rod, he shall not die; if he be beaten moderateiy,
there is no danger of his dying under the rod, or with
the stripes given hitn; besides, such moderate and pro-
per corrections may be a means of preserving him from
such crimes as would bring him to a shameful and un-
timely death, and so he shall not die such a death;
and by such means, through the grace of God, he may
escape the second, or eternal death.
Vet. ] 4. Thou shall beat him with the rod, &c.] Oe,
correct him with the stripes of the children of men, in
a moderate and suitable manner, proportionable to the
fault committed; and as he is able to bear it, both as
to body and mind. And shalt deliver his soul from hell;
be a means of preventing those sins which would bring
to hell and destruction; and of bringing to repentance
for those committed; and so of saving his soul, which
should be the chief tiring parents should have in view
in chastising their children; the salvation of whose


{x} \^hvey hve yk\^ quia faciendo daciet, Montanus, Baynus.
{y} \^haybh\^ adduc, Piscator; vel fac ingredi, Pagninus, Montanus,
Mercerus; adduc & quasi praesens siste, Michaelis.