Proverbs 20 · John Wesley
A mocker - Wine immoderately drunk makes men mockers. Raging - Makes men full of rage.
The fear - The terror which the wrath of a king causes.
Meddling - Is always ready to begin strife, and obstinate in the continuance of it.
Counsel - Designs of doing something of moment. Deep water - Is secret and hard to be discovered.
His eyes - With his very looks, or by his diligent inspection into affairs.
Divers - One greater for shew and one lesser for use.
Is known - The future disposition of a man may be probably conjectured from his childish manners.
Open - Shake off sloth and betake thyself to thy employment with diligence and vigour.
The lips - But wise speeches are of far greater worth.
Take - As a pledge, without which he ought not to be trusted. Of him - That is surety.
Established - The way to bring our purposes to good effect is to manage them with serious consideration.
Lamp - His name and memory shall utterly perish.
His way - What the issue of his designs will be.
A snare - It brings guilt upon him. After - After a man has made vows to enquire for ways to break them.
The wheel - As the cart - wheel was anciently turned over the sheaves to beat the corn out of them. He punishes them as their offences deserve.
The spirit - The reasonable soul. The candle - Is a clear and glorious light set up in man for his information and direction. Of the Lord - So called because it comes from God in a more immediate manner than the body, Eccles 12:7, and because it is in God's stead, to observe and judge all our actions. Searching - Discerning not only his outward actions, which are visible to others, but his most inward thoughts and affections. The belly is here put for the heart, as it is frequently.