Commentary Upon Proverbs, Chapter 8
THE VIII. CHAPTER.
1 Doth not wiſedome crie, and vnderſtanding lift vp her voyce,
2 On the top of the high places, ſtanding by the high way in the place of many pathes?
3 At the ſide of the gates, in the comming in of the citie, in the entrie of the dores, they ſing, ſaying,
THe excellencie of wiſedome and vnderſtanding is at large ſet downe in this chapter, which containeth two points, the one the manner of their calling vntounto men to come vntounto them, in theſe three verſes (the expoſition whereof is ſet downe in the interpretation of the twentith and one and twentith verſes of the firſt chapter of this booke:) the other is, the ſumme or matter of their proclamation or oration, in the reſt of the chapter.
4 O men I call vntounto you, and I vtter my voyce vntounto the ſonnes of men.
5 O ye ſimple ones vnderſtand warineſſe, & ô ye fooles be wiſe in heart.
In this beginning of the proclamation, the perſons called by vnderſtanding or wiſedome (euen by the perſonall wiſedome of God Ieſus Chriſt) are deſcribed. O men I call to you, &c. I Ieſus Chriſt call all eſtates of people to heare my doctrine, both thoſe who are of high degree, as namely on the one ſide, the noble, the learned and the rich: and thoſe that are of lowe degree, as the poore, the ſimple and contemptible.
6 Harken, for I will vtter excellent things, and the opening of my mouth ſhall propound vpright things.
7 For the roofe of my mouth ſhall record truth, and wickedneſſe is abhomination to my lips.
8 All the ſpeeches of my mouth are iust, there is nothing in them crooked or awry.
9 All of them are eaſie to the prudent man, and plaine to thoſe who find knowledge.
10 Receiue mine inſtruction and not ſiluer, and knowledge rather then moſt fine gold.
11 For wiſedome is better then pearles, and no delites can be matched with her.
The ſonne of God declareth herein the excellencie of his doctrine, to the end that eueryevery one ſhould hearken thereunto. Firſt he ſaith, I will ſpeake of excellent things. The doctrine of the word is full of maieſtie and royaltie. For it doth intreate, not of baſe arguments but of diuine and rare points, as of election, regeneration, faith, and the glorie which is to come. Secondly, the word of God is vpright. For it is perfect, and able to make a man wiſe vntounto ſaluation, in it is nothing wanting, nothing vnſound. Thirdly, the word is alſo true. For whatſoeuer God hath ſayd,See Pſal. 19. it ſhall come to paſſe; whoſe word hath bene tried as the ſiluer ſeuen times in the fire. Fourthly, the ſpeeches of Chriſt are iuſt, condemning all things which are vnlawfull, and commanding all things which are lawfull. Fiftly, the word of God is plaine and eaſie. For albeit the naturall mā perceiueth not the things which belong to God, yet the ſpirituall man diſcerneth all things. Wherefore if the Goſpell be hid from anie, it is hid from thoſe, whoſe eyes the God of this world hath blinded, that they cannot ſee the truth. Sixtly, the word is alſo profitable, yea more profitable then gold. For what would it profit a man to win the whole world, & to looſe his ſoule eternally, which by the word of God is ſaued? Laſt of all, the word of God is alſo moſt ſweete and pleaſant. For it reioyceth the heart and ſweeteneth the ſoule like an heauenly kinde of honie. And who would not now rather hearken, to the royall, vpright, true, iuſt, eaſie, profitable and pleaſant ſpeeches of wiſedome: then the vile, wicked, flattering, impure, ſubtill, and in very deed moſt bitter words of the harlot?
12 I Wiſedome dwell with *or Warineſſe.Prudence, and find forth the knowledge of politicke deuiſes.
13 The feare of the Lord, the hatred of euill: contemptuouſneſſe and haughtineſſe, & the way of wickedneſſe, & a mouth of peruerſeneſſe, I hate.
14 Counſell is mine, and ſubſtance, prudēce is mine, ſtrength mine owne.
Herein Ieſus Chriſt proceedeth to make him ſelfe further knowne, and more and more amiable, by intreating a while of his owne diuine vertues. I Wiſdom dwell with Prudence or warineſſe. The Sonne of God Chriſt Ieſus, is moſt circumſpect, wittie, prudent and politicke himſelfe, and the worker of theſe graces in mortall men. The feare of the Lord, the hatred of euil, &c. The ſonne of God is alſo moſt righteous. For he loueth the good and deteſteth the euill,Pſal. 45. wherfore God euen his God hath annointed him with the oyle of gladneſſe aboue his fellowes. Counſell is mine and ſubſtance &c. The ſonne of God is alſo a coūſeller as Eſay calleth him. For he is both of the priuie counſel of his father, and the aduiſer of his church. Moreouer he hath ſtrength in him being the arme of God to conquer ſinne with hell and Sathan, & is able to do whatſoeuer he will Subſtāce or the being of things is likewiſe his, for he cauſeth all creatures to be & ſubſiſt.
15 By me kings raigne, and rulers decree iuſtice.
16 By me Princes beare rule, and all the noble iudges of the earth.
Now Chriſt Ieſus ſpeaketh of his excellent & wonderfull works. By mekings raigne &c. There is no power or potentate but they are from me the ſonne of God, yea by me alſo they diſcharge their functions, for I giuegive all magiſtrates and worthie perſons their places and graces. The chiefe monarkes of the world, come vntounto their ſcepters by the power and permiſſion of the ſonne of God. Law giuers and counſellers, by his direction and inſpiration giuegive aduiſe and inuent politicke lawes. Inferior rulers and Lieutenants, keepe their places, countenance and authoritie by his aſſiſtance, whereunto alſo they riſe, by his ſecret diſpoſing of matters. Finally iudges and iuſtices, who vſe to keepe courts and to ſit on benches, do by him, frō him and for him, pronounce ſentence, handle matters of ſtate, execute lawes, and finally determine all caſes.
17 I louelove them who louelove me, and they who ſeeke me earneſtly find me.
18 Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteouſneſſe.
19 My fruite is better then gold, yea then right pure gold, and my reuenue then moſt fine ſiluer.
20 I walke through the waye of iuſtice, through the midſt of the paths of equitie,
21 To cauſe my louers to wherit ſubſtance, and I repleniſh their ſtorehouſes.
The heauenly wiſdome of the Father Ieſus Chriſt, affirmeth in theſe ſentences, that he beſtoweth all happineſſe on his true worſhippers. For firſt, he loueth them who louelove him, that is, he giueth them his grace & fauour, like a friend talking, walking, dining, ſupping with them, and ſecretly chearing vp their hearts. Secondly, he beſtoweth on them the riches of the mind as knowledge, temperance, patience, and ſuch like vertues, which remaine in the faithfull for euer, and which are more precious then gold or any mettall, more pleaſant then grapes or any frutes of the trees. Thirdly, he doth impute his righteouſneſſe vntounto thē, ſanctifying them alſo by the holy ſpirit, which leadeth them in the wayes of the Lords commaundements. Laſt of all, he will glorifie them in the world to come, cauſing them to enioy the preſence of God for euermore.
22 Iehouah poſſeſſed me in the beginning of his wayes, before his workes, before all time.
23 Before the world was I annointed, before the beginning, before the firſt beginning of the earth.
24 Whileſt yet there were no depthes was I borne: vvhileſt yet there vvere no ſprings abounding with waters,
25 Whileſt as yet the mountaines were not ſetled, before the litle hilles, was I borne.
26 As yet he had not made the earth, or the plaines, no nor the groundworke, [or] the duſt of the world inhabited.
Herin the ſonne of God intreateth of his being & of his calling to the office of a mediator. Iehoua poſſeſſed me in the beginning, &c. I the eternall word of God, was with God the Father at the beginning,Ioh. 1.1. being of one and the ſelfe ſame eſſence with him and the ſpirit. Before the world was I annointed &c. I was appointed to the office of a mediatour betwixt God and man,Pſal. 110.11. from all eternitie. Whileſt yet there were no depthes was I borne &c. Heb. 1.2.I had my perſon from the perſon of my father, from all eternitie, being begotten before all creatures and to continue for euer.
27 When he made firme the heauens, I vvas there, vvhen he ſet the round compaſſe on the outſide of the deepe,
28 When he ſtrengthened the vpper clouds aboue, when he made firme the fountaines of the deepe:
29 When he preſcribed his decree to the ſea and the waters, that they paſſe not his commandement: vvhen he layd the foundation of the earth.
Now Ieſus Chriſt declareth, that he did worke together with the Father in the creating of the world at the beginning. For firſt, as concerning the heauēs, he made hard and faſt as the adamant, thoſe liquid waters, wherof they conſiſt. Secondly as touching the aire, called here the compaſſe on the deepe, he ſo framed the clouds, as that like bottles or glaſſes, they were and ſtill are fit veſſels to containe the waters aboue. Thirdly, he formed the flouds, ſprings & ſeas, binding vp the waters herein as it were in certaine ſwadling bands. Laſt of all, he layd the earth at the beginning, as the ground worke or foundation of the whole world.
30 Moreouer I am with him as a nouriſher, and I am a dayly delite, chearing vp before him at all times,
31 Chearing vp his earth in the world inhabited, and my delites are with the ſonnes of men.
As before Chriſt Ieſus hath ſhewed that he created all things, ſo now his intent is to declare, that he gouerneth the whole world, bearing it vp by the word of his power. Moreouer I am with him as a nouriſher. Furthermore, I the ſonne of God being God coeſſential with my father, together with him preſerue all things as a nurſe, reaching out my hand to feede them and cheriſh them. And I am a dayly delite, chearing vp before him at all times. In me alſo the father is continually wel pleaſed,Ioh. 5.6. to whō I am a ſingular recreation as it were. Chearing vp his earth in the world inhabited. Againe, I am the ioy of the earth,Pſalm. 36. which, together with all the creatures therein I refreſh, cauſing my ſunne to ſhine & my dewes to fall vponupon them. And my delites are with the ſonnes of men. Act. 14.17.But (to conclude) I chiefly louelove and ſolace mortall wights, whoſe hearts I fill with ioy and gladneſſe, to whom I giuegive the vſe of all my creatures, whom I endue with reaſon and other excellent gifts, finally whoſe redemption I am, & on whom I beſtow my word and ſpirit.
32 Now therefore ô ſonnes hearken vntounto me, for bleſſed are they that keepe my vvayes.
33 Heare inſtruction and be wiſe, and withdraw not your ſelues.
34 Bleſſed is the man who harkeneth vntounto me, attending diligently at my gates from day to day, wayting at the poſts of my doores.
35 For whoſoeuer findeth me findeth life, and hath obtained fauor of the Lord,
36 But he who ſinneth againſt me hurteth his own ſoule, all they vvho hate me, louelove death.
From teaching, Wiſedome now commeth to exhort. Now therfore ô ſonnes harken vntounto me &c. The caſe thus ſtanding as hath bene declared, giuegive not eare to the harlot, but obey me the perſonall wiſedome of God. Bleſſed is the man who harkeneth vntounto me. Happie is eueryevery one who heareth the word of God and keepeth it, ſeeking alſo by prayer for the grace of God, and knocking continually at the gate of his merciemercy. For whoſoeuer findeth me findeth life. For this is eternall life to know the true God and him whom he hath ſent Ieſus Chriſt. All they that hate me louelove death. They that reiect me draw on them ſelues damnation, wherfore, if any louelove not our Lord Ieſus Chriſt, let him be anathema maranatha.