Commentary Upon Proverbs, Chapter 20
THE XX. CHAPTER.
1 Wine is a mocker, *Or headie drinke.ſtrong drinke is raging, & who ſoeuer ouerſhooteth him ſelf therein, is not wiſe.
THis ſentence warneth eueryevery one,Pro. 30.4. Ephe. 5.18. to take heede that he abuſe not wine or ſtrong drinke. Three euils proceede from the abuſe hereof. The firſt is iollitie, for wine maketh men ſecure, talkatiue, wanton, and vayne.Eſay. 28. Oſe. 4. The ſecond is contention, for ſtrong drinke cauſeth brawling, fighting, and murther. The laſt is fooliſhneſſe, for when the wine or ſtrōg drinke is in, the wit is out, for which cauſe the Prophet ſaith, that fornication wine and drunkenneſſe take away the heart.
2 The *Or terror.feare of the king is as the roaring of a young Lyon, he that prouoketh him, ſinneth againſt his owne ſoule.
As there is naturally ſuch force in the voyce of a young Lion, who roareth more ſtrongly then the old,Before. 19.12.16.14. as that by the ſound thereof, all the beaſtes which heare it are aſtoniſhed & ſtricken down: ſo the rage of a Prince is very terrible and deadly, to the ſubiect againſt whom it is incenſed.
3 It is an honour for a man to ceaſe from ſtrife, but eueryevery foole will be medling.
It is a commendable thing to end contention,See an example in Abraham. Gen. 13. but to begin or to maintaine a quarell is great follie.
4 The ſlouthfull mā who will not plough becauſe of winter, ſhall begge in ſummer, when he ſhall hauehave nothing.
The tender and fearefull ſluggard, who abſtaineth from labour by reaſon of the hardnes of the preſent time, ſhall fall at the laſt into extreme want.
5 The counſell in the heart of man is like deepe waters, but a man that hath vnderſtanding, will draw it out.
A ſecret intent of the minde is cunningly hidden and cloſely concealed oftentimes, but he who is indued with diſcretion, either by propounding of queſtions, or by obſeruing of geſtures, ſoundeth and fiſheth out the ſecret purpoſe of him who is ſo cloſe.
6 Many commend the man who *Heb. the man of his bountie. Druſius ſaith he dare pawn all that he is worth that this ſenſe which is ſet downe is the naturall meaning of this ſentence. Pro. Claſſ. 2. lib. 1. Pro. 289.is bountifull vntounto thē, but who can finde a faithful man?
There are in a great nūber who magnifie thoſe who hauehave beſtowed benefites on them, but few there are who in aduerſitie eſpecially, or when neede requireth, ſhew them ſelues to be conſtāt friends or keepe touch in word and deed, or who declare them ſelues to be thankefull by requiting courteſies receiued.
7 The iuſt man who continually walketh in his vprightneſſe [is bleſſed] and bleſſed ſhall his children be after him.
It ſhall go well with the righteous and their ſeede.Pſal. 127. Iob. 5.25.
8 A king that ſitteth on the throne of iudgement, *Or winnoweth all euill in his eyes.chaſeth away all euill with his eyes.
A iudge perſonally ſitting on the tribunall ſeate, & faithfully exerciſing his office, by his preſence and examining of matters, findeth out and puniſheth all ſortes of miſdeameanours.
9 Who can ſay I hauehave purified mine heart, I am cleane from my ſinne.
Is any in this world able truly to ſay I hauehave ſanctified my ſelfe,Rom. 3.10.11. or I am without all reliques of naturall corruptiō? Iob could not, Daniell could not, Paul could not, and who then can?
10 Diuers weightes and diuers meaſures are euen both abhomination to the Lord.
The Lord abhorreth all meanes and inſtruments of iniuſtice.Before. 11.1, 16.…1.
11 Euen a child is knowen by his doinges, whether his worke be pure and right.
Indeede the proofe is all, but yet young impes oftentimes declare by certaine ſignes, what they are & what they will be. Euen a child is knowen by his doinges, not onelyonly the old,So did Daniell on the one ſide and I ſmaell one the other. but the young ſhew by their actions or behauiour, whether his worke be pure and right, whether the thing he doth be ſincerely performed by him or no, or proceedeth from a true and plaine heart.
12 The Lord hath made both theſe, euen the eare which heareth and the eye which ſeeth.
The Lord hath not only formed all the parts of mēs bodies & namely theſe two the eare & the eye,Exod. 4.11. Pſal. 94.9. but he it is who enableth & quickneth thē to do their office.
13 LoueLove not to ſleepe leaſt thou come vntounto pouertie, open thine eyes, and thou ſhalt be ſatiſfied with bread.
Sleepe not too much that thou become not a begger, watch in thy calling, and thou ſhalt hauehave plenty.
14 It is naught it is naught ſaith the buyer, 1. Theſſ. 4.6.but when he is gone apart, he boaſteth.
Albeit the ware cheapened is well worth the money demaūded by the ſeller, yet the couetous buyer, to the end he may get it verie cheape, diſprayſeth it to the vtmoſt, and ſayth, that it is not worth halfe ſo much as it is priſed at, but when he hath bought the thing and is come home, thē he will ſay to his friend, had I not a good penieworth? it is euen worth twiſe as much as I payd for it. Thus to deale is to call good euill and to ſpeake contrarie to a mans owne knowledge and conſcience.
15 There is gold and a multitude of pretious ſtones, but the lips of knowledge, are a moſt pretious treaſure.
Worldly treaſures are herein compared with true and gracious wordes. There is gold and a multitude of pretious ſtones, there are in the world mettals and ſtones of great price, but the lippes of knowledge, are a moſt pretious treaſure, but plaine dealing in word & deede, is the beſt iewel: for indeed the one come out of the earth, the other are giuen from heauen. The one are eſteemed by men, the other by the Lord, the one are corruptible the other immortall, the one ſerue vntounto the vſes of this life, the other are profitable to edifie the ſoule, Balaam him ſelf ſaw thus much, for which cauſe he ſaid to Balaak, that if he ſhould giuegive him an houſe full of gold and ſiluer, he could not goe beſides the word of God.
16 Take his garment who is ſuretie for a ſtraunge man, and a pledge of him who is ſuretie for a ſtraunge woman.
Raſh ſuretieſhip is againe forbidden in this verſe. Although the garment of thy poore brother who flyeth vntounto thee in his neceſſitie to borrow ſomewhat of thee,Exod. 22.26. is not in any caſe to be kept by thee frō him, neither yet his pawn to be retained▪ yet when any perſon who is indeed in poore eſtate, ſhall ſo diſſemble or take on him the perſon of a rich man, as to offer him ſelfe vntounto thee to be ſurety for another, thou mayeſt with a good conſcience deale ſtreightly with him, and require thine owne of ſuch a one.
17 The bread of deceit is ſweet to a man, but afterward his mouth ſhall be filled with *Or sharpe ſtones.grauell.
Great reaſō there is why all men ſhould take heed of craftie dealing. For, the bread of deceit is ſweet to a mā. In the beginning goodes ill gotten are verie pleaſant and deliteſome to a craftie perſon, but afterward his mouth ſhal be filled with grauell. Neuertheles in the end, he ſhall for the ſame meete with troubles. For ſuch ſweet meate as we ſay will hauehave ſowre ſawce.
18 Eſtabliſh thy thoughtes by counſell, and by prudent aduiſe make warre.
In all matters of doubt whatſoeuer, ſeeke for and follow the direction and counſell of wiſe and faithfull men, but eſpecially bend thine owne wits to deuiſe all the pollicies in the world and take aduiſe alſo with other of skill and experience, in ſo weightie matters as warre is,Luc. 14. wherein the life of many a man is hazarded.
19 To him who diſcloſeth a ſecret, going about as a *Or backbiter.tale bearer, and to him who flattereth with his lippes, ioyne not thy ſelfe.
Take counſaile with wiſe mē about thine affaires, but make not blabs acquainted therwith, neither referre thy matters vntounto thoſe who will but faune vponupon thee or gloſe with thee ſaying as thou ſayeſt and doing all thinges to pleaſe thee, not regarding their owne dutie or thy good.
20 He who curſeth his father or his mother, ſhall hauehave his candell put out in obſcure darkeneſſe.
That child doth curſe his father or his mother,See the roote of this ſentence. Exod. 21.17. who wiſheth ſome euill vntounto them or reuileth them. His candell ſhall indeed be put out, for his proſperitie and life ſhall be taken awaye.See beneath. 30.11. This ſhall be done in obſcure darkeneſſe, in as much as all his glorie ſhall not onelyonly be taken away but turned into extreme miſerie in a day of wrath and vengeance. Diſobedience then to parents is threatened in this ſentence.
21 An heritage is haſtely gotten at the beginning, but the end thereof ſhall not be bleſſed.
Subſtance by ill meanes or with greedineſſe heaped together in ſhort time, at the laſt vaniſheth or is accurſed.
22 Say not I will recōpence euill [but] wayt on the Lord, and he will ſaue thee.
Neither in heart intend, nor in ſpeeches threaten reuenge. Poſſeſſe thy ſoule rather in patience,Rom. 12.19. See the foūtaine of this precept. Leuit. 19.18. looking for defence from the Lord. So doing, thou ſhalt be preſerued by him from the future dangers, and deliuered out of thy preſent troubles.
23 Diuers waightes are abhomination to the Lord, Before. 11.1.and falſe ballances are not good.
All meanes and meaſures of iniuſtice are deteſtable in Gods ſight, and hurtfull to thoſe men, who vſe them.
24 Amans ſteppes are of the Lord, but what doth a man vnderſtand of his way?
God not only knoweth, but ruleth all the thoughts,Pſal. 139. words, deeds, & goings of a mā. On the cōtrary ſide, man perceiueth litle or nothing of the counſell or dealing of the Lord in gouerning the world.
25 It is a *Or ſnare.destruction for a man to deuoure that which is cōſecrated, & after vowes [made] to call backe.See the roote of this precept. Deut. 23.21. alike inſtruction. Eccl. 5.3. an example of the dā ger of breaking it. Act. 5.1. the warrant of vowing. Pſal. 76.11. what doings are not to be vowed. Deut. 23 18. Iudg. 11.30. gather what a vow is out of the 30. Num. 3.4.5.6. verſ. See an example in Iudas, who was a theefe frō the beginning. That it was the cuſtome of huſband men amōg the Iewes, to thresh the harder corne with a cart wheele, may be gathered out of the 28. Eſay. 27.28. ver.
Sacriledge is here condemned, two ſortes whereof are alſo ſpecified. The one is, the taking away of a thing which hath already bene dedicated to the Lord, in theſe wordes, it is a deſtruction for a man, &c. The other is, a differring or withholding of the thing which is in heart vowed or in ſpeech hath bene promiſed to Gods worſhip or ſeruice. Both theſe kinds of ſacriledge, are called a deſtructiō, becauſe they draw the plagues of the Lord on ſuch as commit them. Thē a thing conſecrated is deuoured, when the Lord or the Church or the poore, are defrauded of that which hath bene giuen to holy vſes. Now, they after vowes call backe, who make promiſes to the Lord, but after, wiſh they had not made them, or doe not performe them.
26 A wiſe king fanneth the wicked, and turneth the wheele ouer them.
Euen as the husbandmā by winnowing ſeperateth the chaffe from the good graines, ſo the good Magiſtrate ſeuereth the euill frō the good. Againe, as the husbandman threſheth the hard corne with a carte wheele. ſo a iuſt ruler inflicteth ſharpe puniſhmentes vponupon the wicked.
27 Mans ſoule is as it were the candle of the Lord [whereby] he ſearcheth all the bowels of the belly.
The excellent gift of reaſon beſtowed on mankind is herein commended. Mans ſoule is as it were the candle of the Lord. The minde of man is not brutiſh as is the heart of beaſtes, but ſo illightened with vnderſtanding, as that it may fitly be called, the lampe of the eternall (whereby) he ſearcheth all the bowels of the belly. A man by this ſpirite of his indued with reaſon, ſeeketh out and pearceth into the nature all thinges which are moſt obſcure, neither onelyonly knoweth his owne eſtate, but fiſheth out the ſecrets of other, with whom he hath to do.
28 Bountie and truth preſerue the king, & by bountie he vpholdeth his throne.
Vertue is that, whereby the crowne is eſpecially maintained. Bountie, that vertue which conſiſteth not onelyonly in pardoning of offences, but in giuing of almes or giftes freely to thoſe who ſtand in neede, and truth, and that vertue alſo, which giueth eueryevery one his due, as namely honour to the good and puniſhmēt to the wicked, preſerue the king, are the bucklers or bulwarks whereby the royall perſon of the Prince is defended from euils. And by bountie he vpholdeth his throne. Neuertheleſſe, howſoeuer both theſe vertues are indeede ſo neceſſarie, as that if either both of them or but one of them be wanting, the Prince cannot poſſiblie remaine long in ſafetie: yet bountie is the chief pillar of the ſtate or kingdome. For when as ſtraungers are nouriſhed, the poore relieued, the fatherleſſe defended, ſchooles erected, the Preachers of the word maintained, to conclude all the works of mercy practiſed, this is that which winneth the hearts of the ſubiectes, in whoſe good will the ſtrength of a land doth eſpecially conſiſt, as on the contrary ſide, nothing ſo ſoone ouerthroweth the throne of a Prince, as the ill will or hatred of the people vnderunder him.
29 The glory of young men is their ſtrēgth, the honor of the aged, is the gray head.
This ſentence inſinuateth, that both the young & the old, hauehave their ſeuerall ornaments wherein they may reioyce, and for the which alſo they are to be reuerenced. The glorie of young men is their ſtrength. Albeit they that are of tender or greene yeares, want oftentimes wiſdome or experience, which commonly are to be found in the auncient, yet hauehave they courage of minde and ſtrength of body, whereby they are inabled to follow their callings, to fight for their countryes, to do actes of great ſame and renowne. No mā then is to deſpiſe the younger for their greene years, but rather euen in this reſpect to eſteeme them the more. Now on the other ſide, the honour of the aged is the gray head, Albeit alſo they who are ſtricken in yeares, are weake in body or want the vſe of their ſenſes, yet the ſiluer crowne of hoarie haires, which the finger of God hath ſet vpō their head, doth make them venerable in all places where they come, ſo that they carie an authoritie or maieſtie with them as it were. Hence it is that in the law the Lord giueth this commaundement ſpecially to the younger ſort, directing his precept to eury one of them in particular as it were, Riſe vp before the hoarie head and honour the perſon of the aged man. Leuit. 19.Were this commaūdement of the Lord ſo practiſed in theſe times as it ought to be, there would not be ſo great ſaucineſſe or malapartneſſe in youth, as vſually appeareth eueryevery where.
30 Blewneſſe and woundes ſerue to *Or are a purging for.purge the wicked man, and ſtrokes that pearſe into the bowels of the belly.
This inſtruction teacheth vsus, how needfull a thing it is for the vngodly, to be ſcourged and puniſhed for their offences. Blewneſſe and woundes ſerue to purge the wicked man. Euen as beating (which blewneſſe followeth) and launcing (which leaueth a wound behind) is fit and profitable for diſeaſed and naughtie iades: ſo ſharpe puniſhmentes and cutting corrections in the fleſh and in the skinne, are meete for euill doers, and for thoſe, who otherwiſe will not be reformed. And ſtrokes that pearſe into the bowels of the belly. Yea moreouer, as goads or ſpurres are requiſite and neceſſarie for ſtubburne and ſtiffenecked beaſtes, who will not ſtirre vnleſſe they be touched and prickt to the quicke: ſo moſt grieuous and inward plagues and troubles, pearſing the bones and entring to the heart, are needefull for obſtinate and hainous offendors. True it is, albeit an vnrepentant wicked man be neuer ſo much corrected or ſharply delt with, yet his corruption wil not quite be tamed or wholly purged out. But yet nenertheleſſe, puniſhment for the time ſomewhat reſtraineth the moſt vngodly wretch in the world. Now, as for thoſe penitent ſinners, who hauehave done amiſſe through ignorance or infirmitie, the ſcourges or puniſhments which they ſuſtaine for their offences, not onelyonly ſcoure out of them many vices to which before they were giuen, but worke in them many good vertues. So then, not onelyonly afflictions for righteouſneſſe ſake, but corrections for ſinne, are profitable for Gods children, in as much as they are by theſe purged from much droſſe, like as by the other, they are declared to hauehave in them much fine ſiluer as it were.