Exposition of Proverbs 11-12, Biblical commentary · Chapter 11 · Verse 16
Verſe 16. A gracious woman maintaineth her honour, as ſtrong men keepe riches.
A Gracious woman] Which is indued with the feare of God, and the heauenly gifts of the holy Ghoſt, doth maintaine, that is, doth both get and hold a reuerend eſtimation and credit, as ſtrong men be of abilitie to obtaine wealth, and riches, and to defend that which they hauehave.
Doct. They which hauehave grace ſhall neuer want honour, how meane and weake ſoeuer they be.
Euen women which are of the weaker ſexe, euen poore women which neither hauehave parentage, nor beautie, nor rich apparell to ſet them forth, are yet reckoned among theſe honourable perſonages, if they hauehave vertue: for it is affirmed of eueryevery one, without exception of any. S. Peter ſheweth that there is no wife, nor woman of pure conuerſation, whoſe heart is vncorrupt with a meeke and quiet ſpirit, but ſhe is much ſet by of God, and become Sarahs daughter. 1. Pet. 3. 2. 4. 6. And if the Lord ſo well like of all holie women, he doth as much take pleaſure in all holy men: if hee bee more delighted with their pietie and lowlines, then with gold and ſiluer, with pearles, and precious ſtones, and all coſtly apparell; then he will more eſteeme alſo of the faith and louelove, and other graces of theſe, then of lands, and liuings, and titles, and all manner of dignities. If they be tranſplanted into Sarahs kindred, and hauehave her for their mother; then theſe are incorporated into Abrahams ſtocke, and hauehave him for their father.
Reaſons. 1 Firſt, they hauehave the conſtant ſpirit of God conſtantly reſting vponupon them, and that is a ſpirit of glory, as Saint Peter teſtifieth, 1. Peter 4. 14. As therefore that can neither be kept away, becauſe Gods hand doth beſtow it; nor any plucke it away, becauſe Gods hand doth preſerue it: no more can any ſtay them from receiuing praiſe and commendation, nor wreſt it away from them, when they hauehave it.
Secondly, as the excellencie of Chriſtians doth not conſiſt in bodily pompe, but in ſpirituall graces, and behauiour; ſo it is not ſo much apprehended with mens eies, as with their hearts: their conſciences will praiſe them, when their tongues reuile them, as the Apoſtle ſaith: we approoue our ſelues to eueryevery mans conſcience in the ſight of God. He would not appeale to their lippes before men, 2. Cor. 4. 2.but to their ſoules before the Lord, and then hee was ſure they would iuſtifie him, though in ſpeech many would condemne him. Now if it bee ſo, a womans grace will as well ſhine to their hearts, as a mans: a poore bodies as well as rich folkes: ſo long as they remaine godly, aſwell as when they began to be godlie, and more at the laſt then at the firſt, becauſe their light groweth daily greater, and brighter.
Thirdly, it is true honour to hauehave the louelove and liking of God and good men for vnfained godlines and goodnes; and this belongeth to all the faithfull though neuer ſo meane and feeble. They will hold firſt the feare of God in their hearts, that none can bereaue them of it: they will diligently doe the will of God in their liues, that none can hinder them from it, and then who ſhall forbid God to ſhew them the light of his countenance? and who ſhall alienate the hearts of Gods people from wiſhing them well with kind and hartie affection?
Vſe. 1 Reproofe of many ſinnefull women which ſeeke not honour by vertue, but vanitie, not by grace but gariſhnes. And that they maintaine with might and maine, with heart and hand, with teeth and tongue, and all the meanes which may be deuiſed. It is as eaſie to take a purſe of golde from a ſtrong armed ſouldier, as to perſwade them to leaue their pride and idlenes, and other wicked wayes which they vſually walke in.
But beſides theſe, there are other men and women to be reprehended, which are as vnconſtant in any good courſe, as theſe are obſtinate in euill. They hauehave entred into the way of godlines with good commendation in the beginning, and leaue off the race in the middeſt, and runne to ſinfulneſſe with the world in the later ende. They cowardly ſuffer themſelues to bee ouercome, and rifled, and robbed of their honour: their crowne is taken from them, their glorie is turned into ſhame and reproach, and cauſeth them to renounce that goodnes which before they ſeemed to imbrace: to forſake the fellowſhip of Chriſtians with whom they were wont to conuerſe: to neglect the duties of pietie which they were wont to exerciſe, to giuegive ouer the care of their families, which they were wont to inſtruct? Euen this that they would not be deſpiſed and brought to contempt: they would not be mocked and ieſted at for preciſenes: they would not loſe their credit, and good account. But is honour preferred by caſting off grace? will this be a meanes to make them glorious, to ſhake off vertue, and ſhew themſelues vicious? They vtterly deceiue themſelues: for our text ſaith, that they muſt bee gracious perſons which ſhall be able to maintaine and keepe their honour.
Conſolation for poore maligned and moleſted Chriſtians, whoſe weakenes the power of the wicked ſeekes to play vponupon: and whoſe meanes the pompous proude worldlings hauehave in deriſion, and ſtriue alſo to make contemptible to all others. The higheſt ſinner in the world is vnable to hurt the loweſt ſaint, or the moſt glorious among them, to ſhame the moſt feeble among theſe. It is as poſſible for a young childe by force to wring the weapons out of a giants hand, or take his monie out of his boſome, or to draw his heart bloud out of his body, as it is to ſtrip any one good man of his reuerent eſtimation. And what meane they then to ſurmiſe that a few of them, and ſuch as bee in diſgrace with God, and all prudent men can bring downe, and caſt to the ground the whole Church of God? Let them know that eueryevery woman of Chriſt his armie, is too hard for any man, for all men, yea and for all the fiends that are in Sathans campe: Euerie child may bid defiance to him, and his whole hoſt of perſecutors. God is our defence, and therefore they cannot ouerthrow vsus: God is our glorie, and accounteth vsus for glorious, and therefore they cannot ſhame vsus. In Iſaiah this is often preſſed, Feare thou not, I am with thee, be not afraid, for I am thy God: I will ſtrengthen thee, and helpe thee, and will ſustaine thee with the right hand of my iuſtice. Behold, all they that prouoke thee, ſhall bee aſhamed and confounded: and they that ſtriue with thee ſhall periſh. Feare not thou worme Iacob, and yee men of Iſrael: I will helpe thee, ſaith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the holy one of Iſrael. Thou waſt precious in my ſight, and thou waſt honourable and I loued thee, &c. Iſa. 41. 10. 11. 14. and 43. 4.
1. For men that are trulie gracious and yet timerous, and full of dread, leſt Sathan ſhould take aduantage by their imbecillity, and want of courage and learning to draw them to apoſtaſie, and back-ſliding. Conſider that hee can keepe backe none from obtaining honour, whoſoeuer either man or woman doth ſoundly endeuour to be godly, doth take a ſure and infallible way to bee well thought of: none euer failed, or was diſappointed of that ſucceſſe. Remember alſo that when God hath once giuen it, the diuell can neuer take it away from any, but it remaineth to their liues end, and to the worlds end, and world without end: then be well aſſured that is vnable to depriue vsus of grace, and conſtant faithfulnes: for that is the ſpring from whence the other floweth: that is the bodie of the light, and the other but the beames which proceede from the brightneſſe of it.