The Book of Proverbs Paraphrased, Part 1 · Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
ARGUMENT.
The Title of this Book is joyned to it, as a part of the work, and contained in the ſix firſt verſes. Where the Authour uſes ſeveral words to expreſs the matter he intends to treat of, viz. Wiſedom, Inſtruction, Underſtanding, Knowledge, &c. the difference of which I have expreſſed as well as I could in the Paraphraſe, and ſhall not here criticiſe upon them. But obſerve rather that the learning they teach is the moſt neceſſary of all other; and therefore ſo contrived, as he tells us, that the moſt Ignorant as well as the moſt Wiſe may receive great benefit by it.
In order to which, the firſt principle of it muſt be carefully obſerved; which is this: [a] that a due ſenſe of God is a moſt neceſſary qualification to profit by theſe Inſtructions; which will ſignify nothing to Epicures, and ſuch like profane perſons. This is the very firſt word of the Book v. 7. teaching us, that our firſt care muſt be to poſſeſs our minds with a lively ſenſe, that there is a God; and that the higheſt Wiſedom in the World is to ſtudy to pleaſe Him, and to know what will pleaſe Him; and to be fearfull to offend Him, by any neglect of Him, or by doing any thing contrary to his Will. Which fear of offending God is commonly founded in a dread of his puniſhments; which perhaps gives the firſt riſe to this fear: however Nazianzen well obſerves (Orat. XXXIX. p. 628.) that we muſt not, if we would be wiſe, firſt begin in Contemplation, and ſo end in Fear; (for an unbridled Contemplation is very dangerous) but being thoroughly ſeaſoned and purged, and as one may ſay attenuated, and humbled by Fear, ſo to be carried aloft in Contemplation.
This is the firſt ſtep to Wiſedom, and the ſecond is; [b] next to God, to bear a great reverence to Parents, both natural and ſpiritual: to God's Miniſters, that is, and to all Teachers and Inſtructors; to whom if Children be not bred to give a great regard, they ſeldom prove vertuous. v. 8. Where it is very obſervable how much Humane Laws differ from Divine: the former generally onelyonly providing that due regard be given by Children to their Fathers, but taking no notice of Mothers; as may be ſeen in the Perſian Laws mentioned by Ariſtotle, the Roman deſcribed in the Digeſts and Conſtitutions, and ſeveral paſſages of the Greek Philoſophers, which we find in Epictetus and Simplicius, who (as Grotius notes upon the Fifth Commandment) conſult onelyonly the honour of the Father: but God in his Law takes care to preſerve a juſt reverence both to Father and Mother equally; as the perſons whoſe miniſtry He uſes to bring us into the World. And accordingly not only Solomon in this place and many other, but the Son of Sirach alſo (who was bred under that Divine Inſtitution) preſſes the duty oweing to both very largely; in the firſt ſixteen verſes of the III. of Eccleſiaſticus.
Now one of the firſt things Parents ſhould take care of, is to teach their Children [c] to avoid evil Company (as it follows here v. 10.) and then to repreſent Vice in its true colours, as Solomon here doth one ſort of wickedneſs, v. 11, 12, &c. the root of which he ſhews is love of money: which therefore ſhould be lookt upon as moſt odious; and indeed the root of all evil, v. 18, 19.
Their ſtupid blindneſs alſo is to be repreſented, who will take no warning: but though deſtruction be plainly before their eyes in the way wherein they are; yet will go on to complete their ruin, v. 17.
And they are to be admoniſhed alſo to hearken to the voice of Wiſedom preſently, whereſoever they meet with it: which is every where, v. 20, &c. Which is preſſed here (v. 24, &c.) from this conſideration, that there will be a time when they ſhall ſtand in need of God's help; but not find it, if they have ſlighted his importunities to obedience. For He is not onelyonly good but juſt alſo: and not ſo eaſy, as to be moved merely by Prayers and Intreaties (and that when we are in diſtreſs) which have more of ſelf-love in them, than love to Him. Whoſe wiſe Providence requites men in their kind; and deſtroys them by that which they moſt deſire.
"In ſhort, in this Chapter he introduces Wiſedom ſpeaking to his Son, or to her Children in general; inviting them to love her, and by no means to tread in the way of Sinners: but to keep cloſe to her directions; threatning deſtruction to thoſe who contemned this Counſel."
There ſeem to be three Proverbial Sayings in it. One v. 17. which may be four or five ways interpreted: two of which I have compriſed in the Paraphraſe, being the moſt common and natural. Another v. 31. like to that in Terence, Tute hoc intriviſti, omne hoc vorandum eſt tibi. And the other in the next v. 32. Where thoſe words, the proſperity of Fools ſhall deſtroy them, teach us that it is a great part of Wiſedom, to be able to bear a great fortune, as we call it. Of which among the Jews Jaſon was an example in after times, who was undone by his Succeſſes, 2 Maccab. v. 6, 7, &c.
1. THE proverbs of Solomon, the ſon of David, king of Iſrael;
1. THIS Book contains ſome notable and very uſefull Sayings of that wiſe Prince, King Solomon, the Son of that devout Prince, King David: by whoſe ſpecial appointment he ſucceeded him in the government of God's peculiar People Iſrael; for which (according to David's Prayer LXXII. Pſalm, and his own 1 Kings III. 9.) God indued him with an extraordinary degree of underſtanding.
2. To know wiſedom and inſtruction, to perceive the words of underſtanding;
2. The ſcope of them, is to make a Man know what it is to be truly wiſe; and inſtruct him how to avoid thoſe errors which Men are apt to fall into, or to correct them if he hath been miſled and run into them; and to make him underſtand when good advice is given him, nay, to be able to give it unto others.
3. To receive the inſtruction of wiſedom, juſtice, and judgment, and equity;
3. For they will furniſh him with the moſt excellent notions, and make him capable to underſtand things of higheſt concernment: both how to be juſt and good in all private tranſactions; and in publick truſts and offices to judge and act according to right and equity; and every other way, to be upright and exactly vertuous.
4. To give ſubtilty to the ſimple, to the young man knowledg and diſcretion.
4. The moſt unskilfull and incautious perſons, may here learn to be circumſpect and wary; and they who are childiſh and inconſiderate get ſo much knowledge, as to behave themſelves with prudence and diſcretion.
5. A wiſe man will hear, and will increaſe learning: and a man of underſtanding ſhall attain unto wiſe counſels:
5. As for him that is wiſe already, he will not loſe his labour in reading this Book; which will make him ſtill wiſer. And indeed it is principally deſigned for the improvement of him that is ſo wiſe, as to be willing to learn more: who ſhall both gain a clearer knowledge of what he underſtands; and alſo make ſuch additions, that he ſhall be fit to be a counſellor to Kings, and govern the affairs of State in the greateſt Kingdoms.
6. To underſtand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wiſe, and their dark ſayings.
6. He ſhall comprehend the moſt uſefull Maxims; and be able to expreſs them alſo with the greateſt elegance: the weightieſt ſayings of wiſe men ſhall be eaſy to him; and their abſtruſeſt notions ſhall not be hidden from him.
7. ¶ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools deſpiſe wiſedom and inſtruction.
7. ¶ In the firſt place then, let all both ſimple and wiſe, look upon an awfull ſenſe of God, a devout affection to Him, and fear to offend Him as the chiefeſt point, and the very foundation of all Wiſedom: Without which men are but Fools; and, having no regard to their Creator, will deſpiſe the wiſeſt Inſtructions that I can give them. See Arg. [a]
8. My ſon, hear the inſtruction of thy father, and forſake not the law of thy mother:
8. And next to God let me adviſe thee, my Son (or whoever thou art that comeſt to learn of me in this Book) to reverence thy Parents. And not onelyonly to hearken unto thy Father, when he teaches thee to fear God, or tells thee that thou doſt amiſs; but to let thy Mother's commands be a Law to thee; eſpecially when ſhe bids thee obſerve the Directions of thy Tutors and publick Inſtructors, unto whom ſhe commits thee: from which be ſure never to depart. See Arg. [b]
9. For they ſhall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
9. But value their counſels more than the faireſt ornaments thy Parents can put upon thy head; or the moſt precious chains wherewith they can adorn thy neck: for they ſhall add a far greater grace unto thee; and make thee more acceptable both with God, and with all worthy men.
10. ¶ My ſon, if ſinners entice thee, conſent thou not.
10. ¶ There will be thoſe who will make it their buſineſs to ſeduce thee from their obedience; but remember, my Son, that none can love thee ſo well as they: and therefore if leud perſons (who have no reſpect to God, or to their pious Parents and Inſtructors,) perſwade thee to bear them company, by no means yield to their greateſt importunities; but flee their ſociety. See Arg. [c]
11. If they ſay, Come with us, let us lay wait for bloud, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cauſe.
11. They may repreſent perhaps what advantage it will be to thee, to joyn with them in the breach of the very next Commandment to that, of honouring thy Father and thy Mother: ſaying, come along with us to our lurking places, where no body can ſee us; and from thence ſet upon a wealthy Traveller, who is to go that way, and take away his life: what though he be innocent, we ſhall the more eaſily diſpatch him, when he ſuſpects no danger and hath given us no provocation.
12. Let us ſwallow them up alive, as the grave, and whole, as thoſe who go down into the pit:
12. And though he ſhould have many Servants or Companions with him to defend him, let not that affright thee; for we are enow of us to kill them all with eaſe and in a moment, or to ſtrangle them and bury them alive: ſo that none ſhall eſcape to tell any tales; nor ſhall they make any noiſe; nay, it ſhall not be known what is become of them.
13. We ſhall find all precious ſubſtance, we ſhall fill our houſes with ſpoil:
13. The booty ſhall be great; for we are ſure to find vaſt treaſures, and all manner of precious things: enough to inrich us all, and furniſh our Houſes bravely; that we may live ſplendidly all our days.
14. Caſt in thy lot among us, let us all have one purſe:
14. Come in for a ſhare of it; and thou ſhalt have as much of it as we, who have been longer at the trade: for we live like Friends, among whom all things are common; there is but one purſe among us all, in which every one hath an equal intereſt.
15. My ſon, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path.
15. But, My Son (or whoever thou art that wilt learn of me) let them not prevail with thee, to go along with them; or to betake thy ſelf to ſuch a courſe of life: but if thou findeſt an inclination to it, ſtop it preſently; and ſtir not one ſtep in their company, or after their example.
16. For their feet run to evil, and make haſte to ſhed bloud.
16. For it is not one ſingle murther (or robbery) in which they will ingage thee (though the guilt of that is too horrid to venture upon) but they will be always hurrying thee to ſome new miſchief or other: and as ſoon as one miſchief is over, they will be ready for, and make haſte to commit another.
17. Surely in vain the net is ſpread in the ſight of any bird.
17. Flee from their ſociety therefore, now that I have given thee this warning: and be not ſo fooliſh and incautious as the ſilly Birds; who uſe to run into the ſnare or the net, which they ſee the Fowler lay before their eyes. (VII. 23.)
18. And they lay wait for their own bloud, they lurk privily for their own lives.
18. For as he doth not lay his net in vain, but they are caught therein, ſo aſſure thy ſelf theſe men are ſetting a trap for themſelves, when they lie in wait to take away the lives of others: for they ſhall not always eſcape the hand of Juſtice; but at laſt be taken and ſuffer, either by a ſpecial vengeance of God, or by his Miniſters, what they have deſerved.
19. So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain: which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
19. Such is the fate of him that greedily indeavours to inrich himſelf by ſuch wicked means. As the Bird inticed by a little chaff falls into a ſnare, which it doth not perceive; ſo he on a ſudden loſes his life, to ſatisfy a vain deſire of worldly pelf, which then he cannot enjoy.
20. ¶ Wiſedom crieth without, ſhe uttereth her voice in the ſtreets.
20. ¶ Let me adviſe you therefore rather to hearken to the manifold inſtructions of Wiſedom; whoſe moſt excellent counſels you cannot but be as well acquainted withall, as you are with that which is proclaimed in the open ſtreets: For you hear them in the plain dictates of your own Conſciences, in the Laws of God, in the Mouth of his Prophets and Miniſters, in the Admonitions and Examples of good Men, and in the Courſe of his Providence and wiſe Government; which call upon you more earneſtly and loudly, than theſe leud Seducers, to follow and obey them.
21. She crieth in the chief place of concourſe, in the opening of the gates: in the city ſhe uttereth her words, ſaying,
21. There is no place where this Cry of Vertue and Piety is not heard; which is not aſhamed of it ſelf, nor lurks in darkneſs, like thoſe impious Seducers, but appears openly in the midſt of the greateſt crowds; where no noiſe can drown its voice, no buſineſs, either publick or private, can thruſt by its reproofs; but ſtill it interpoſes it ſelf, and every body, even thoſe wicked Men that flee from it, hear it calling to them;
22. How long, ye ſimple ones, will ye love ſimplicity? and the ſcorners delight in their ſcorning, and fools hate knowledge?
22. And repreſenting their unaccountable folly and ſtupidity, in ſuch unanſwerable Queſtions as theſe. Is it not apparent by many examples, that ſuch men as you are deceived and abuſed with vain hopes? Why then do you continue the cheat? Have you not play'd the fool long enough, but you will ſtill act againſt your reaſon and againſt your intereſt? Where lies the pleaſure of ſcoffing at Religion and Vertue, that you will never give it over? Is any man ſo wiſe, that he needs no Monitor? Or is Ignorance ſo laudable, that a man ſhould hate thoſe who would inform him?
23. Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my ſpirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
23. Do not turn away from ſuch checks as theſe; but repent in time, and reſolve to learn your duty. It is not too late, for if you will liſten to the ſecret rebukes of your own Conſciences, and to the open reproofs of my Prophets, and follow their directions, I will plentifully communicate my mind, and infuſe the very ſenſe of it into you; It is not hard to find, nor will I conceal any thing of it, but plainly ſhew you all that I require of you.
24. ¶ Becauſe I have called, and ye refuſed, I have ſtretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
24. ¶ Which offer if you refuſe, nay, go on obſtinately to deſpiſe inſtruction, then hear the doom which God, whoſe voice Wiſedom is, paſſes upon you. Becauſe I have preſſed you often to amend, and ye would not yield to me; nay, I have been very urgent and earneſt with you (offering you my aſſiſtance, heaping upon you many benefits, and when they would doe no good, laying on corrections, as well as ſhewing you the way to happineſs) and none of you would ſo much as attend unto me:
25. But ye have ſet at naught all my counſel, and would none of my reproof:
25. But, quite contrary, ſet at naught all the good advices I gave you, as if they had been but vain and idle words; and ſlighted all my reproofs and threatnings, as if they had been ridiculous, or of no moment:
26. I alſo will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh;
26. Therefore I will repay you in your kind; and as little regard what becomes of you, in the day of your calamity (which like a diſmal Cloud I will bring upon you unavoidably) I will be utterly unconcerned, when you know not which way to turn your ſelves; but are become the ſcorn of thoſe, who ſhall ſee you quake and tremble at that, which before you would not fear at all.
27. When your fear cometh as deſolation, and your deſtruction cometh as a whirlwind; when diſtreſs and anguiſh cometh upon you.
27. Though it prove ſuch a dreadfull calamity, as will lay all waſte, it ſhall not move me to relieve you; but I will let it ſweep you and all you have away like a whirlwind: and when you fall into the moſt pinching outward diſtreſſes, and into the ſoreſt anguiſh of mind; you ſhall evidently ſee, it was my pleaſure to reduce you to thoſe inextricable ſtraits and preſſures.
28. Then ſhall they call upon me, but I will not anſwer; they ſhall ſeek me early, but they ſhall not find me:
28. For then (hearken all you that have not yet ſinned to this degree of obſtinacy) it will be very hard for theſe men not to think of me, whom before they would not regard: nay, they ſhall cry to me for help, but I will ſend them none; they ſhall ſeek my favour importunately, but without the leaſt ſucceſs.
29. For that they hated knowledge, and did not chooſe the fear of the LORD.
29. Becauſe, when time was, they hated that knowledge, of which now they are forced to be deſirous: and when they were earneſtly ſolicited to have ſome regard to God and to Religion, they would not conſent unto it:
30. They would none of my counſel: they deſpiſed all my reproof:
30. But (as was ſaid before) rejected my good Advice with ſuch diſdain, as if it had been a grievance to them; and ſlighted, nay contemned all thoſe Reproofs, whereby I would have reclaimed them from their Impiety.
31. Therefore ſhall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
31. Therefore, as it is juſt that men ſhould reap what they ſow, and eat ſuch Fruit as they plant, ſo theſe men ſhall ſuffer the puniſhments, which their wicked doings naturally produce: nay, be glutted and ſurfetted with the miſerable effects of their own counſels and contrivances.
32. For the turning away of the ſimple ſhall ſlay them, and the proſperity of fools ſhall deſtroy them.
32. For let them alone and they need no body but themſelves to deſtroy them: their eſcaping dangers, onelyonly making them more audacious to run into them; and their receiving daily additions of riches and honours, ſupplying their folly with means to haſten their undoing.
33. But whoſo hearkeneth unto me, ſhall dwell ſafely, and ſhall be quiet from fear of evil.
33. Such a vaſt difference there is between wicked and vertuous Men. For whoſo follows my Counſels, and takes the courſes to which I direct him, ſhall even then be ſafe, and poſſeſs what he hath in peace, when he ſees theſe Fools come to ruin: Nay, he ſhall not be ſo much as diſturbed with the fear of any miſchief; but reſt ſecure of a watchfull Providence over him.