The Book of Proverbs Paraphrased, Part 1 · Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
ARGUMENT.
The attention of thoſe that reade this Book being beſpoke in the foregoing Chapter, He perſwades them not onelyonly to reade but to receive and obey theſe good Counſels; by repreſenting the benefits of being wiſe, that is, good and vertuous; and the miſchiefs a man ſhall thereby avoid. The chief is, that he is ſure to be under the guidance and bleſſing of God; who will impart more and more of himſelf to thoſe that ſtudy Wiſedom; which is the ſcope of the former part of this Chapter: and as on the contrary, if he do not order his ways by the rules of Wiſedom he is ſure to wander moſt dangerouſly, ſo if he keep cloſe to them they will preſerve him from utter ruin; which is the deſign of the latter part of it. Where under the figure of an Adulterous Woman, v. 16. ſome think he perſwades us to ſhun all thoſe [a] Doctrines which draw away the mind from God; ſuch as thoſe of the Epicuraeans and Idolaters. But I take this to be intimated before v. 12. and therefore underſtand him literally: and then he ſeems to give a caution, againſt the breach of the next Commandment to that mentioned in the firſt Chapter, v. 10, 11. where he charges his Son by no means to conſent to joyn with Murthethers; and here to ſhun Fornication and Adultery, which alienate the mind quite from Wiſedom, v. 16, 17, &c.
This therefore is one of the firſt things Wiſedom directs us unto, and a principal benefit we receive by it; to preſerve our Underſtandings from being corrupted, by keeping our Bodies pure and undefiled. For too many, giving up themſelves to fleſhly Luſts, are thereby wholy perverted, and never recover themſelves: but live and die like Fools.
And one of the next points of Wiſedom is, [b] to be taught by the dear bought experience of others; who have been ruined Body and Soul, by thoſe leud Courſes to which we are inticed. And here the wiſe Man leads us back as far as the Old World: which was wholy deſtroyed by ſuch vilanies as mens brutiſh Luſts and Paſſions carry them to commit. This ſeems to be implied in the word Rephaim, v. 18. (concerning which ſee Mr. Mede, p. 42.) who being abominably debauched themſelves, had corrupted the reſt of the World: ſo that there was no way left to purge it, but by extirpating the whole race of Mankind; except the Family of Noah.
In ſhort, here are both Promiſes and Threatnings to excite us to the ſtudy of Wiſedom; together with good Directions to make our Proceedings ſucceſsfull: which are principally theſe. Firſt, our own diligence; ſecondly, dependence upon God for help and aſſiſtance; thirdly, a due value of that which we ſeek; fourthly, avoiding ſuch things as will plainly ſeduce us; and laſtly, putting in practice what we know, that we may know more: for want of which many learned Men have proved worſe than the moſt ignorant. Moſt of theſe are the ſenſe of the beginning of the Chapter; and the laſt of them is the ſenſe of v. 10, 11.
[c] There are thoſe who look upon v. 4. as a Proverbial Saying, borrowed from thoſe that dig in Mines: the former part of it expreſſing eager deſire and great diligence; and the latter invincible reſolution and conſtant perſeverance, notwithſtanding thoſe difficulties that occur to diſcourage our labour. Both which I have taken notice of in the Paraphraſe; though I ſee nothing Proverbial in it, more than in many other ſimilitudes.
[d] I do not know whether I need obſerve (it is ſo eaſy) that the phraſe we meet withall v. 19. go unto her, is a modeſt expreſſion; uſed frequently in the holy Books: as may be ſeen very often in one Chapter XXXVIII. Gen. 2, 8, 9, 16, 18.
1. MY Son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
1. AND now, My Son, whoſe happineſs I moſt heartily deſire, let me tell thee for thy further incouragement; that if thou doſt entertain theſe Exhortations, which I have now given thee; and keep theſe Precepts in remembrance, for the ſame end that Corn is ſown and covered in the ground.
2. So that thou incline thine ear unto wiſedom, and apply thy heart to underſtanding:
2. Liſſening with diligent attention, not to the inticements of ſuch evil Men as I have deſcribed but, to the counſels and inſtructions of Wiſedom; with ſincere affection applying thy mind to underſtand thy duty:
3. Yea, if thou crieſt after knowledge, and lifteſt up thy voice for underſtanding:
3. And moreover, if thou expreſſeſt ſuch a deſire of it, as men do of that which they moſt need; and without which they are in danger to periſh: praying thoſe that are able to inform thee; and beſeeching God likewiſe with ardent devotion, that He would bring thee acquainted with it:
4. If thou ſeekeſt her as ſilver, and ſearcheſt for her, as for hid treaſures:
4. If thou doſt value this Wiſedom above the greateſt Treaſures, and ſhew thy eſteem of it by ſtudious ſeeking for it, as covetous Men do for money: laying hold upon all occaſions of profiting in knowledge, and purſuing thy advantages (as they do) when thou meeteſt with them; not giving over thy labour preſently, if thou findeſt not what thou deſireſt; but enquiring ſtill, and ſparing no pains to know what the will of the Lord is: See Arg. [c]
5. Then ſhalt thou underſtand the fear of the LORD; and find the knowledge of God.
5. Then thou ſhalt not fail to underſtand what it is to be truly religious; and that there is no Wiſedom comparable to it: and ſhalt find alſo what reaſon there is to reverence, worſhip and ſolicitouſly obey Him, who is the Almighty Creator, Governour, and Judge of all the World.
6. For the LORD giveth wiſedom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and underſtanding.
6. For as Wiſedom, no leſs than all other good things is the gift of the Lord (without whom all our pains and ſtudy about it will be ineffectual) ſo there is no doubt He will beſtow it on thoſe who eſteem it above all worldly goods; eſpecially this moſt neceſſary part of it: which He hath already imparted to us by his Prophets and Men inſpired; who have given us a true knowledge and underſtanding of Him.
7. He layeth up ſound wiſedom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
7. And have aſſured us, that he hath ſolid and durable Bleſſings (tranſcending all the tranſitory things of this life) reſerved in ſtore for upright Men: and will protect all thoſe by his Almighty Providence, whoſe care it is to perform and complete obedience to Him in all things.
8. He keepeth the paths of judgement, and preſerveth the way of his ſaints.
8. That ſo he may preſerve them in their integrity; and incourage them neither to ſwerve from the rules of Juſtice, nor to ceaſe to exerciſe Mercy and Kindneſs: For he hath a great favour to ſuch pious Perſons; and will be their keeper and defender in ſuch proceedings.
9. Then ſhalt thou underſtand righteouſneſs, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.
9. By which thou ſhalt underſtand that Juſtice and Mercy in thy private dealings, and faithfull diſcharge of thy truſt in all publick Offices, and uprightneſs in every other Vertue; are all of them the beſt, the moſt plain, eaſy, and natural way a man can take to be happy.
10. ¶ When wiſedom entreth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleaſant unto thy ſoul;
10. ¶ And when Wiſedom hath thus taken poſſeſſion of thy very heart and affections; and thou findeſt an inward pleaſure and ſatiſfaction, by obſerving the rules of Piety and all manner of Vertue.
11. Diſcretion ſhall preſerve thee, underſtanding ſhal keep thee:
11. This alone will be a ſufficient ſecurity to thee, and make thee unwilling to depart from them. For thy own experience will teach thee that it is the greateſt cunning to go in thoſe plain and open ways; and that no men underſtand their own intereſt ſo well, as they that cannot be perſwaded by any means to forſake them.
12. To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that ſpeaketh froward things.
12. Though otherwiſe thou mighteſt be ſeduced into a wrong courſe, yet this will deliver thee from that danger; and not ſuffer thee to be perverted by the mouth of him, that would ſubtilly inſinuate his leud Principles into thee.
13. Who leave the paths of uprightneſs, to walk in the ways of darkneſs:
13. Though thou ſhouldſt be aſſaulted by many of them, thou ſhalt eaſily diſcover their folly; in leaving the ſtreight, plain and even paths of Vertue, to walk blindly they know not whither in the perplexed ways of Vice and Wickedneſs:
14. Who rejoyce to doe evil, and delight in the frowardneſs of the wicked.
14. Being ſo mad as to rejoyce when they have done any miſchief; and having no higher pleaſure than to pervert others, and make them as bad as themſelves:
15. Whoſe ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths.
15. That is, to draw them aſide, and intangle them in intricate ways, directly croſs to their own intereſt, ſafety, and pleaſure; for the whole courſe of their life is nothing elſe, but a ſhamefull contradiction to their ſobereſt Reaſon and beſt Underſtanding.
16. To deliver thee from the ſtrange woman even from the ſtranger which flattereth with her words:
16. But ſuch is that ſweet ſatisfaction which (as I ſaid v. 10, 11.) thou wilt find in the affectionate love of true Wiſedom, that it will deliver thee, not onelyonly from the Snares of wicked Men; but, which is more dangerous, of a naughty Woman: whoſe company (though ſo pernitious that God would have thee perfectly eſtranged from her, as if ſhe were not of the Commonwealth of Iſrael, yet) hath powerfull charms in it, to flatter thee into her embraces. See Argument [a]
17. Which forſaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.
17. Above all other, from that filthy Adultereſs, who is ſo leud as to leave her Huſband (though a worthy and perhaps noble Perſon) to whom ſhe was joyned in her youth, when love is in its greateſt warmth, and took him for her Guide and Governour: but hath wickedly broken the Laws of God, and violated the ſolemn vow of fidelity to him, which ſhe made when they were married.
18. For her houſe inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.
18. The leaſt degree of of that diſcretion which Wiſedom infuſes, will teach thee to avoid her Society, who loves no body, now that ſhe hath forſaken him that had her firſt affection; but ſeeks the ruin of all that go to her Houſe: where, by one means or other, they are in danger to meet with their Grave, and be ſent to keep company with thoſe old Gyants; who corrupted Mankind with ſuch filthineſs and violence, that they brought a deluge upon the Earth. (VI. Gen. 4, 5, 11.) See Arg. [b]
19. None that go unto her, return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.
19. And this is very remarkable, that it is rarely ſeen that any body who is drawn into her impure embraces, ever gets out again: but ſhe holds them all ſo faſt by her inchantments, and they are ſo blinded and bewildred by her arts; that, like Men who have quite loſt their way in a ſtrange Country, they ſeldom or never can hit into it, and recover themſelves, to a vertuous way of living. See Argument [d]
20. That thou mayeſt walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.
20. In which the ſincere love of Wiſedom (v. 11, 12, &c.) will ſo ſecure thee; that eſcaping her ſnares, as well as thoſe of wicked Men, thou mayſt imitate thoſe excellent Perſons the Patriarchs and Prophets; and be preſerved in the paths of thoſe righteous Men, who followed after them.
21. For the upright ſhall dwell in the land, and the perfect ſhall remain in it.
21. Which is as much as to ſay, that thou mayſt be perfectly happy: for men of integrity (according to God's promiſe XI. Deut. 8, 9, 21.) ſhall peaceably enjoy this good Land which God hath given us; and they that ſtudy ſincerely to pleaſe Him in all things, ſhall leave it in poſſeſſion to their Poſterity after them.
22. But the wicked ſhall be cut off from the earth, and the tranſgreſſours ſhall be rooted out of it.
22. But ſuch impious Men, as I ſpoke of (according to what God himſelf hath alſo denounced XI. Deut. 17. and other places) ſhall be cut down from the Earth; where they may flouriſh, like a Tree, for a time: nay, they that give themſelves up to doe wickedly, and keep no faith with God nor Man, ſhall be pluckt up, like a Tree, by the very roots, and leave none to preſerve their memory behind them.