Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Proverbs · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
Verſ. 1. DOth not wiſdome cry? &c.] See the Note Prov. 1.20: and understanding put forth her voice? that is, freely diſcover unto men the whole will of God. Having ſhewn in the foregoing chapter how young men are ſeduced by harlots, here he ſets forth how wiſdome doth every where inſtruct men better; & ſo hereby he proves, that neither theſe, nor conſequently any other wicked men, can plead ignorance, but that they wilfully run upon their own perditiō, becauſe they will not hearken to the inſtruction of wiſdome.
Verſ. 2. She ſtandeth in the top of high places, &c.] To wit, where ſhe may beſt be heard: by the way in the places of the paths; that is, where ſeverall waies meet together; or rather, in all places where men uſe to walk, or where they are wont to reſort & meet. The drift of the words is, to ſhew that wiſdome inſtructs men in all places whatſoever: ſee the Note chap. 1.20. But in the expreſſions here uſed there may ſeem to be an alluſion to magiſtrates, that cauſe their proclamations to be publiſhed by their heralds & other officers, ſtanding aloft above the people, & that in places of greateſt concourſe. Neither is that altogether improbable, which ſome conceive is ſignified hereby, to wit, that wiſdome doth direct men when they are in the greateſt ſtreights, not knowing what courſe to take, as travellers uſe to be, when they come to a place where ſeverall waies meet together.
Verſ. 3. She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, &c.] See the Note chap. 1.21: at the coming in at the doors; to wit, of mens private houſes: ſo that the meaning is, that wiſdome inſtructs men both in publick and private.
Verſ. 4. VntoUnto you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the ſons of man.] That is, all men whatſoever. Yet by men may be more particularly meant aged men, or men of chief rank and quality; and by the ſons of man, young or mean men.
Verſ. 5. O ye ſimple, underſtand wiſdome, and ye fools, be ye of an underſtanding heart.] This may be ſpoken to all wicked men, and that with an intention to give them to underſtand, that how wiſe ſoever they thought themſelves, yet they were indeed but ſimple fools. But ſee alſo the Notes chap. 1.4, 22.
Verſ. 6. The opening of my lips shall be right things.] See the Note Pſal. 19.8.
Verſ. 9. They are all plain to him that underſtandeth, &c.] That is, to thoſe that do with honeſt & upright hearts uſe all holy means to find out the meaning of them, & ſo thereupon God doth enlighten them, & takes away that vail of ignorance that is naturally upon the hearts of all men. It is want of underſtanding in us, & ſo of diligence in ſearching into the knowledge of them, if they ſeem dark and obſcure.
Verſ. 10. Receive my inſtruction, & not ſilver, &c.] That is, rather then ſilver, as the following clauſe explains it, & knowledge rather then choice gold. Yet withall this may imply, that unleſſe men take off their affections from an over-eager purſuit after worldly riches, they will never mind wiſdome as they ought to doe.
Verſ. 12. I wiſdome dwell with prudence, &c.] As if he ſhould have ſaid, we are never aſunder. So that this expreſſion doth imply, 1. that Chriſt hath both wiſdome & prudence eſſentially in him; & 2. that by his word & ſpirit he doth teach men prudence, & to carry themſelves prudently, that is, diſcreetly & circumſpectly, in all their waies. It may be tranſlated, I wiſdome dwell with ſubtlety, for which ſee the Note chap. 1.4. And find out knowledge of witty inventions; that is, I ſuggeſt to men all thoſe inventions whereby they contrive the effecting of any good to themſelves, whereby they may doe things cautelouſly and prudently according to the will of God, or may doe well in the beſt manner, wherein the wit as it were of religion appeareth.
Verſ. 13. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, &c.] And this is added here, becauſe the fear of the Lord is the fruit, the firſt & chief part of wiſdome; ſee the Notes chap. 1.7. & Pſal. 111.10: pride and arrogancy, which is firſt mentioned becauſe it is the root of all vices, and the evil way, that is, every ſinfull practiſe and cuſtome, and the froward mouth do I hate; ſee the Note chap. 6.12. As if it had been ſaid, And conſequently I teach others to hate them, and am the fountain from whence every good grace muſt flow into their ſouls. See the Note alſo Pſal. 45.7.
Verſ. 14. Counſell is mine, &c.] Whence it is ſaid of Chriſt Iſa. 9.6. his Name shall be called wonderfull, Counſellour: All policy that is not from Chriſt, and according to the word of God, is no better then folly: and ſound wiſdome; ſee the Note chap. 2.7. I am underſtanding, that is, I give men underſtanding, or I teach men prudently to effect what by good counſell hath been well contrived. Yet the phraſe is here changed; he ſaith not, Underſtanding is mine, but, I am underſtanding, to ſhew that underſtanding is eſſentially and perfectly in Chriſt. As for the laſt clauſe, I have ſtrength, either it may be meant 1. of that almighty power that is in Chriſt, whereby he is able to doe whatſoever he pleaſeth, and whereby he hath conquered hell and death & ſin; or 2. of that ſpirituall ſtrength, that fortitude and magnanimity & ſtrength of grace, which by the word & ſpirit of Chriſt men attain, whereby they are enabled to bear all afflictions, and to reſiſt all temptations, and to carry themſelves in all things as ſtrong Chriſtians; or 3. that divine aſſiſtance whereby they accompliſh the greateſt enterpriſes which upon due conſultation they have reſolved upon.
Verſ. 15. By me kings reign, &c.] This is aſcribed to wiſdome, 1. becauſe all government is the ordinance of Chriſt, the ſon & wiſdome of the Father; 2. becauſe by his providence they are advanced to the throne, (and that many times too for that excellent meaſure of wiſdome which he hath given them,) & by his providence they are ſupported & protected in their places; & 3. becauſe by the wiſdome which he gives them they govern the people prudently & juſtly & ſucceſſefully, & by his providence they are proſpered in their enterprizes: & princes decree juſtice; that is, they make juſt laws, and pronounce juſt ſentences, when they ſit in the judgement-ſeat. And now by all this may be alſo implyed, that if the great ones of the world have ſo much advantage from wiſdome, much more may others expect the like in their private affairs.
Veſ. 17. I love them that love me, &c.] The meaning is, that they who heartily affect wiſdome ſhall find her ready to impart her ſelf to them, according to that which followeth in the next clauſe, and they that ſeek me early shall find me. And though it be true that Chriſt loveth us before we can love him, 1 Joh. 4.19. We love him, becauſe he firſt loved us; yet it is true alſo, that when we love him, the more we love him, the more he loveth us.
Verſ. 18. Riches and honour are with me, &c.] See the Note chap. 3.16: yea, durable riches, and righteouſneſſe. And this is added, either to ſhew, that even the outward wealth & honour which wiſdome confers upon men are better then the riches & honours of worldly men, and that becauſe that which ſhe confers is ever gotten with righteouſneſſe, & is therefore durable, whenas theirs are uſually gotten by injuſtice & wickedneſſe, and ſo continue not long with them: or elſe to ſhew, that beſides outward riches and honour, he gives alſo durable riches; or that the riches and honour which he intended in the firſt clauſe, was not the riches & honour of this world, but riches which were durable, even ſpirituall & eternall riches and honours. And by righteouſneſſe, which is particularly added, may be meant either the imputed righteouſneſſe of Chriſt, or the righteouſneſſe of mens lives and converſations. Now this laſt expoſition ſeems to agree beſt with the following verſes.
Verſ. 19. My fruit is better then gold, &c.] See the Note chap. 3.14. If we underſtand this not of the gain of wiſdome, but of that which is gotten by wiſdome, then hereby may be meant the righteouſneſſe mentioned in the foregoing verſe; or more generally both remiſſion of ſins, and ſanctification, and a holy converſation here, and eternall life hereafter.
Verſ. 20. I lead, &c.] It is in the Original, I walk; but the meaning is, I cauſe men to walk: in the way of righteouſneſse, in the midſt of the paths of judgement; to wit, where there is no danger of erring, or, without turning aſide to the right hand or to the left. And the drift of this is to ſhew, either that the riches which wiſdome gives are not gotten by unrighteouſneſſe, as wicked mens are; or rather, that this is, or this brings men to, that durable riches before ſpoken of, or that fruit of wiſdome, which is better then gold, &c. as it is in the foregoing verſe.
Verſ. 21. That I may cauſe thoſe that love me to inherit ſubſtance, &c.] Some Expoſitours conceive that under this word ſubstance even worldly riches are comprehended, to wit, when they are well gotten, & ſo continue with men, & are enjoyed with contentment; which laſt they take to be implyed in thoſe laſt words, & I will fill their treaſures. But the moſt & beſt Expoſitours do by ſubſtance underſtand true happineſſe, which conſiſts in the enjoyment of God, in having our ſouls adorned with true grace here, & in the bliſſe of life eternall hereafter: and that becauſe theſe have true ſubſtance & ſolid conſiſtency in them, and ſhall be poſſeſſed by them that have them as an inheritance for ever, and fully ſatisfy the deſires of their ſouls; whereas worldly wealth (though for that men are uſually miſcalled ſubstantiall men) in true judgement is not, but only in ſhew & ſemblance, in opinion and imagination, Prov. 23.5. wilt thou ſet thine eyes upon that which is not? at leaſt ſuch things can only be reckoned amongſt mens moveables, nor can ever fill the deſires of our ſouls; it is only life eternall that deſerves to be counted our inheritance.
Verſ. 22. The Lord poſseſſed me, &c.] To wit, as his wiſdome & as his ſon, that was alwaies with and in the Father, according to that Joh. 1.1. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God: in the beginning of his way; that is, ſay ſome, of his eternall decrees; or rather, of his works of Creation, and conſequently from eternity, as the following words explain it, before his works of old; ſee the Note Pſal. 93.2: for he that was in the beginning of the creation, muſt needs have had a being before, and that muſt needs be an eternall being.
Verſ. 23. I was ſet up from everlaſting, &c.] That is, ſay ſome Expoſitours, I was appointed to be the Mediatour, the anointed king of his Church; or rather, I was with and in the Father, of equall majeſty and power with him, and by me he appointed to make and govern all his creatures: from the beginning, or ever the earth was; to wit, ſo much as in the Chaos, when it was yet without form and void, Gen. 1.2.
Verſ. 24. When there were no depths, &c.] To wit, of water; no ſeas, lakes or rivers; ſee the Note chap. 3.20: I was brought forth; that is, I was from all eternity begotten of my Father: for the wiſdome of the Father ſpeaks here of himſelf after the manner of men.
Verſ. 26. While as yet he had not made the earth, &c.] That is, He had not yet ſeparated the waters from it, & compacted it into a ſolid body, and made it dry land, that it might be habitable for man & beaſts; ſee the Note Gen. 1.9: and thence are thoſe following words added, nor the fields, that is, he had not yet adorned and furniſhed the earth with graſſe & herbs and plants & trees; nor the higheſt part of the duſt of the world, that is, thoſe parts of the earth which are above the water, the dry land, that admirable ſuperficies of the whole earth, which is now ſo goodly to behold. Yea hereby may be implyed, that there was not yet ſo much as a little duſt made. I know that becauſe thoſe words in the Original, which we tranſlate the fields, may be render'd the open places, therefore ſome conceive that thereby is meant the air, or the whole ſuperficies of the continent, ſo far as it may be ſeen by the eye of man, or the plains & champian countries, as oppoſed to the mountains and hils mentioned in the foregoing verſe. And ſo likewiſe, becauſe thoſe laſt words, nor the higheſt part, &c. may be read, nor the chief part of the duſt of the world, therefore ſome underſtand thereby the habitable part of the world, or the moſt commodious, goodly and delightfull parts of the earth. But the former expoſition ſeems to me the cleareſt.
Verſ. 27. When he prepared the heavens, I was there, &c.] To wit, as an agent and fellow-worker with the Father: when he ſet a compaſſe (or, a circle) upon the face of the depth; that is, when he reduced the immenſe depth of the earth and water into a perfect globe, making it exactly round, as if it had been meaſured with a pair of compaſſes.
Verſ. 28. When he eſtablished the clouds above, &c.] That is, When he cauſed them to abide in the firmament, notwithſtanding they are full of water, which one would think might make them break in pieces at all times, and fall down to the earth; ſee the Note Job 26.8: when he ſtrengthened the fountains of the deep; that is, when he gave power to the ſprings & fountains, that come originally from the ſea, or however out of the deep places of the earth, to yield continually, without being ever drawn dry, abundance of waters, which run in their ſeverall channels with mighty ſtrength & violence; whence is that expreſſion of the Prophet Iſa. 8.7. the waters of the river ſtrong and many.
Verſ. 29. When he gave to the ſea his decree, that the waters should not paſse his commandement.] See the Note Job 26.10.
Verſ. 30. Then I was by him, as one brought up with him, & I was daily his delight, rejoycing alwaies before him.] The Son of God, the wiſdome of the Father, applying himſelf to our capacity, doth here compare himſelf to a child that precious in the eyes of thoſe that bring him up, to a nurſling ſmiling upon his nurſe, or to a little child ſporting and playing before his father; & that to ſet forth 1. the mutuall delight and complacency which the Father & the Son took in each other from all eternity, & the great delight which they joyntly took in the excellency of the work of wiſdome, to wit, the creation, as likewiſe his wiſe ordering of all the creatures that he had made; and 2. more particularly, the delight which the Father took in his Son, in whom he was alwaies well pleaſed, & in whom he reioyced more then in the works that were made by him, which is expreſſed in that clauſe, and I was daily his delight.
Verſ. 31. Rejoycing in the habitable part of his earth, &c.] To wit, as ſome ſay, in that the wiſdome of God made it with eaſe, & without any toil & labour; or rather, as taking pleaſure in the excellency of the work, as likewiſe afterwards in the governing of it by his providence, & in doing good unto all the creatures therein. And my delights were with the ſons of men; to wit, firſt, in that he delighted in man as the maſter-piece of the whole work of creation, for whom the whole world was made, & who himſelf was made after the image of God, & ſo only capable both of obſerving the works of wiſdome, & of being inſtructed in the waies of wiſdome: and 2. in that he loved them dearly, & ſo accordingly delighted in them, as 1. to be with …; whence it was that he often appeared to the patriarchs & prophets, and at laſt, when the fulneſſe of time was come, took upon him mans nature, and dwelt amongſt them, & as the ſon of man converſed familiarly with them, & doth ſtill, where his Church is, dwell amongſt them by the preſence of his grace in his Ordinances, and by his ſpirit in their hearts; & 2. to teach and inſtruct them; and 3. to doe all the good that might be done for them, to redeem them, to reconcile them to his Father, to ſanctify them, to watch over them for good here, and then at laſt to bring them to live for ever with him in his kingdome of glory.
Verſ. 34. Bleſſed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.] That is, that ſeeketh me with all diligence and conſtancy. In the words there ſeems to be an alluſion to ſuiters or clients, that will be betimes at the doors of princes & great men, and will wait there day after day, till they get that which they wait for; or to Scholars, that will be ſo early at ſchool, that they are fain to ſtand waiting when they come thither, till the doors be open; or to young men that wait at the doors of their miſtreſſes; or to thoſe that reſorted diligently to their Synagogues that they might hear the Word.