Commentary on Prov Ecc SoS Isa Jer Lam Eze Dan, Ecclesiastes · Chapter 7

Commentary on Prov Ecc SoS Isa Jer Lam Eze Dan · Ecclesiastes · Chapter 7

p. 257CHAP. VII. Verſ. 1. A good name is better than precious ointment.

YEa, than great riches, Prov. 22.1. See the Note. The initial letter of the Hebrew word for Good here, is bigger than ordinary;& Majuſculum. to ſhew the more than ordinary excellency of a good name and fame amongſt men. If whatſoever David doth doth pleaſe the people,Rom. 1.2Rom 1:2 if Mary Magdalens coſt upon Chriſt bee well ſpoken of in all the Churches, if the Romans Faith bee famous throughout the whole world, if Demetrius have a good report of all good men, and St. John ſet his ſeal to it: this muſt needs bee better than precious ointments; the one being but a perfume of the noſtrils, the other of the heart: Sweet ointment, olfactum afficit, ſpiritum reficit, cerebrum juvat, affects the ſmell, refreſheth the ſpirit, comforts the brain: A good name doth all this and more. For,

Firſt, As a fragrant ſcent, it affects the ſoul, amidſt the ſtench of evil page missing p. 260courſes and companies: It is as a freſh gale of ſweet air to him that lives (as Noah did) among ſuch as are no better than walking dunghills, and living ſepulchres of themſelves, ſtinking much more worſe than Lazarus did, after hee had lain four daies in the grave. A good name preſerveth the ſoul as a Pomander, and refreſheth it more than musk or civil doth the body.

Secondly, It comforts the conſcience, and exhilatates the heart; cheers up the mind amidſt all diſcouragements, and fatteth the bones, Prov. 15.30. doing a man good, like a medicine. And whereas ſweet ointments may bee corrupted by dead flies, a good name, proceeding from a good conſcience, cannot bee ſo. Fly blown it may bee for a ſeaſon, and ſomewhat obſcured: but as the Moon wades out of a cloud, ſo ſhall the Saints innocency break forth as the light, and their righteouſneſs as the noon-day, Pſal. 37.6. Buried it may beee in the open ſepulchres of evil throats, but it ſhall ſurely riſe again: A Reſurrection there ſhall bee of names, as well as of bodies at the laſt day, at utmoſt. But uſually a good name comforts a Chriſtian at his death, and continues after it. For though the name of the wicked ſhall rot, his lamp ſhall bee put out in obſcurity, and leave a vile ſnuff behinde it, yet the righteous ſhall bee had in everlaſting remembrance, they ſhall leave their names for a bleſſing, Iſa. 65.15.

And the day of death, than the day of ones birth] The Greeks call a mans birth-day, foreign, the beginning of his Nativity, they call the begetting of his miſery. Man that is born of a woman, is born to trouble, ſaith Job, chap. 14.1. The word there rendred Born, ſignifieth alſo generated or conceived: to note that man is miſerable, even ſo ſoon as hee is warm in the womb, as David hath it, Pſal. 51.5. If hee lives to ſee the light, hee comes crying into the world,Ad Marc. cap. 11.Mark 11 a flet is vitam anſpicatur, ſaith Seneca: Inſomuch as the Lawyers defined … by crying, and a ſtill-born childe is all one as dead in Law. OnelyOnly Zo…ſta… is ſaid to have been born laughing; but that laughter was both monſtrous and ominous.Juſtin. lib. 1. For hee firſt found out the black Art, which yet profited him not ſo far as to the vain felicity of this preſent life. For being King) of the Bactrians, hee was overcome and ſlain in battel by Ninus King of the Aſſyrians. St. Auſtin, who relates this ſtory, ſaith of mans firſt entrance into the world, Nondum loquitur, & tamen prophetat, Ere ever a childe ſpeaks, hee propheſies, by his tears, of his enſuing ſorrows. Nec prius natus, quam damnat no, No ſooner is hee born, but hee is condemned to the Mines or Gallies as it were of ſin and ſuffering. Hence Solomon here prefers his Coffin before his Cradle. And there was ſome truth in that ſaying of the Heathen, Optimum eſt non naſci, proximum quam celorrime mori. For wicked men it had been beſt not to have been born, or being born, to dye quickly; ſith by living long they heap up firſt ſin, and then wrath againſt the day of wrath. As for good men, there is no doubt but the day of death is beſt to them, becauſe it is the day-break of Eternal Righteouſneſs: and after a ſhort brightneſs, as that Martyr ſaid, gives them, Malorum ademptionem, bonorum ademptionem, freedome from all evil, fruition of all good. Hence the antient Fathers called thoſe daies wherein the Martyrs ſuffered, their birth-daies; becauſe then they began to live indeed: ſith here to live is but to lye a dying. Eternal life is the onelyonly true life, ſaith Auſtin.

Verſ. 2. It is better to go to the houſe of mourning] To the terming-houſe (as they term it) where a dead corps is laid forth for burial, and in that reſpect weeping and wailing,foreign. which is one of the dues of the dead, whoſe bodies are ſown in corruption, and watered uſually with tears. It is better therefore to ſort with ſuch, to mingle with mourners, to follow the Herſe, to weep with thoſe that weep, to viſit the heavy-hearted (this being a ſpecial means of mortification) than to go to the houſe of feaſting, where is nothing but joy and jollity, ſlaying Oxen, and killing Sheep, eating Fleſh, and drinking Wine, yea therefore eating and drinking, becauſe to morrow they ſhall dye. Ede, Sardanapali vox belluina.bibe, lude, poſt mortem nulla voluptas. What good can bee gotten amongſt ſuch ſwiniſh Epicures? What ſound remedy againſt lifes vanity? It p. 261is far better therefore to go to the houſe of mourning, where a man may bee moved with compaſſion, with compunction, with due and deep conſideration of his doleful and dying condition; where hee may hear dead Abel by a dumb eloquence preaching and preſſing this neceſſary, but much neglected leſſon, that this is the end of all men, and the living ſhould lay it to heart, or (as the Hebrew hath it) lay it upon his heart, work it upon his affections, inditurus eſt illud animo ſuo, ſo Tremelius renders it, hee will ſo minde it,Job 30.33 Pſal. 39.4, 5Job 30:33Ps 39:4Ps 39:5 as to make his beſt uſe of it, ſo as to ſay with Job, I know that thou wilt bring mee unto death. And with David, Behold, thou haſt made my daies as a ſpan, &c. And as Moſes, who when hee ſaw the peoples carkaſſes fall ſo faſt in the wilderneſs, Lord teach us, ſaid hee, ſo to number our daies, Pſal. 90.12Ps 90:12as to cauſe our hearts (of themſelves never a whit willing) to come to wiſdome.

Verſ. 3. Sorrow is better than laughter] Here (as likewiſe in the two former verſes) is a collation, and praelation, Sorrow or indignation conceived for ſin, is better than laughter, i. e. carnal and prophane mitth. This is foreign, as Nazianzen ſpeaks in another caſe, a Paradox to the world, but ſuch as may ſooner and better bee proved than thoſe Paradoxes of the antient Stoicks. The world is a perfect ſtranger to the truth of this ſacred poſition, as being all ſet upon the merry Pin, and having ſo far baniſhed ſadneſs, as that they are no leſs enemies to ſeriouſneſs, than the old Romans were to the name of the Tarquins. Theſe Philiſtins cannot ſee how out of this Eater can come Meat, and out of this Strong, Sweet; how any man ſhould reaſonably perſwade them to turn their laughter into mourning, and joy into heavineſs, James 4.9. A pound of grief, ſay they, will not pay an ounce of debt, a little mirth is worth a great deal of ſorrow; there is nothing better than for a man to eat and drink, and laugh himſelf fat: Spiritus Calvinianus, Spiritus Melancholicus (a Popiſh Proverb) to bee preciſe and godly, is to bid adue to all mirth and jollity, and to ſpend his daies in heavineſs and horrour. This is the judgement of the mad world, ever beſide it ſelf in point of Salvation. But what ſaith our Preacher, who had the experience of both, and could beſt tell? Sorrow is better, for it makes the heart better; It betters the better part; and is therefore compared to fire, that purgeth out the droſs of ſin, to water, that waſheth out the dreggs of ſin, yea, to eye-water, ſharp, but ſoveraign. By waſhing in theſe troubled waters, the conſcience is cured, and Gods Naamans cleanſed. By feeding upon this bitter-ſweet root, Gods penitentiaries are fenced againſt the temptations of Satan, the corruption of their own hearts, and the allurements of this preſent evil world. Theſe tears drive away the Devil much better than Holy-water, as they called it; they quench Hell flames, and as April ſhowers, they bring on a man the May-flowers, both of grace, 1 Pet. 5.5. and of glory, Jer. 4.14. What an ill match therefore make our Mirth-mongers, that purchaſe laughter many times with ſhame, loſs, miſery, beggery, rottenneſs of body, diſtreſs, damnation, that hunt after it to Hell, and light a candle at the Devil for lightſomeneſs of heart, by haunting Ale-houſes, Brothel-houſes, conventicles of good fellowſhip, ſinful and unſeaſonable ſports, and other vain fooleries, in the froth whereof is bred and fed that worm that never dies? A man is neareſt danger, when hee is moſt merry, ſaid Mr. Greenham. And, God caſt not man out of Paradiſe, (ſaith another Reverend Man) that hee might here build him another; but that, as that bird of Paradiſe, hee might alwaies bee upon the wing, and if at any time taken, never leave groaning and grieving till hee bee delivered. This will bring him a Paradiſe of ſweeteſt peace, and make much for the lengthening of his tranquillity and conſolation, Dan. 4.27. Oh how ſweet a thing is it, at the feet of Jeſus, to ſtand weeping, to water them with tears, to dry them with ſighs, and to kiſs them with our mouths! OnelyOnly thoſe that have made their eyes a fountain to waſh Chriſts feet in, may look to have Chriſts heart a fountain to bathe their ſouls in.

Verſ. 4. The heart of the wiſe is in the houſe of mourning] Hee gladly makes uſe of all good means of minding his mortality; and holds it an high point p. 260of heavenly wiſdome, ſo to do. Hence hee frequents funerals, mingles with mourners,Monimenta quaſi mentem momentia. hears etiam muta clamare cadavera, makes every tomb a teacher, every Monument a Monitor, laies him down in his bed, as in his grave, looks upon his ſheets, as his winding-ſheet. Ut ſomnus mortis, ſic lectus imago ſepulchri. If hee hears but the clock ſtrike, ſees the glaſs run out, it is as a Death-head to preach Momento mori to him; hee remembers the daies of darkneſs, as Solomon bids, Eccleſ. 11.8. acts death aforehand, takes up many ſad and ſerious thoughts of it, and makes it his continual practice ſo to do, as Job and David did. The wiſer Jews digged their graves long before, as that old Prophet, 1 King. 13.30. Joſeph of Arimathea had his in his garden, to ſeaſon his delights. John Patriarch of Alexandria, (ſirnamed Eleemoſynarius for his bounty to the poor) having his tomb in building, gave his people charge it ſhould bee left unfiniſhed, and that every day one ſhould put him in minde to perfect it, that hee might remember his mortality. The Chriſtians in ſome part of the Primitive Church, took the Sacrament every day, becauſe they looked to dye every day. Auſtin would not for the gain of a million of worlds bee an Atheiſt for half an hour,Quid hic facio? Aug. Deſcript. of the Iſle of Man abbridg. Ariſt. becauſe hee had no certainty of his life for ſo ſhort a time. His Mother Monica was heard oft to ſay, How is it that I am here ſtill? The women of the Iſle of Man (ſaith Speed) whenſoever they go out of their doors, gird themſelves about with the winding ſheet that they purpoſe to bee buried in, to ſhew themſelves mindful of their mortality. The Philoſopher affirms, that man is therefore the wiſeſt of creatures, becauſe hee alone can number. Bruta non numerant: this is an eſſential difference;Pſal. 90.12Ps 90:12 but eſpecially in that divine Arithmetick of ſo numbring his daies, as to apply his heart to wiſdome. This ſpeaks him wiſe indeed, right in his judgement, right alſo in his affections: This will render him right in his practice too;Pauperes de Lugduno. as it did Waldus the Merchant of Lions; who ſeeing one ſuddenly fall down dead before him, became a new man, and chief of thoſe old Proteſtants, the poor men of Lions, called alſo Waldenſes from this Waldus.

Prov.But the heart of fools is in the houſe of mirth] See the Note one verſe 3. As the heart of the wicked is light, and little worth, ſo it is their trade to hunt after lying vanities (as the childe doth after Butter-flies) to rejoyce in a thing of nothing, Amos 6.13. hee wilders away his time, either in weaving ſpiders webs, or hatching Cockatrice eggs, Iſa. 59.5. froth or filth (foreign, Mark 7.22.) is their recreation. Sad and ſerious thoughts they baniſh; and therefore love not to bee alone. They hate to hear of that terrible word Death: as Lewis the eleventh of France commanded his ſervants not once to mention it to him, though hee lay upon his death-bed. They live and laugh, as if they were out of the reach of Gods Rod, or as if their lives were rivetted upon eternity. They can ſee death in other mens brows and viſages, not feel it in their own bowels and boſomes. When they behold any laid in their graves, they can ſhake their heads and ſay, This is it wee muſt all come to; but after a while all is forgotten: As water ſtirred with a ſtone caſt in to it, hath circle upon circle on the ſurface for preſent, but by and by all is ſmooth as before. As chickens in a ſtorm haſte to bee under the Hens wing; but, when that is a little over, they lye duſting themſelves again in the ſunſhine: So it is here. Good thoughts fall upon evil hearts, as ſparks upon wet tinder: or if they kindle there, fools bring their buckets to quench them, run into merry company to drink, or otherwiſe drive away thoſe troubleſome heart-qualms and melancholy dumps (as they call them.) This is to excel in madneſs, &c. See the Note on Prov. 10.23.

Verſ. 5. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wiſe] Sharp truth takes better with an honeſt heart, than a ſmooth ſupparaſitation. Seneca compares flattery to a ſong or ſymphony: but it is a Syrens ſong, and our ears muſt bee ſtopt to it: for like the poiſon of Aſps, it caſts one into a ſleep, but that ſleep is deadly. Thoſe that had the Sudor Anglicus or ſweating ſickneſs, died aſſuredly, if ſuffered to ſleep: thoſe then were their beſt friends that kept them waking, though haply they had no thank for it: So are wiſe and merciful reprovers. p. 263Faithful are theſe wounds of a friend, Prov. 7.26. See the Note there. David was full glad of them, Pſal. 141.5. So was Gerſon, who never took any thing more kindly (ſaith hee that writes his life) than to bee plainly dealt with. The Bee can ſuck ſweet hony out of bitter Thyme, yea out of poiſonous Hemlock: So can a wiſe man make benefit of his friends, nay of his enemies. It is good to have friends, (as the Oratour ſaid of Judges) modo audeant quo ſentiunt, ſo they dare deal freely: this an enemy will do for ſpite; and malice, though it bee an ill Judge, yet is a good Informer. Auſtin in an Epiſtle to Hierome, approves well of him that ſaid, there is more good to bee gotten by enemies railing, than friends flattering. Theſe ſing Satans lullaby, ſuch as caſts into a dead lethargy; and ſhould therefore bee ſerved as Alexander the Great ſerved a certain Philoſopher whom hee chaſed out of his preſence, and gave this reaſon, becauſe hee had lived long with him, and never reproved any vice in him, Or as the ſame Alexander dealt by Ariſtobulus the falſe Hiſtorian, who had written a book of his Noble Acts, and had magnified them beyond truth, hoping thereby to ingratiate and curry favour: Alexander having read the book, caſt it into the River Hydaſpes, Curt.and told the Author, it were a good deed to throw him after, Qui ſolus me ſic pugnantem facis.

Verſ. 6. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot] Much noiſe, little fire; much light, little heat: So here is much mirth, little cauſe; a blaze it may yeeld, but is ſuddenly extinct; this blaze is alſo under a pot; the gallantry of it is checkt with troubles and terrours, it is inſincere many times, it is but the hypocriſie of mirth, as one calls it. It is truly and trimly here compared to a handful of bruſhwood, or ſear thorn under the pot.Apul. Ecquando vidiſti flammam ſtipula exortam, claro ſtrepitu, largo fulgere, cito incremento, ſed enim materia levi, caduco incendio, nullis reliquiis, ſaith Apuleius: a very dainty deſcription of carnal joy, and agreeable to this text.Pſal. 58.9Ps 58:9 And herewith alſo very well ſuits that of the Pſalmiſt, Before your pots can feel the thorns, hee ſhall take them away with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath: Fools themſelves are but thorns twiſted and folded together, Nahum 1.10. briers, Micah 7.4. brambles, Judg. 9.14. Their laughter is alſo fitly compared to thorns; becauſe it choaks good motions, ſcratcheth the conſcience, harbours the vermine of baſe and baggage luſts. And as themſelves (like thorns) ſhall bee thruſt away, and utterly burnt with fire in the ſame place, 2 Sam. 23.6. So their joy ſoon expireth, and proves to bee rather deſolation, than conſolation; as lightning is followed with rending and roaring; as Comets out-blaze the very ſtars, but when their exhaled matter is waſted, they vaniſh and fill the air with peſtilent vapours. The Prophet Amos telleth the wicked, that their Sun ſhall go down at noon-day, chap. 8.9. Surely as metals are then neareſt melting, when they ſhine brighteſt in the fire: and as the fiſhes ſwim merrily down the ſilver-ſtreams of Jordan, till they ſuddenly fall into the dead Sea, where preſently they periſh: So it fares with theſe merry Greeks, that flear when they ſhould fear, and laugh when they ſhould lament.Luk. 6.25 Pſal. 118.1…Luke 6:25Ps 118:1 Woe to you that laugh, ſaith Chriſt: How ſuddenly are they put out as the fire of thorns!

Verſ. 7. Surely oppreſſion maketh a wiſe man mad] viz. Till ſuch time as hee hath recollected himſelf, and ſummoned the ſobriety of his ſenſes before his own judgement: till hee hath reaſoned himſelf, and prayed himſelf out of his diſtemper, as David did, Pſal. 73. Anger is a ſhort madneſs, fury a phrenſie; and who ſo apprehenſive of an injury, as the wiſe man? and who ſo wiſe, as not ſometimes to bee over-carried by his paſſion to his coſt? Oppreſſion may expreſs that from the meekeſt Moſes, that hee may ſorely repent, but knows not how to remedy. Anger anteverts reaſon in the wiſeſt ſometimes, and eſpecially in caſe of calumny (for the eye and the good name will bear no jeaſts, as the Proverb hath it) A man can better bear a thultch on the back, than a touch on the eye. You ſhall finde ſome, ſaith Eraſmus, that if death bee threatned, can deſpiſe it: but to bee belyed, they cannot brook, p. 262nor from revenge contain themſelves. How could wee digeſt that calumny (might Eraſmus well think then) that hee baſely caſts upon our Profeſſion in his Epiſtle to Bilihaldus? Ubicunque regnat Lutherns, ibi literarum eſt interitus: duo tantum quaerunt, cenſum, & uxorem. Whereſoever Luther prevails, learning goes down; wealth and wives is all they look after. How ill himſelf, with all his wiſdome, could endure this kinde of oppreſſion, appears by his Hyperaſpiſtes, and many other his Apologies (for by his playing on both hands,Amama in Antibarb. praefat. Nec Evangelicorum vitavit cenſuras, nec apud Epiſcopos & Monachos gratiam inivit, hee was beaten on both ſides, which made him little leſs than mad; and it was but juſt upon him. Davids grief was, that his enemies traduced and abuſed him without cauſe. Job and Jeremy make the ſame complaint, and were much troubled. Defamations, they knew well, do uſually leave a kinde of lower eſtimation many times, even where they are not beleeved. Hence Paul's Apologies and ſelf-commendation, even to ſuſpition of madneſs almoſt.Calumniare audacter, aliquid ſaltem adhaerebit. Hence Baſil in an Epiſtle ad Boſphorum Epiſcop: Quo putas animum meum dolore affecit fama calumnia illius quam mihi offuderunt quidam, non metuentes Judicem perditurum omnes loquentes mendacium? Tanto videlicet ut prope totam noctem inſomnem duxerim, &c. with what grief doſt thou think (ſaith Hee) did that calumny oppreſs my mind, which ſome (not fearing the Judge, that ſhall deſtroy all them that ſpeak lies) did caſt upon mee? Even ſo much, that I ſlept not almoſt all the night; ſo had the apprehended ſadneſs poſſeſſed the ſecrets of mine heart, &c.

And a gift deſtroyeth the heart] i. e. Corrupts it, makes it blinde; and ſo deſtroies it:Pliny. as the Eagle lights upon the Harts horns, flutters duſt in his eyes, and ſo by blinding him, brings him to deſtruction. See Deut. 16.19. with the Note. Let a Judge bee both wiſe (for his underſtanding) and righteous (for his will) a gift will mar all, as it is there: it dazleth the eyes, and maketh a wiſe man mad.

Verſ. 8. Better is the end of a thing, than the beginning] No right judgement can bee made of any thing, unleſs wee can ſee the end of it. God ſeems oft to go a contrary way to work; but by that time both ends bee brought together, all is as it ſhould bee, and it appears that hee doth all things in number, weight and meaſure.Acts and Mon. fol. 1377. Wee may learn (ſaid Mr. Hooper Martyr in a certain letter exhorting to patience) by things that nouriſh and maintain us, both meat and drink, to what loathſome and abhorring they come unto, before they work their perfection in us; From life they bee brought to the fire; and clean altered from what they were, when they were alive: from the fire to the trencher and knife, and all to bee hacked; from the trencher to the mouth, and as ſmall ground as the teeth can grinde them; from the mouth into the ſtomach, and there ſo boiled and digeſted before they nouriſh, that whoſoever ſaw the ſame would loathe and adhor his own nouriſhment, till it come to perfection. But as a man looketh for the nouriſhment of his meat, when it is full digeſted, and not before, ſo muſt hee look for deliverance when hee hath ſuffered much trouble, and for Salvation when hee hath paſſed thorow the ſtraight gate, &c. Let the wiſe man look to the end, and to the right which in the end God will do him, in the deſtruction of his oppreſſours; and this will patient his heart, and heal his diſtemper. Wee have heard of the patience of Job, Job 5.Job 5and what end the Lord made with him. Bee yee alſo patient, you ſhall ſhortly have help, if yee hold out waiting. Mark the upright man, and behold the juſt, for (whatever his beginning or his middle bee) the end of that man is peace, Pſal. 37.37. OnelyOnly hee muſt hold out Faith and Patience; and not fall off from good beginnings; for as the evening crowneth the day, and as the grace of an Interlude, is in the laſt Scene; ſo it is conſtancy that crowneth all graces, and hee onelyonly that continueth to the end, that ſhall bee ſaved. Laban was very kinde at firſt, but hee ſhewed himſelf at parting. Sauls three firſt years were good. Judas carried himſelf fair, uſque ad loculorum officium, ſaith Tertullian, till the bag was committed to him. Many ſet out for Heaven wi…h as much ſeeming reſolution, as Lots wife did out of Sodom; as Orphah did out p. 265of Moab; as the young man in the Goſpel came to Chriſt. But after a while they fall away, they ſtumble at the croſs, and fall backwards. Now to ſuch it may well bee ſaid, The end is better than the beginning. Better it had been for ſuch never to have known the way of God, &c. Chriſt loves no lookers back: See how hee thunders againſt them, Heb. 10.26, 27, 38, 39. So doth St. Paul againſt the Galatians, becauſe they did run well, but lying down in that heat, they caught a ſurfeit, and fell into a conſumption.

And the patient in ſpirit is better than the proud, &c.] Pride is the Mother of impatiency, as infidelity is of pride. The just ſhall live by Faith, live upon promiſes, reverſions, hopes, wait deliverance, or want it, if God will have it ſo. But his ſoul, which (for want of Faith to ballaſt it) is lifted up, and ſo preſumes to ſet God a time wherein to come or never come, 2 King. 6.33. is not upright in him: ſome things hee doth, as it were a mad man, not knowing, or greatly caring what hee doth, ſaith Gregory. Hee frets at God,Greg. Paſtor. and rails at men, laies about him on all hands, and never ceaſeth, till in that diſtemperature hee depart the world, which ſo oftentimes himſelf had diſtempered,Daniel. as the Chronicler concludes the life of our Henry the ſecond.

Verſ. 9. Bee not haſty in thy Spirit to bee angry] The haſty man (wee ſay) never wants woe. For wrath is an evil counſellour, and inwrappeth a man in manifold troubles, miſchiefs and miſeries. It makes man alike the Bee (that vindictive creature) which to bee revenged, loſeth her ſting, and becomes a drone: or like Tamar, who to bee even with her Father in Law, defiled him and her ſelf with inceſt. Ceaſe therefore from anger, and forſake wrath: fret not thy ſelf in any wiſe to do evil, Pſal. 37.8. Athenodorus counſelled Auguſtus to determine nothing raſhly, when hee was angry, till hee had repeated the Greek Alphabet. Ambroſe taught Theodoſius, in that caſe, to repeat the Lords Prayer. What a ſhame is it to ſee a Chriſtian act like Hercules furens, or like Solomons fool, that caſts fire-brands, or as that Demoniack, Mark 2.3. out of meaſure fierce? That Demoniack was among the tombs, but theſe are among the living, and moleſt thoſe moſt, that are neareſt to them.

For anger reſteth in the boſome of fools] Ruſh it may into a wiſe mans boſome, but not reſt there, lodge there, dwell there. And onelyonly where it dwells, it domineers, and that is onelyonly, where a fool is Maſter of the family. Thunder, hail, tempeſt, neither trouble nor hurt celeſtial bodies. See that the Sun go not down upon this evil gueſt; ſee that the ſoul bee not ſowred or impured with it; for anger corrupts the heart, as leaven doth the lump,Aug. Epiſt. 87. or vinegar the veſſel, wherein it doth continue.

Verſ. 10. Say not thou, What is the cauſe? Granger.&c.] This (ſaith an Interpreter) is the continual complaint of the wicked moody, and the wicked needy. The moody Papiſts would murder all the godly; for they bee Canaanites and Hagarens. The needy prophane would murther all the rich, for they are Lions in the grate. Thus Hee. It is the manner and humour of too many (ſaith another) who would bee thought wiſe,Dr. Jermin. to condemn the times in an impatient diſcontentment againſt them, eſpecially if themſelves do not thrive, or bee not favoured in the times, as they deſire, and as they think they ſhould bee. And theſe malecontents are commonly great Queſtioniſts, What is the cauſe? ſay they, &c. It might bee anſwered, In promptu cauſa eſt, Themſelves are the cauſe; for the times are therefore the worſe, becauſe they are no better. Hard hearts make hard times. But the Preacher anſwers better, Thou doſt not wiſely enquire concerning this, q. d. The Objection is idle, and once to have recited it, is enough to have confuted it. Oh if wee had been in the daies of our Fore-Fathers (ſaid thoſe hypocrites, Matth. 23.30.) great buſineſs would have been done; I, no doubt of it, ſaith our Saviour, when as you fill up the meaſure of your Fathers ſins, and are every whit as good at reſiſting of the Holy Ghoſt, as they were, Act. 7.51. Or if there were any good heretofore more than is now, it may bee ſaid of theſe Wiſe fools, as it was antiently of p. 264Demoſthenes, foreign. Plutarch.that he was excellent at praiſing the worthy acts of Anceſtours, not ſo at imitating of them. In all ages of the world, there were complaints of the times, and not altogether without cauſe. Henoch the ſeventh from Adam complained, ſo did Noah, Lot, Moſes, and the Prophets, Chriſt the Arch-Prophet, and all his Apoſtles, the Primitive Fathers and Profeſſors of the truth. The common cry ever was O tempora! O mores! Num Eccleſias ſuat dereliquit Dominus? ſaid Baſil, Hath the Lord utterly left his Church? Is it now the laſt hour? Father Latimer ſaw ſo much wickedneſs in his days, that he thought it could not be, but that Chriſt muſt come to Judgement immediately: like as Elmerius a Monk of Malmesbury from the ſame ground gathered the certainty of Antichriſts preſent reign. What pitiful complaints make Bernard, Bradwardine, Everard Arch-Biſhop of Canterbury (who wrote a Volume called Objurgatorium temporis, the rebuke of the time) Petrarch, Mantuan, Savanarola, &c? In the time of Pope Clement 5. Frederick King of Sicily was ſo farre offended at the ill government of the Church, that he called into queſtion the truth of the Chriſtian Religion, till hee was better reſolved and ſetled in the point by Arnoldus de Villa nova, Rev. de vit. Pont.who ſhewed him, that it was long ſince fore-told of theſe laſt and looſeſt times, that iniquity ſhould abound, that men ſhould bee proud, lewd, heady, high-minded, &c. 1 Tim. 4.1. & 2 Tim. 3.1, 2, 3, 4. Lay aſide therefore theſe frivolous enquiries, and diſcontented cryings out againſt the times, which (in ſome ſenſe) reflect upon God the Author of times (for can there be evil in an Age, and hee hath not done it?) and bleſſing God for our Goſpel-priviledges, (which indeed ſhould drown all our diſcontents) let every one mend one, and then let the world run its circuits, take its courſe, Vadat mundus quo vult: nam vult vadere quo vult, ſaith Luther bluntly, Let the world goe which way it will: for it will goe which way it will: The thing that hath been is that which ſhall be,Hieronym. &c. Eccleſ. 2.9, 10. Tu ſic debes vivere, ut ſemper praeſentes dies meliores tibi ſinc quum praeteriti, ſaith a Father, Thou ſhouldeſt ſo live, that thy laſt dayes may be thy beſt dayes, and the time preſent better to thee, than the by-paſt was to thoſe that then lived.

Ʋtilior eſt ſapientia cum divitiis: So the Septu. here. In vit.Verſ. 11. Wiſdome is good with an inheritance] So is it without it: but not ſo good, becauſe wealth is both an ornament, an inſtrument, and an encouragement to wiſdome. Ariſtides (ſaith Plutarch) ſlandered and made juſtice odious by his poverty: as if it were a thing that made men poor, and were more profitable to others, than to himſelf that uſeth it. God will not have wealth always entailed to wiſdome, that wiſdome may bee admired for it ſelf; and that it may appear, that the love and ſervice of the Saints is not mercenary and meretricious. But godlineſs hath the promiſes of both lives. And the righteous ſhall leave inheritance to his childrens children. Or if he doe not ſo, yet he ſhall leave them a better thing: for by wiſdome (abſtracted from wealth) there is profit, 1 Cor. 12.311 Cor 12:31or, it is more excellent or better (as the Hebrew word ſignifies) as the Apoſtle in another caſe, And yet ſhew I you a more excellent way, viz. that graces are better than gifts: So here, that wiſdome is better than wealth. And if Jacob may ſee his children the work of Gods hands, framed and fitted by the word of Gods grace (the wiſdome of God in a myſtery) this would better preſerve him from confuſion,Pſal. 45.Ps 45 and his face from waxing pale, than if hee could make his children Princes in all lands; yea, this will make him to ſanctifie Gods name, yea, to ſanctifie the Holy One, and with ſingular encouragement from the God of Iſrael, Eſay 29.22, 23.

Verſ. 12. For wiſdome is a defence, and money, &c.] Heb. a ſhadow, viz. to thoſe that have ſeen the Sun, (as in the former verſe) and are ſcorched with the heat of it, that are under the miſeries and moleſtations of life: Wiſdome in this caſe is a wall of defence, and a well of life: Money alſo is a thorn-hedge, of very good uſe. Job 1.10. ſo it be ſet without the affections, and get not into the heart, as the Phariſees foreign did, Luk. 11.41. their riches were got within them, and by choaking the ſeed, kept wiſdome out.

Wiſdome giveth life to them that have it] For God is both a Sun, and a p. 267ſhield or ſhadow, he will give grace and glory, &c. Pſal. 84.11. Life in any ſenſe is a ſweet mercy; but the life of grace and of glory may well challenge the precellency: No marvel therefore though wiſdome bear away the bell from wealth, which as it ſerves only to the uſes of life natural; ſo being miſuſed, it drowns many a ſoul in perdition and deſtruction, 1 Tim. 6.9. and proves the root of all evil, ch. 16.10. yea it taketh away the life of the owner thereof, Prov. 1.19. See the Note there. It is confeſſed, that wealth ſometimes giveth life to them that have it, as it did to thoſe ten Jewes that had treaſures in the field, Jer. 41.8. and doth to thoſe condemned men that can take a leaſe of their lives. But Nabals wealth had undone him, if Abigails wiſdome had not interpoſed: And in the other life, money bears no maſtery. Adam had it not in Paradiſe, and in Heaven there is no need of it.

Verſ. 13. Conſider the work of God, &c.] q. d. Stoop, ſith there is no ſtanding out. See God in that thou ſuffereſt, and ſubmit. God by a crooked tool many times makes ſtraight work; he avengeth the quarrel of his Covenant by the Aſſyrian that rod of Gods wrath, though hee thinks not ſo, Eſay 10.7. Job could diſcern Gods arrows in Satans hand, and Gods hand on the Armes of the Sabcan robbers. He it is that killeth and maketh alive, ſaith holy Hannah, he maketh poor and maketh rich, hee bringeth low and lifteth up, 1 Sam. 2.6, 7. All is done according to the counſel of his will; who as he may doe what he pleaſes, ſo he will be ſure never to over-doe: his holy hand ſhall never bee further ſtretched out to ſmite, than to ſave, Eſay 59.1. This made David dumb, for he knew it was Gods doing. It is the Lord, ſaid Eli, let him doe, Pſal. 39. 1 Sam. 3.18Ps 391 Sam 3:18and I will ſuffer, leſt I adde paſſive diſobedience to active. Aaron his Predeceſſor had done the like before him upon the ſame conſideration, in the untimely end of his untowardly children, Levit. 10.3. Jacob likewiſe in the rape of Dinah, Gen. 34.5. Agnovit hand dubie ferulam divinam, ſaith Pareus on that text, hee conſidered the work of God in it, and that it was in vain for him to ſeek to make that ſtraight which God had made crooked. There is no ſtanding before a Lion, no hoyſing up ſayl in a tempeſt, no contending with the Almighty. Whoever waxed fierce againſt God and proſpered? Job 9.4. Who ever got any thing by kicking againſt the pricks, by biting the rod which they ſhould rather have kiſſed? See Eſay 14.27. Job 9.12, 13. & 34.12.10. Set God before your paſſions, when they are up in a hurry, and all will bee huſht. Set down proud fleſh when it buſtles and briſtles under Gods fatherly chaſtiſements, and ſay ſoberly to your ſelves; ſhall I not drink of the cup that my Father (who is alſo my Phyſician) hath put into mine hands? ſtand under the croſs that he hath laid on my ſhoulders? ſtoop unto the yoke that he hangeth on my neck? Drink off Gods cup willingly (ſaid Mr. Bradford the Martyr) and at firſt when it is full, leſt if we linger wee drink at length of the dregs with the wicked. Ferre minora volo, ne graviora feram. That was a very good ſaying of Demoſthenes (who was ever better at praiſing of vertue than at practiſing of it) good men ſhould ever doe the beſt, and then hope the beſt. But if any thing happen worſe than was hoped for, let that which God will have done, be born with patience.

Verſ. 14. In the day of proſperity be joyful] Here wee have ſome fair days, ſome foul: croſſes (like foul weather) come afore they are ſent for; for as fair weather (the more is the pity) may doe hurt, ſo may proſpenity, as it did to David, Pſal. 30.6. who therefore had his interchanges of a worſe condition, (as it was but needful) his proſperity like checker-work was intermingled with adverſity. See the circle God goes in with his people,Circulus quidem eſt in rebus humanis. Deus nos per contraria crudit. Naz. Orat. 7. in that thirtieth Pſalm, David was afflicted, verſ. 5. hee was delivered and grew wanton. Then troubled again, verſ. 7. cries again, 8, 9 God turns his mourning into joy again. Thus God ſets the one againſt the other, as it were in aequilibrio, in even balance for our greateſt good. Sometimes he weighes us in the balance; and findes us too light: Then he thinks beſt to make us heavie through manifold temptations, 1 Pet. 1.6. Sometimes hee findes our water ſomewhat too high, and then as a Phyſician no leſs cunning than loving, he fits us with that p. 268which will reduce all to the healthſome temper of a broken ſpirit. But if wee bee but proſperity-proof, there is no ſuch danger of adverſity. Some of thoſe in Queen Maries dayes, who kept their garments cloſe about them, wore them afterwards more looſely. Proſperity makes the Saints ruſt ſometimes; therfore God ſets his Scullions to ſcoure them & make them bright, though they make themſelves black. This ſcouring if they will ſcape, let Solomons counſel be taken, In the day of proſperity be joyful, i. e. ſerve God with cheerfulneſs in the abundance of all things; and reckon upon it, the more wages the more work: Is it not good reaſon? Solomons Altar was four times as big as Moſes his; and Ezekiels Temple ten times bigger than Solomons; to teach, that where God gives much, he expects much. Otherwiſe God will curſe our bleſſings,Jer. 12.13Jer 12:13 Mal. 2.2. Make us aſhamed of our revenues through his fierce anger, and deſtroy us after he hath done us good, Joſh. 24.20.

In the day of adverſity conſider] Sit alone, and be in meditation of the matter,Pſal. 4.4Ps 4:4 Lam. 3.28. commune with your own conſciences and be ſtill, or make a pauſe. See who it is that ſmites thee, and for what, Lam. 3.40. Take Gods part againſt thy ſelf, as a Phyſician obſerves, which way nature works, and helps it. Conſider, that God afflicts not willingly, or from his heart; it goes as much againſt the heart with him,Pſal. 119.75Ps 119:75 as againſt the hair with us, Lam. 3.33. Hee is forced of very faithfulneſſe to afflict us, becauſe hee will be true to our ſouls and ſave them: he is forced to diet us, who have ſurfeted of proſperity, and keep us ſhort. He is forced to purge us (as wiſe Phyſicians doe ſome Patients) till he bring us almoſt to skin and bone; and to let us bloud even ad deliquium animae, till we ſwoon again, that there may bee a ſpring of better bloud and ſpirits. Conſider of all thoſe precious paſſages, Heb. 12.3. to 12. and then lift up the languiſhing hands, and feeble knees. For your further help herein, read my Treatiſe called Gods Love-tokens, and The afflicted mans Leſſons, paſſim.

Verſ. 15. All things have I ſeen in the dayes of my vanity] i. e. of my life, which is ſo very a vanity, that no man can perfectly deſcribe it, or directly tell what it is. He came ſomewhat near the matter, that ſaid, it was a ſpot of time betwixt two eternities.

There is a juſt man that periſheth in his righteouſneſſe] The firſt man that dyed, dyed for Religion. How early did Martyrdome come into the world? How valiant for the truth, and violent for the Kingdome have Gods ſuffering Saints been ever ſince, preferring affliction before ſin, and chooſing rather to periſh in their righteouſneſs, than to part with it? Ignatius triumphed in his voyage to Rome to ſuffer, to think that his bloud ſhould be found among the mighty Worthies; and that when the Lord makes inquiſition for bloud, hee will recount from the bloud of righteous Abel, not only to the bloud of Zacharias ſon of Barachias, but alſo to the bloud of mean Ignatius. Bleſſed are they that are perſecuted for righteouſneſs ſake,See the Note there. Mat. 5.10.

And there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life] This (as the former event likewiſe) proves a great ſtumbling-block to many: to ſee good men periſh, bad men flouriſh and live long in ſin, with impunity, credit, and countenance, as Manaſſeh (that Monſter of men) who reigned longeſt of any King of Judah. Jeroboam lived to ſee three Succeſſions in the Throne of Judah. Thus the Ivie lives, when the Oake is dead. David George (that odious Heretick) lived to a great age, and dyed in peace and plenty. Anne Stanhop Dutcheſſe of Somerſet (Wife of the Protector Edw. Seymor) after ſhe had raiſed ſuch Tragedies about precedency with Queen Katherine, Camd. Eliz. fol. 356.and cauſed the ruine of her Husband, and his Brother the Admiral, dyed Anno 1587. being ninety nine years of age. Length of dayes is no ſure rule of Gods favour. As Plants laſt longer than Senſitive Creatures,Ut victimae ad ſupplicium ſaginantur, ut hoſtiae ad poenam co…o nantur. Mi….-Foelix. and Brute Creatures out-live the reaſonable; ſo amongſt the reaſonable, it is no news (neither ſhould it trouble us) that the wickedly great doe inherit theſe worldly glories longer than the beſt; It is all they are like to have, let them make them merry with it. Some wicked men live long, that they may aggravate their judgement: others dye ſooner, that they may haſten it.

p. 269Verſ. 16. Bee not righteous over much, neither make, &c.] Virtue conſiſts in a mediocrity. Omne quod eſt nimium. vertitur in vicium. Eſt modus in rebus. Phil. 4.5. foreign.Phil 4:5A rigid ſeverity may mar all. Let your moderation bee known to all men, prefer equity before extremity: utmoſt right may bee utmoſt wrong. Hee is righteous over-much, that will remit nothing of his right, but exerciſe great cenſures for light offences: this is (as one ſaid) to kill a fly upon a mans forehead with a beetle. Juſtice, if not mixed with mercy, degenerates into cruelty. Again, hee is righteous more than is meee, that maketh ſins where God hath made none; as thoſe ſuperſtitioſuli of old, and the Papiſts at this day do with their Touch not, Taſte not, handle not: Which things have indeed a ſhew of wiſdome in will-worſhip, &c. Col. 2.21, 23. Will-worſhippers are uſually over-wiſe, i. e. over-weening, and too too well conceited of their own wiſdome and worth.Quiſquis plus juſto non ſapit, ille ſapit. Mart. Hence it is, that they cannot do, but they muſt over-do, till wearied in the greatneſs of their way, Iſa. 57.10. they ſee and ſay that it had been beſt to have held the Kings high-way, chalked out unto them by the royal Law, James 2.8. that perfect Law of liberty, James 1.25. Via regia temperata eſt, Hieron. in cap. 57 Iſa.nec plus in ſe habons, nec minus. The middle way is the way of God; neither having too much, nor yet too little.Cic. 2. de finib. True it is (ſaith the Heathen Oratour) that Nemo pius eſt qui pietatem caver, No man is godly that is afraid of being ſo: But then it is no leſs true (and the ſame Author ſpeaks it) Modum eſſe religionis, Cic. pro dem. ſua. Nihil minus expedit, quam agrum optime colere. Plin. Cic. de Orat. Jul. Solin. Polyh. c. 45nimium eſſe ſuperſtitioſum non oportere: that there is a reaſon in being religious, and that men muſt ſee they bee not ſuperſtitious. Solomon ſaith, that hee that wrings his noſe over hard, brings blood out of it. Pliny ſaith, hee that tills his Land over-well, doth it to his loſs. Apelles ſaid, thoſe Painters were too blame, qui non ſentirent quid eſſet ſatis, that could not ſee when they had done ſufficient. It is reported of the River Nilus, that if it either exceeed or bee defective in its due overflowings of the Land of Egypt, it cauſeth famine; The planet Jupiter, ſituate betwixt cold Saturn, and hot Mars, Lib. 2. c. 8Ex utroque temperatus eſt; & ſalutaris, ſaith Pliny, partakes of both, and is benign and wholeſome to the ſublunary creatures.

Verſ. 17. Bee not wicked over-much] viz. Becauſe thou ſeeſt ſome wicked men live long, and ſcape ſcot-free for the preſent, as verſ. 15. For God may cut thee ſhort enough, and make thee die before thy time, i. e. before thou art fit to die; and when it were better for thee to do any thing, rather than die, ſith thou dieſt in thy ſins, which is much worſe than to die in a ditch.Job 34.37 Deut. 29. Micah 7.3Job 34:37Deut 29Mic 7:3 Now they are over-much wicked, and egregiouſly fooliſh, that add rebellion to ſin, drunkenneſs to thirſt, doing wickedly with both hands earneſtly, refuſing to bee reformed, hating to bee healed. Theſe take long ſtrides toward the burning lake, which is but a little before them. The Law many times laies hold of them, the gallows claims its right, they preach in a Tiburn-tippet, Pſal. 137.Ps 137as they ſay. Or otherwiſe, God cuts them off betime, even long before, as hee knows their thoughts and diſpoſitions long before. Wee uſe to deſtroy hemlock even in the midſt of winter; becauſe wee know what it will do, if ſuffered to grow. Bloody and deceitful men ſhall not live out half their daies, Pſal. 55.25. God cut off Elies two ſons in one day, for their overmuch wickedneſs; and further threatned their Father, that there ſhould not bee an old man left in his houſe for ever, 1 Samuel 2.32. Wicked men die tempore non ſuo, as the Text is by ſome rendred. The Saints die not till the beſt time, not till their work is done (and then God ſends them to bed; the two witneſſes could not bee killed whiles they were doing it) not till that time, when if they were but rightly informed, they would even deſire to die.

Verſ. 18. It is good that thou ſhouldeſt take hold of this] i. e. Of this golden mean; walking accurately by line and by rule,Pſal. 125.5Ps 125:5 and continuing conſtant in thine integrity, not turning aſide to the right hand, or to the left. As for thoſe that turn aſide unto thoſe crooked waies of being juſt over-much, by needleſs ſcrupuloſity, or wicked over-much, by deteſtable exorbitancy, the Lord ſhall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity, as cattel led to the ſlaughter, or p. 270malefactors to execution. When hee that feareth God ſhall come out of them all. Hee ſhall look forthright, Prov. 4.25. and ſhall have no occaſion of ſtumbling, 1 Joh. 2.10. Hee ſhall alſo bee freed from, or pulled as a firebrand out of the fire, Zach. 3.2.

Verſ. 19. Wiſdome ſtrengtheneth the wiſe, &c.] Prudence excelleth puiſſance, and counſel valour. This made Agamenon ſet ſuch a price upon Ulyſſes, Darius upon Zopyrus, the Siracuſans upon Archimedes, the Spartans upon Leonidas, Juſtin. lib. 2.who with ſix hundred men, diſperſed five hundred thouſand of Xerxes his Hoſt. Thoſe that are wiſe to ſalvation, go ever under a double guard, the peace of God with in them, the power of God without them. No Sultan of Babylon or Egypt (who have that title from the Hebrew word here rendred Mighty men) did ever go ſo well guarded. See the Note on Prov. 21.22.

Verſ. 20. For there is not a juſt man upon earth] No, this is reſerved for the ſtate of perfection in Heaven, where are the ſpirits of juſt men made perfect,Aug de peccator. meritis, lib. 2. cap. 7. Heb. 12.23. It was the cavil wherewith the Pelagians troubled Saint Auſtin, whether it were impoſſible that by the abſolute power of God a juſt man might not live on earth without ſin? But what have wee to do here with the abſolute power of God? His revealed will is, That there is not a juſt man upon earth, that doth good, and ſinneth not; nay, that ſinneth not, even in his doing of good. Our righteouſneſs (whiles wee are on earth) is mixt, as light and darkneſs (dimneſs at leaſt) in a painted glaſs dyed with ſome obſcure and dim colour; it is tranſparent, and giveth good, but not clear and pure light.Dr. Stoughton, on Phil. 3.20.Phil 3:20 It is a witty obſervation of a late learned Divine, that the preſent tenſe in Grammar is accompanied with the Imperfect, the Future with the Praeter-pluperfect tenſe; and thar ſuch is the condition of our preſent and future holineſs. Our future is more than perfect, our preſent is imperfect indeed, but yet true holineſs and happineſs. See the Note on Prov. 20.9.

Verſ. 21. Alſo take no head] But bee as a deaf man that heareth not, and as a dumb man, in whoſe mouth there is no reproof, Pſal. 38.13. If thou anſwer any thing, ſay as hee in Tacitus did to one that railed at him, Tu linguae, ego vero aurium dominus, Thou mayeſt ſay what thou wilt, but I will hear as I liſt; or as once a certain Steward did to his paſſionate Lord, when hee called him knave, &c. Your Honour may ſpeak as you pleaſe, but I beleeve not a word that you ſay, for I know my ſelf an honeſt man. The language of reproachers muſt bee read like Hebrew, backwards. Princes uſe to correct the indecencies of Embaſſadors, by denying them audience. Certain it is, that hee enjoyes a brave compoſedneſs, that ſets himſelf above the flight of the injurious claw. Iſaac's apology to his brother Iſmael, viz. patience and ſilence, is the beſt anſwer to words of ſcorn and petulancy, ſaid learned Hooker. I care not for mans day, 1 Cor. 4.31 Cor 4:3ſaith Paul, Non curo vanum calumniatorem, I regard not a vain ſlanderer, ſaith Auſtin. Wicelius and Cochleus gave out, that wee Lutherans betraied the Rhodes to the Turk, ſaith Melanchthon. Theſe impudent lies need no confutation, dicant ipſi talia quoad velint, let them tell ſuch loud and leud lies as many as they will. When a net is ſpread for a bird, ſaith Auſtin, the manner is to throw ſtones at the hedge. Theſe ſtones hurt not the bird, but ſhee hearing and fearing this vain ſound, falls into the net. In like manner ſaith hee, men that fear and regard the vain ſound of all ill words, what do they but fall into the Devils net, who thereby carries them captive into much evil, many troubles and inconveniencies?

Leſt thou hear thy ſervant curſe thee] Who ſhould in duty ſpeak the beſt of thee, though frample and froward, croſs and crooked, 1 Pet. 2.18. Or by ſervant underſtand baſe inferiour people, ſuch as were Tobiah the ſervant,Pſal. 35.15Ps 35:15 the Ammonite, and thoſe abjects that tare Davids name, and ceaſed not.

Verſ. 22. For oftentimes alſo thine own heart knows] Conſcience is Gods ſpie, and Mans over-ſeer; and though ſome can make a ſorry ſhift to muzzle her for a time, or to ſtop their own cars, yet ipſa ſe offert, ipſa ſe ingerit, p. 271ſaith Bernard, ſooner or later ſhee will tell a man his own to ſome tune, as they ſay, ſhee will not go behinde the door to let him know, that hee himſelf likewiſe hath curſed others, as now by Gods juſt judgement, others curſe him. The conſcience of our own evil doings, though hid from the world, ſhould meeken us toward thoſe that do amiſs. See Titus 3.3. Say to your ſelves, Aut ſumus, ant fuimus, aut poſſumus eſſe quod hic eſt.

The wrong that David had done to Ʋriah, helped him to bear the barkings of that dead Dogg Shimei. Here then Take no heed unto all words, &c. as in the former verſe. For, nihil amarius quam id ipſum pati quod feceris, there is nothing more bitter, than to ſuffer that which thou haſt done to others;Tertul. becauſe thoſe ſufferings ſting the conſcience with unqueſtionable conviction and horrour, as is to bee ſeen in Adonibezek, who acknowledged with a regret, a juſt remuneration, Judg. 1.7.

Verſ. 23. I ſaid I will bee wiſe, but it was far from mee] Solomon here ſeems to ſay of wiſdome, as Nazianzen doth of God the author of it, Tantum recedit, quantum capitur. Not that wiſdome it ſelf doth fly away, but becauſe that they who have moſt of it, do eſpecially underſtand,Baſil. tract. de fide. that it exceedeth the capacity of any one to bee able to comprehend it (as Baſil gives the reaſon) ſo that they that think they have got demonſtrations, perceive afterwards that they are no more than topicae aut ſophiſticae rationes, topical or ſophiſtical arguments, as Lyra here noteth. Bonus quidam vir ſolebat eſſe ſolus, &c. ſaith Melancthon. A certain well-meaning man was wont to walk and ſtudy much alone, and lighting upon Ariſtotles diſcourſe concerning the nature of the Rainbow, hee fell into many odd ſpeculations, and ſtrange conceits; and writing to a friend of his, told him, that in all other matters, though dark and obſcure, hee had out-gone Ariſtotle, but in the matter of the Rainbow hee had out-gone himſelf. After this hee came into the publick ſchools,Joh. Mant. loc. com. 536. and diſputed of that argument, Et toto prorſus coelo à veritate aberrabat ſuis phantaſi…, and then hee came to ſee that hee had been utterly out, and ſtrangely miſcarried by thoſe phantaſies, which hee had ſo ſtrongly fancied.

Verſ. 24. That which is far off and exceeding deep] Not the Minions of the Muſes, Mentemque habere queis bonam, & eſſe corculis datum eſt: Douſa.For though they ſhould eviſcerate themſelves, like Spiders, crack their ſconces, or ſtudy themſelves to death, yet can they not underſtand all myſteries, 1 Cor. 13.21 Cor 13:2and all knowledge in natural things, how much leſs in ſupernatural? whereas weak-ſighted, and ſand-blind perſons, the more they ſtrain their eyes to diſcern a thing perfectly, the leſs they ſee of it, as Vives hath obſerved.L. Vives in Aug. de civ. dei. l. 2. c. … It is utterly impoſſible for a meer Naturaliſt that cannot tell the form, the quinteſſence; that cannot enter into the depth of the flower, or the graſs hee treads on, to have the wit to enter into the deep things of God, the myſtery of Chriſt which was hid from Angels till the diſcovery, and ſince that they are ſtill Students in it.Epheſ. 4.Eph 4 David, though hee ſaw further than his Antients, Pſal. 119.99. yet hee was ſtill to ſeek of that which might bee known, verſ. 96. Even as thoſe great diſcoverers of the New-found-lands in America, at their return were wont to confeſs, that there was ſtill a Plus ultra, ſomething more beyond yet. Not onelyonly in innumerable other things am I very ignorant (ſaith Auſtin) but alſo in the very Scriptures, multo plura neſcio quam ſcio, Aug. Epiſt.I am ignorant of many more things by odds, than I yet underſtand. This preſent life is like the Vale of Sciaeſsa, near unto the Town called Patrae; of which Solinus ſaith, that it is famous for nothing but for its darkſomeneſs, as being continually overcaſt with the ſhadows of nine hills that do environ it,Polyhiſt. c. 12. ſo that the Sun can hardly caſt a beam of light into it. Properemus ad coeleſtem Academiam, Let us haſten to the Univerſity of Heaven, where the leaſt childe knows a thouſand times more than the deepeſt Doctor upon earth.

Verſ. 25. I applied mine heart] Circuiviego & cor meum (ſo the Original p. 272runs) I and my heart turned about, or made a circle to know, &c. He took his heart with him, and reſolved (hard or not hard) to make further ſearch into wiſdoms ſecrets. Difficulty doth but whet on heroick ſpirits: it doth no whit weaken but waken their reſolutions to goe through with the work. When Alexander met with any hard or hazardous peece of ſervice, he would ſay, Jam periculum par animo Alexandri, He ever atchieved what hee enterprized, becauſe he never accounted any thing impoſſible to bee atchieved. David was well pleaſed with the condition of bringing in to Saul the fore-skins of an hundred Philiſtims. If a bowl run down hill, a rub in the way does but quicken it; as if up hill, it ſlugs it. A man of Solomons make, one that hath a free, noble, princely ſpirit, ſpeaks to Wiſdome, as Laelius in Lucan did to Caeſar, Juſſa ſequitam velle mihi, quam poſſe, neceſſe.

And to know the wickedneſſe of folly] The ſinfulneſſe of ſin, Rom. 7.13. Sin is ſo evil that it cannot have a worſe Epithet given it. Mammon of unrighteouſneſſe, Luke 16.11. is the next odious name to the Devil.

Even the fooliſhneſſe of madneſſe] That by one contrary he might the better know the other. Folly may ſerve as a foil to ſet off wiſdome; as Gardiners ſuffer ſome ſtinking ſtuffe to grow near their ſweeteſt flowers.

Verſ. 26. And I found more bitter than death] Amantes amentes: Amor amaror, Plus aloes quam mellis habet. Knoweſt thou not that there is bitterneſſe in the end?Dulce & amarum guſtulum corpis. Heus ſcholaſtice, ſaid the Harlot to Apuleius, Heark Scholar, your ſweet bits will prove bitter in the cloſe.

Principium dulce eſt, at finis amoris amarus.

The Pomegranate with its ſweet kernels, but bitter rind, is an emblem of the bitter-ſweet pleaſure of ſin.Speed. 710. Walfingh. It is obſerved of our Edward the third, that he had alwayes fair weather at his paſſage into France, and foul upon his return, Laeta venire Venus, Solin. cap. 27tristis abire ſolet. The Panther hides her head, till ſhe ſees her time to make prey of thoſe other beaſts, that drawn by her ſweet ſmell, follow her to their own deſtruction. The Poets fable, that pleaſure and pain complained one of another to Jupiter, and that (when he could not decide the controverſie betwixt them) he tied them together with chains of Adamant, never to be ſundred.

The Woman] The wanton Woman, that ſhame of her Sex. A Bitch Moſes calls her, Deut. 23.18. St. Paul, a living Ghoſt, a walking Sepulcher of her ſelf, 1 Tim. 5.6. Cum careat pura mente, cadaever agit. This I finde, ſaith Solomon: where I is I with a witneſſe; he had found it by woful experience, and now relates it for a warning to others. Saith he,

Quid facies facies Veneris cum veneris ante?

Non ſedeas, ſed eas: ne pereas, per eas.

Whoſe heart is ſuares and nets] Heb. Hunters ſnares: for ſhe hunteth for the precious life, Prov. 6.26. and the Devil by her hunts for the precious ſoul, there being not any thing that hath more enriched Hell than Harlots. All is good fiſh that comes to theſe nets;2 Tim. 2.262 Tim 2:26 but they are taken alive by the Devil at his pleaſure.

And her hands as hands] To captivate and enſlave thoſe that haunt her, as Dalilah did Sampſon, as the Harlot did the young Novice, Prov. 7.22. as Solomons Moabitiſh miſtreſſes did him, and as it is ſaid of the Perſian Kings, that they were captivarum ſuarum captivi, Plutarch.captives to their Concubines, who durſt take the crown from their heads, or do any thing to them almoſt, when others might not come near them uncalled, upon pain of death, Eſt. 4.11.

p. 273Who ſo pleaſeth God ſhall eſcape from her] As Joſeph did, and Bellerophon, though with a difference. Joſeph out of a principle of Chaſtity, Bellerophon of Continency. The continent perſon refrains either for love of praiſe, or fear of puniſhment, but not without grief, for inwardly he is ſcalded with boyling luſt, as Alexander, Scipio, and Pompey were, when tempted with the exquiſiteneſs, and variety of choyſeſt beauties, they forbare. Vellem, ſi non eſſem Imperator. But now the Chaſte man, who is good before God (one whom he approves and takes pleaſure in) is holy both in body and ſpirit, 1 Cor. 7.34. and this with delight, out of fear of God, and love of vertue. God did much for that libidinous Gentleman, who ſporting with a Curtezan in a houſe of ſin, happened to ask her name, which ſhe ſaid was Mary: Mountaignes Eſſayes.whereat he was ſtricken with ſuch a remorſe and reverence, that he inſtantly not only caſt off the Harlot, but amended his future life.

But the Sinner ſhall be taken by her] See the Note on Prov. 22.14. The Poets fable, that when Prometheus had diſcovered Truth to men, that had long lain hid from them, Jupiter (or the Devil) to croſſe that deſign, ſent Pandora (that is Pleaſure) that ſhould ſo beſot them, as that they ſhould neither mind nor make out after Truth and Honeſty.

Verſ 27. Behold this I have found] foreign, I have found it, I have found it, ſaid the Philoſopher, Vicimus, Vicimus, we have prevailed, we have prevailed, ſaid Luther, when hee had been praying in his Cloſet, for the good ſucceſſe of the conſultation about Religion in Germany. So the Preacher here,Aperit ſibi diligentia januam veritatis. Amb. having by diligence ſet open the door of truth, cries, Venite, videte, Come and ſee my diſcoveries, in the making whereof I have been very exact, counting one by one, Ne mole obruerer, leſt I ſhould bee oppreſſed with many things at once.

Verſ. 28. Which yet my ſoul ſeeketh, but I finde not] There is a place in Wiltſhire called Stonage, for divers great ſtones lying and ſtanding there together: of which ſtones it is ſaid,Camden. that though a man number them one by one never ſo carefully, yet that he cannot finde the true number of them, but that every time he numbers them he findes a different number from that he found before. This may well ſhew (as one well applies it) the erring of mans labour in ſeeking the account of wiſdome and knowledge. For though his diligence be never ſo great in making the reckoning, he will alwayes be out, and not able to find it out.

One man among a thouſand] Hand facile invenies multis è milibus unum. There is a very great ſcarcity of good people. Theſe are as Gideons three hundred, when the wicked, as the Midianites, lye like Graſhoppers for multitude upon the earth, Judg. 7. and as thoſe Syrians, 1 King. 20.27. they fill the country, they darken the air, as the ſwarms did the Land of Aegypt: and there is plenty of ſuch duſt-heaps in every corner.

But a Woman among all thoſe have I not found] i. e. Among all my Wives and Concubines, which made him ready to ſing, Foemina nulla bona eſt. But that there are, and ever have been many gracious Women, ſee (beſides the Scriptures) the Writings of many Learned men, De illuſtribus foeminis: It is eaſie to obſerve (ſaith one) that the New-Teſtament affords more ſtore of good Wives than the Old. And I can ſay as Hierom does, Novi ego multas ad omne opus bonum promptas, I know many Tabithaes full of good works. But in reſpect of the diſcoverie of hearts and natures whether in good or evil, it is harder to find out throughly the perfect diſpoſition of a Woman, than of Men. And that I take to be the meaning of this text.

Verſ. 29. That God hath made man upright] viz. In his own Image, i. e. knowledge in his underſtanding part, rightneſſe in his will, and holineſſe in his affections: his heart was a lump of love, &c. when he came firſt out of Gods Mint he ſhone moſt glorious, clad with the royal robe of righteouſneſſe, created with the imperial crown, Pſal. 8.5. But the Devil ſoon ſtript him of it, he cheated and couſened him of the Crown (as we uſe to doe children) with the apple, or whatſoever fruit it was that he tendred to Eve: Porrexit pomum & p. 274ſurripuit paradiſum. Bernard. Lib. 1. legis allegor.Hee alſo ſet his limbs in the place of Gods Image, ſo that now, Is qui factus eſt homo differt ab eo quem Deus fecit, as Philo ſaith, Man is now of another make than God made him. Totus homo eſt inverſus decalogus, whole evil is in man, and whole man in evil: Neither can hee caſt the blame upon God, but muſt fault himſelf, and fly to the ſecond Adam for repair.

But they have ſought out many inventions] New tricks and deviſes, like thoſe poetical fictions, and fabulous relations, whereof there is neither proof nor profit. The Vulgar Latine hath it, Et ipſe ſe infinitis miſcuit quaeſtionibus, And hee hath intangled himſelf with numberleſs queſtions, and fruitleſs ſpeculations. See 1 Tim. 1.4. and cap. 6.4. doting about queſtions, or queſtionſick. Bernard reads it thus, Ipſe autem ſe implicuit doloribus multis, but hee hath involved himſelf in many troubles, the fruit of his inventions, ſhifts and ſherking tricks. See Jer. 6.19.