Exposition of Proverbs 1-3, Expositions · Chapter 2 · Verse 1
Verſ. 1. My Son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandements with thee.
Solomon having before in the words of Wiſdome threatned obſtinate finners with deſtruction, now in his owne words falls to inſtruct ſuch as are tractable. Now that theſe things are ſpoken in the words of Solomon, and not of Wiſdome, appears by the title given to the young man in this verſe, My Son. Which is alſo given him by Solomon, ch. 1.8. But never by Wiſdome in all this Book. And by ch. 3. v. 13. He ſaith, Happy is the man that findeth wiſdome. If Wiſdome had ſpoken, ſhe would have ſaid, that findeth me.
In this Chapter the Wiſe-man ſhews,
1. How to get true wiſdome, to verſ. 5.
2. What good is gotten by getting it, to the end of the Chapter. And that,
1. Poſitively, from v. 5. to v. 10.
2. Privatively, from thence to the end. And this latter,
1. By preventing danger from bad men, from v. 10. to verſ. 16.
2. From bad women, from v. 16. to the end.
For the firſt thing, the way to attain true wiſdome, it is,
1. By getting a docible minde, v. 1.
2. By learning it of them that are wiſe, v. 2.
3. By prayer to God for it, v. 3.
4. By our owne ſtudies and endevours, v. 4.
To return to v. 1. And firſt for the words.
My Son. See on ch. 1.1, 8. It is a title often repeated to beget attention and obedience.
If thou wilt receive. See on chap. 1.3. If thou wilt bring with thee a willing minde to learn of me, and to receive my words into thy underſtanding, will, and affections. So Lira interprets it of a Scholar, docible, and willing to learn. Hugo Cardinalis takes it for a Metaphor from the earth, which being plowed and opened, receives the ſeed into it, and brings forth corn. So doth a docible Scholar. As on the contrary, Petrarch. Dialog. 41. ſpeaking to a Schoolmaſter that had or might have an undocible Scholar, ſaith, Diſcipulum indocilem babes? Perdis operam, littus aras, ſemina projicis, natura non vincitur. Terrae aridae colonus es? Solve boves. Quid te torques? Haſt thou an indocible Scholar? Thou looſeſt thy labour, thou throweſt away thy ſeed, nature cannot be overcome. Art thou a tiller of a barren ground? Ʋnlooſe thy oven. Why vexeſt thou thy ſelf? The word argues a greedineſſe of hearing, as the dry earth gaſps for rain, and drinks it in greedily, Heb. 6.7. Others read it, If thou wilt buy my words. So the word foreign is uſed, She conſidereth a field, and buyeth it, Heb. taketh it; to wit, by purchaſe. For what men buy, they may lawfully take, ch. 31.16. Now wiſdome is bought by time and labour. Metrocles dicebat res alienas pecuniâ, ut domum, & veſtem, & alia; diſciplinas autem emi tempore, atque labore. Metrocles ſaid, that other mens goods were to be bought with money, as houſes, and garments, and other things; but arts were to be bought with time and labour. Laert. l. 6. c. 6. It argues a greedy deſire of knowledge, ſparing for no coſt, time, nor labour to attain it. Ab. Ezra expounds it thus, Thou ſhalt be my Son, if thou wilt receive my words. But it is better to draw the coherence to verſ. 5. thus, If thou wilt receive my words, &c. then ſhalt thou underſtand the fear of the Lord, &c.
My words. See on ch. 1.21. Some underſtand it of the words in the foregoing Chapter. But it includes all ſpoken by him in this Book.
And hide. Lay them up ſafe in thy heart, and memory, as men lay up treaſures, v. 7. Or, at husband-men hide their corn in the earth to fructifie. Or, as men lay up jewels they would have kept. There is no ſafer place to keep good counſel in, then the cheſt of mans heart and memory. Then will it not be forgotten.
My commandements. Such as I have received from God, and enjoyned thee. Theſe they muſt hide in their memory, that Satan beguile them not of the knowledge of them, but they may be ready for practiſe upon all occaſions, as money in a Treaſury, or victuals in a Storchouſe.
With thee. Not from others, for thou muſt teach them, but lay up the knowledge of them for thy owne uſe. Some things are ſo dear to us, that we will not truſt our cheſts with them, but carry them alwayes about with us. So muſt we doe with wiſe precepts. Maximus reports that Euripides the Philoſopher ſeeing a young man buying many Books, ſaid, Non arcae, O adoleſcens, ſed pectori: O young man, theſe are not to be put into thy cheſt, but into thy breaſt. Communium Sermonum 17. I have heard that famous Buchanan, King James his Maſter, when a Germane Doctor coming into Scotland, deſirous to ſee him, and obſerving his few books, and great learning, ſaluted him thus, Salve Doctor ſine libris: God ſave you Mr. Doctor without books; going into Germany afterwards, and ſeeing in that Doctors Study a multitude of books, and thinking him little learned, retorted bitterly, Salvete libri ſine Doctore: God ſave you books without a Doctor. Intimating, that few books well read, were better then many never looked upon. He is the firſt in the ſhip of fools, that buyes many books, and reads them not. To this purpoſe Solomon ſeems to ſpeak to the young man here, as if he had ſaid, I have and will do my part to fill thee with good inſtructions, ſee thou do thine in receiving them into thine heart, and keeping them there.
Figures. My Son, a Metaphor. For Solomon meant others to be taught by him, as well as his Sons.
Receive. A Metaphor from the earth receiving ſeed.
Hide, a Metaphor from treaſures locked up.
In the text there is,
1. Avi ditas auſcultandi. A greedy deſire of hearkening.
2. Aſſiduitas memorandi. A daily care of remembring.
In the firſt note,
1. The perſon ſpoken to, My Son.
2. The act required, if thou wilt receive.
3. The object, my words.
In the ſecond note,
1. The act, And hide.
2. The object, my commandements.
3. The ſubject place, with thee.
Obſervations. My Son. This word is often repeated, becauſe good children uſe readily to receive their parents counſels, as judging them alwayes to come out of love.
1. Doct. Men ſooneſt hearken to counſels that come out of good will. Therefore, your. cunning Orators, before they propound the matter they would urge, make a plauſible preface firſt, to catch the hearers hearts. See how Abigails counſel wrought on David, 1 Sam. 25.24. He bleſſes God for it, and bleſſes her, v. 32, 33. there. Paul's counſell to the Corinthians wrought in them ſorrow to repentance, 2 Cor. 7.8, 9.
Reaſon 1. Becauſe all ſuſpicion of malice (which taints good counſell like a dead fly) is taken away.
2. All fear of diſgracing us, is likewiſe gone. We conceive that theſe cannot dwell in a loving heart.
3. Love hath a ſympathizing power. If it be in the heart both of the ſpeaker, and of the hearer, it draws as the Loadſtone doth the iron. Magnes amoris amor: Love is the Loadſtone of love.
4. Love hath a creating or begetting power. It is a fruitfull tree, and can beget love where none was before.
Ʋſe 1. It ſhews us a reaſon why ſome mens counſels will not be ſwallowed. There is too much vinegar in them, little ſigne of love.
2. Let Miniſters like wiſe Phyſicians, temper their bitter pills of reproof with ſugared affections. Many look more at the good reliſh of phyſick, then at the event of it.
2. Doct. A docible minde muſt firſt be got by him that will be wiſe. The Apoſtles Chriſts beſt Scholars ſhew it, by asking much. Why ſpeakeſt thou to them in parables? Mat. 13.10. Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field, Mat. 13.36. And Nicodemus asks, How can a man be born when he is old? Joh. 3.4.
Reaſon 1. Becauſe elſe the work will go on very difficultly, like plowing on rocks, or as the Aegyptian chariots, when the wheels were off. God took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily, Exod. 14.25.
2. The work is as good as half done, where a docible heart is. Poure in knowledge, and the veſſell will receive it.
3. Docibleneſſe of heart will make a man painfull. Deſire of knowledge ſets a capable ſoul, and body on work.
4. It will bring a greater progreſſe, then a greater capacity in one not willing to learn, can produce. As in ſchools, boyes of mean parts, and great deſires, get more learning then others of ſtronger parts, and leſſe deſires of it.
Ʋſe 1. It ſhews us, why many get no good by many good Sermons, they have no heart to it. It is hard rowing againſt the ſtream. Why is this? A price in the hand of a fool to get wiſdome, ſeeing be hath no heart to it, Prov. 17.16.
2. Get a docible heart, elſe all your owne pains and your Teachers is loſt.
3. Doct. Good counſels not received do no good. The Word muſt be received with meekneſſe, Jam. 1.21. Elſe it profits not. The Corinthians had not been ſaved by the Word that Paul preached, had they not received it, 1 Cor. 15.1, 2.
Reaſon 1. It appears in naturall things. The earth bears no corn, if it receive not the ſeed. In Civill things alſo. Men expect no gain where they put in no ſtock. In Medicines, Phyſick cures not, if not received.
2. Becauſe two things are required to make good counſel profitable, that it be good, and rightly applyed. Good meat not eaten nouriſheth no more then bad.
Ʋſe. Be carefull to receive all good counſell, or look for no good from it. A man that would learn to paint, or build, when he hears a good Workman diſcourſe well of ſuch works, goes aſide, and takes a tool, and draws a draught of it. Do thou ſo in Divinity.
4. Doct. Knowledge is very neceſſary. My people are deſtroyed for lack of knowledge, Hoſ. 4.6. Iſrael doth not know, my people doth not conſider, Iſa. 1.3. Solomon calls often on us to embrace it. Heathens prized it above all outward things. Pro ſcientia emenda, omnia vendenda: All is to be ſold to buy knowledge. Plato. The wiſe Merchant ſold all to buy the pearl of price, and made no ill bargain, Matt. 13.46. All things prove unprofitable or hurtfull to him that knows not how to diſtinguiſh good from evill, as he that knows not meat from poyſon, may ſoon periſh. Woe unto them that call evill good, and good evill, Iſa. 5.20.
Ʋſe. Pity thoſe blinde ſouls, that prefer all things above knowledge. Their money will periſh with them.
5. Doct. Words of truth are worth laying up. Mary kept all theſe things, Luk. 2.19. Let thine heart retain my words, Prov. 4.4.
Reaſon 1. Becauſe they are precious like jewels, or ſeed hidden in the earth.
Becauſe of the good that comes by them. They ſhew the way to eternall happineſſe.
Ʋſe. Let us bewail our loſſe that have loſt ſo many jewels for lack of laying up. We doe not ſo with gold and ſilver. We leave them not on the benches, but lay them up in cheſts, that they may be ſafe and forth coming when we have need of them. To receive words of truth, and not hide them, is to take them with the one hand, and throw them away with the other.
6. Doct. Mans heart is the beſt place wherein words of truth may be hid. Thy Word have I hid in my heart, Pſal. 119.11. His Mother kept all theſe ſayings in her heart, Luk. 2.51. For there they are ſafeſt.
Ʋſe. Lay not up then holy inſtructions in a cheſt of ſilver, but in the cabinet of thy heart. So wilt thou finde them when thou haſt need of them.