"In short, in this chapter he introduces wisdom, speaking to his son, or to her children in general; inviting them to love her, and by no means to tread in the way of sinners; but to keep close to her directions; threatening destruction to those who contemned this counsel."

There seem to be three proverbial sayings in it. One, ver. 17. which may be four or five ways interpreted; two of which I have comprised in the paraphrase, being the most common and natural. Another, ver. 31. like to that in Terence, Tute hoc intrivisti, omne boc vorandum est tibi. And the other in the next, ver. 32. where those words, "The prosperity of fools shall destroy them," teach us that it is a great part of wisdom, to be able to bear a great fortune, as we call it. Of which, among the Jews, Jason was an example in after-times, who was undone by his successes, 2 Maccab. v. 6. 7. &c.

Ver. 1. THE proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel;] This book contains some notable and very useful sayings of that wise prince, king Solomon, the son of that devout prince, king David; by whose special appointment he succeeded him in the government of God's peculiar people Israel, for which (according to David's prayer, Psal. lxxii. and his own, 1 Kings, iii. 9.), God endued him with an extraordinary degree of understanding.

Ver. 2. To know wisdom and instruction, to perceive the words of understanding ;] The scope of them is to make a man know what it is to be truly wise; and instruct him how to avoid those errors which men are apt to fall into, or to correct them if he hath been misled, and run into them; and to make him understand when good advice is given him; nay, to be able to give it unto others.

Ver. 3. To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgement, and equity;] For they will furnish him with the most excellent notions, and make him capable to understand things of highest concernment; both how to be just and good in all private transactions; and in public trusts and offices, to judge and act according to right and equity; and every other way to be upright and exactly virtuous.

Ver. 4. To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.] The most unskilful and incautious persons may here learn to be eircumspect and wary; and they who are childish and inconsiderate, get so much knowledge, as to behave themselves with prudence and discretion.

Ver. 5. A wise man will bear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels.] As for him that is wise already, he will not lose his labour in reading this book, which will make him still wiser. And indeed, it is principally designed for the improvement of him that is so wise as to be willing to learn more; who shall both gain a clearer knowledge of what he understands, and also make such additions, that he shall be fit to be a counsellor to kings, and govern the affairs of state in the greatest kingdoms.

Vet. 6. To understand a proverb, and the interpre

tation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.] He shall comprehend the most useful maxims; and be able to express them also with the greatest elegance ; the weightiest sayings of wise men shall be easy to him, and their abstrusest notions shall not be hidden from him.

Ver. 7. ¶ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and instruction.] In the first place, then, let all, both simple and wise, look upon an awful sense of God, a devout affection to him, and fear to offend him, as the chiefest point, and the very foundation of all wisdom; without which, men are but fools, and, having no regard to their Creator, will despise the wisest instructions that I can give them. See Arg. [a]

Ver. 8. My son, bear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother :] And, next to God, let me advise thee, my son, (or whoever thou art that comest to learn of me in this book), to reverence thy parents; and not only to hearken unto thy father, when he teaches thee to fear God, or tells thee that thou dost amiss, but to let thy mother's commands be a law to thee; especially when she bids thee observe the directions of thy tutors and public instructors, unto whom she commits thee; from which be sure never to depart. See Arg. [b]

Ver. 9. For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.] But value their counsels more than the fairest ornaments thy parents can put upon thy head; or the most precious chains wherewith they can adorn thy neck; for they shall add a far greater grace unto thee, and make thee more acceptable, both with God and with all worthy men.

Ver. 10. My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.] There will be those who will make it their business to seduce thee from their obedience, but remember, my son, that none can love thee so well as they; and, therefore, if lewd persons (who have no respect to God, or to their pious parents and instructors) persuade thee to bear them company, by no means yield to their greatest importunities, but flee their society. See Arg. [c]

Ver. 11. If they say, Come with us; let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause;] They may represent, perhaps, what advantage it will be to thee, to join with them in the breach of the very next commandment to that of honouring thy father and thy mother; saying, Come along with us to our lurking-places, where nobody can see us, and from thence set upon a wealthy traveller, who is to go that way, and take away his life. What though he be innocent! we shall the more easily dispatch him, when he suspects no danger, and hath given us no provocation.

Ver. 12. Let us swallow them up alive as the grave, and whole, as those who go down into the pit :] And though he should have many servants or companions with him to defend him, let not that affright thee; for we are enough of us to kill them all with ease in a moment, or to strangle them, and bury them alive; so that none shall escape to tell any tales; nor shall

they make any noise, nay, it shall not be known what

is become of them.

Ver. 13. We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil. The booty shall be great; for we are sure to find vast treasures, and all manner of precious things; enough to enrich us all, and furnish our houses bravely, that we may live splendidly all our days.

Ver. 14. Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse.] Come in for a share of it; and thou shalt have as much of it as we, who have been longer at the trade; for we live like friends, among whom all things are common; there is but one purse among us all, in which every one hath an equal interest.

Ver. 15. My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path.] But, my son, (or whoever thou art that wilt learn of me), let them not prevail with thee to go along with them, or to betake thyself to such a course of life; but if thou findest an inclination to it, stop it presently, and stir not one step in their company, or after their example.

Ver. 16. For their feet run to evil, and make baste to shed blood.] For it is not one single murder (or rob bery) in which they will engage thee, (though the guilt of that is too horrid to venture upon); but they will be always hurrying thee to some new mischief or other; and as soon as one mischief is over, they will be ready for, and make haste to commit another.

Ver. 17. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.] Flee from their society, therefore, now that I have given thee this warning; and be not so foolish and incautious as the silly birds, who use to run into the snare, or the net, which they see the fowler lay before their eyes, (vii. 23.)

Ver. 18. And they lay wait for their own blood, they lurk privily for their own lives.] For as he doth not lay his net in vain, but they are caught therein, so assure thyself these men are setting a trap for themselves, when they lie in wait to take away the lives of others; for they shall not always escape the hand of justice, but at last be taken, and suffer, either by a special vengeance of God, or by his ministers, what they have deserved.

Ver. 19. So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owner thereof] Such is the fate of him that greedily endeavours to enrich himself by such wicked means. As the bird enticed by a little chaff, falls into a snare which it doth not perceive, so he on a sudden loses his life, to satisfy a vain desire of worldly pelf, which then he cannot enjoy.

Ver. 20. Wisdom crieth without, she uttereth ber voice in the streets.] Let me advise you, therefore, ¶ rather to hearken to the manifold instructions of wisdom, whose inost excellent counsels you cannot but be as well acquainted withal, as you are with that which is proclaimed in the open streets; for you hear them in the plain dictates of your own consciences, in the laws of God, in the mouth of his prophets and ministers, in the admonitions and examples of good men, and in the course of his providence and wise VOL. III.

government, which call upon you more carnestly and loudly than these lewd seducers, to follow and obey them.

Ver. 21. She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the opening of the gates; in the city she uttereth ber words, saying,] There is no place where this cry of virtue and piety is not heard; which is not ashamed of itself, nor lurks in darkness, like those impious seducers, but appears openly in the midst of the greatest crowds, where no noise can drown its voice, no business, either public or private, can thrust by its reproof; but still it interposes itself, and every body, even those wicked men that flee from it, hear it calling to them,

Ver. 22. How long, ye simple ones, will ye lave simplicity and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?] And representing their unaccountable folly and stupidity, in such unanswerable questions as these: Is it not apparent by many examples, that such men as you are deceived and abused with vain hopes? Why then do you continue the cheat? Have you not played the fool long enough, but you will still act against your reason, and against your interest? where lies the pleasure of scoffing at religion and virtue, that you will never give it over? Is any man so wise, that he needs no monitor? or is ignorance so laudable, that a man should hate those. who would inform him?

Ver. 23. Turn you at my reproof; behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you; I will make known my words unto you.] Do not turn away from such checks as these, but repent in time, and resolve to learn your duty. It is not too late, for if you will listen to the secret rebukes of your own consciences, and to the open reproofs of my prophets, and follow their directions, I will plentifully communicate my mind, and infuse the very sense of it into you; it is not hard to find, nor will I conceal any thing of it, but plainly shew you all that I require of you.

Ver. 24. Because I have called, and ye refused, I have stretched out my band, and no man regarded;} Which offer if you refuse, nay, go on obstinately ¶ to despise instruction, then hear the doom which God, whose voice wisdom is, passes upon you: Because I have pressed you to amend, and ye would not yield to me, nay, I have been very urgent and earnest with you, (offering you my assistance, heaping upon you many benefits, and when they would do no good, laying on corrections, as well as shewing you the way to happiness), and none of you would so much as attend

unto me;

Ver. 25. But ye have set at nought all my counsels, and would none of my reproof;] But, quite contrary, set at nought all the good advice I gave you, as it they had been but vain and idle words, and slighted all my reproofs and threatenings, as if they had been ridiculous, or of no moment;

Ver. 26. I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh.] Therefore I will repay you in your kind, and as little regard what becomes of you in the day of your calamity, (which like a dismal cloud I will bring upon you unavoidably), I will be utterly unconcerned, when you know not

which way to turn yourselves, but are become the scorn of those who shall see you quake and tremble at that which before you would not fear at all.

Ver. 27. When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish cometh upon you.] Though it prove such a dreadful calamity, as will lay all waste, it shall not move me to relieve you, but I will let it sweep you and all you have away like a whirlwind; and when you fall into the most pinching outward distresses, and into the sorest anguish of mind, you shall evidently see, it was my pleasure to reduce you to those inextricable straits and pressures.

Ver. 28. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me.] For then (hearken all you that have not yet sinned in this degree of obstinacy) it will be very hard for these men to think of me, whom before they would not regard; nay, they shall cry to me for help, but I will send them none; they shall seek my favour importunately, but without the least suc

cess.

Ver. 29. For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD.] Because, when time was, they hated that knowledge, of which now they are forced to be desirous; and when they were nestly solicited to have some regard to God and to religion, they would not consent unto it;

ear

Ver. 30. They would none of my counsel; they despised all my reproof] But (as was said before) rejected my good advice with such disdain, as if it had been a grievance to them, and slighted, nay, contemned all those reproofs, whereby I would have reclaimed them from their impiety.

Ver. 31. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.] Therefore, as it is just that men should reap what they sow, and eat such fruit as they plant, so these men shall suffer the punishments which their wicked doings. naturally produce; nay, be glutted and surfeited with the miserable effects of their own counsels and contrivances.

Ver. 32. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.] For let them alone, ard they need nobody but themselves to destroy them; their escaping dangers only making them more audacious to run into them, and ther receiving daily additions of riches and honours, supplying their folly with means to hasten their undoing.

Ver.

33.

But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.] Such a vast difference there is between wicked and virtuous men. For whoso follows my counsels, and takes the courses to which I direct him, shall even then be safe, and possess what he hath in peace, when he sees these fools come to ruin; nay, he shall not be so much as disturbed with the fear of any mischief, but rest secure of a watchful providence over him.

CHAP. II.

THE ARGUMENT.-The attention of those that read

this book being bespoke in the foregoing chapter, he persuades them not only to read, but to receive and obey these good counsels, by representing the benefits of being wise, that is, good and virtuous, 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 wisdom, 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 wisdom, 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, ver. 16. some think he persuades us to shun all those [a] doctrines which draw away the mind from God, such as those of the Epicureans and idolators. But I take this to be intimated before, ver. 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, ver. 10. 11. where he charges his son by no means to consent to join with murderers; and here to shun fornication and adultery, which alienate the mind quite from wisdom, ver. 16. 17. &c.

This, therefore, is one of the first things wisdom 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 wholly perverted, and never recover themselves, but live and die like fools. And one of the next points of wisdom is, [b] to be taught by the dear-bought experience of others, who have been ruined, body and soul, by those lewd courses to which we are enticed. And here the wise man leads us back as far as the old world, which was wholly destroyed by such villanies as men's brutish lusts and passions carry them to commit. This seems to be implied in the word Repbaim, ver. 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 threatenings, to excite us to the study of wisdom; together with good directions to make our proceedings successful, which are principally these: 1st, Our own diligence; 2dly, Dependance upon God for help and assistance; 3dly, A due value of that which we seek; 4thly, 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 ver. 10. 11.

[c] There are those who look upon ver. 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, notwithstand. ing 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 withal, ver. 19. "go unto her," is a modest expression, used frequently in the holy book; as may be seen very often in one chapter, Gen. xxxviii. 2. 8. 9. 16. 18.

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Ver. 1. MY son, if thou wilt receive my words, and bide my commandments with thee;] And now, my son, whose happiness I most heartily desire, let me tell thee, for thy further encouragement, 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;

Ver. 2. So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thy heart to understanding ;] Listening with diligent attention, not to the enticements of such evil men as I have described, but to the counsels and instructions of wisdom; with sincere affection applying thy mind to understand thy duty:

Ver. 3. Yea, if thou crist ofter knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;] 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;

Ver. 4. If thou seekost her as silver, and searchest for her as for bid treasures;] If thou dost value this wisdom 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 inquiring still, and sparing no pains to know what the will of the Lord is: See Arg. [c.]

Ver. 5. Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.] Then thou shalt not fail to understand what it is to be truly religious, and that there is no wisdom comparable to it; and shalt find also what reason there is to reverence, worship, and solicitously obey him, who is the Almighty Creator, Governor, and Judge of all the world. Ver. 6. For the LORD giveth wisdom; out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.] For as wisdom, 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 hath given us a true knowledge and understanding of him;

Ver. 7. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righ

teous; he is a buckler to thm that walk uprightly.] 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.

Ver. 8. He keepeth the paths of judgement, and preserveth the paths of his saints.] That so he may preserve them in their integrity, and encourage 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.

Ver. 9. Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgement, and equity; yea, every good path.] By which thou shalt understand that justice and mercy in thy private dealings, and faithful discharge of thy trust in all public offices, and uprightness in every other virtue, are all of them the best, the most plain, easy, and natural way a man can take to be happy.

Ver 10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul ;] ¶ And when wisdom has thus taken possession of thy very heart and affections; and thou findest an inward pleasure and satisfaction, by observing the rules of picty, and all manner of virtue,

Ver. 11. Discretion shall preserve thee; understanding shall keep thee;} This alone will be a suficient security to thet, end 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 cannot be persuaded by any means to forsake them.

Ver. 12. To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things ;] 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 lewd principles into thee.

Ver. 13. Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;] Though thou shouldest be assaulted by many of them, thou shalt easily discover their folly, in leaving the straight, plain, and easy paths of virtue, to walk blindly they know not whither, in the perplexed ways of vice and wickedness;

Ver. 14. Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked.] Being so mad as to rejoice when they have done any mischief, and having no higher pleasure than to pervert others, and make them as bad as themselves;

Ver. 15. Whose ways are crooked, and they are forward in their paths.] That is, to draw them aside, and entangle 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 shameful cortradiction to their soberest reason and best understanding.

Ver. 16. To deliver thee from the strange woman,

even from the stranger which flattereth with her words: But such is that sweet satisfaction which (as I said, ver. 10. 11.) thou wilt find in the affectionate love of true wisdom, that it will deliver thee, not only from the snares of wicked men, but, which is more dan gerous, of a naughty woman; whose company (though so pernicious that God would have thee perfectly estranged from her, if she were not of the commonwealth of Israel, yet) hath powerful charms in it, to flatter thee into her embraces. See Arg. [a]

Ver. 17. Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.] Above all other, from that filthy adulteress, who is so lewd as to leave her husband, (though a worthy, and perhaps noble person), to whom she was joined in her youth, when love is in its greatest warmth, and took him for her guide and governor, but hath wickedly broken the laws of God, and violated the solemn vow of fidelity to him, which she made when they were married.

Ver. 18. For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.] The least degree of that discretion which wisdom infuses, will teach thee to avoid her society, who loves nobody, 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 giants, who corrupted mankind with such filthiness and violence, that they brought a deluge upon the earth, (Gen. vi. 4. 5. 11.) See Arg. [b]

Ver. 19. None that go unto her, return again; neither take they hold of the paths of life.] 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 enchantments, and they are so blinded and bewildered 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 virtuous way of living. See Arg. [d]

Ver. 20. That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.] In which the sincere love of wisdom, (ver. 11. 12. &c,), will so secure thee, that, escaping her snares, as well as those of wicked men, thou mayest imitate those excellent persons the patriarchs and prophets, and be preserved in the paths of those righteous men who have followed after them.

Ver. 21. For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.] Which is as much as to say, that thou mayest be perfectly happy; for men of integrity (according to God's promise, Deut. xi. 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.

Ver. 22. But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.] But such impious men as I spoke of (according to what God himself hath also denounced, Deut. xi. 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 do wickedly, and keep no faith with God nor man, shall be plucked up, like a tree, by the very roots, and leave none to preserve their memory behind them.

CHAP. III.

THE ARGUMENT.-In this chapter he continues to press obedience to the precepts of wisdom, from the consideration of the benefits that are to be reap. ed thereby. Which he began to speak of in the foregoing chapter, (touching also there upon the mischiefs on the contrary side), but here handles more largely; and explains it not only in general, but in several particular precepts; for instance, liberality to God's ministers, ver. 9. 10. pa tience in adversity, ver. 11. 12. The foundation of which is an entire trust in God and his fidelity, who will honour those that honour him in his ministers, and never desert those in their trouble, who do good when they are in their prosperity, ver. 5. 6.

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After these things he returns to the general exhortation, ver. 13. &c. advising every one to learn the doctrine delivered by God, and to be obedient, and not to be so foolish, as to prefer their own wisdom or craft before it. To which he adds promises and comminations, together with several advices, which I need not note particularly, because they lie plainly before their eyes who will read the chapter. shall only observe, that he represents wisdom, [a] (ver. 16. 17. &c.), that is, religion and virtue, as other authors have done (particularly Cebes, in his Tables), in the shape of a beautiful woman, or rather queen, with her arms extended, in the posture not only of directing, but also of rewarding her lovers and followers. For she holds forth in her right hand the great blessings of health, and length of days, unto all those that will walk in the way to which she points. And it was but just to place this in her right hand, that is, to give it the precedence, because it was the chief promise of the law; and, indeed, the most desirable of all earthly blessings, without which nothing can be enjoyed, no, not ourselves.

And then, after this, follow wealth and reputation, things that mankind mightily covet; which he places in her left hand, as inferior blessings, but that come also from her gift.

And as for chearfulness in all conditions, there are no pleasures, he affirms, like those which wait upon her, and attend her motions. Safe and secure pleasures, which not merely gratify us for the present, and then expose us to danger, and leave us sad afterward; but give us a peaceable possession of perpetual joy; which never dies nor decays, but, like the tree of life, remains fresh for ever. This he proves, ver. 19. 20. and amplifies in the rest of the chapter.

[b] In which some observe three proverbial sayings; one, ver. 8. which seems to be but a metaphorical