to Ithiel and Ucal c. knowledge of Divine Myſteries from me,nor frem any Man, but &19.140. "'C . from the Word of God,whichis a certain Rule both of your Belief f Heb: _ ring _ TE any __ 47 pronto —_—_— and Practice, becauſe every part and parcel of it is Hoy and T rue, p#rifiea, Seine; King + : : n &T | and Good, and there is not the leaſt mixture of Falſhood and Fol! afrerwards,and was famous in his Generation for Wiſdom, and Pie. |; :. ere is in all the Words and Writings of M Whi 4 ty, and Prophecyzand therefore his Proverbs werethought fit to be | p22 4h 1 leads ordsand Writing en. p Which added to thoſe of Solomen either by thoſe men of Hezekiah mention= ſuppoſerh their knowledge of bim by his Word, Pal. g. 10.and con« ed Chap; 25: 1. or by ſome other. But that this ſhould be meant of -— 7 ate ; ag upon his Promiſes, joyned with Obedience to Solomon, may eaſily be ſuppoſed, but cannot be proved ; nor is it w %* Agg 'F q leſt probable, as being contrary both to the Style of the whole Chapter 6 tnou not unto Nis words 4, 1C he r Cprove *Rev:s:, and to the Matter of ſome part of it, as Yer. 7,8,9.which agrees not thee F, and thou be found a liar. 18:190 to Solommn; and to the Laws of good Interpretation, one of which | q And as the Word of God is pure,do not thou corrupt or abuſe is, that all Words ſhould be taken in their moſt natural and proper it,by adding to it thine own or otherMens InventionsandOpinions Senſe,when there is no evidence nor neceſlityof underſtanding them and delivering or receiving of them in the Name and as the Words improperly and figuratively, which is the preſent caſe, 6 The pro- of God, Hehere forbids only adding fo it,not diminiſhing from it, | phetical InſtruQtion ; for as the Prophets were publick prezchers as which yet is equally forbidden, Deut: 4: 2- and 12; 32, becauſe the well as Forerellers of things to come,ſo their Sermons, no leſs chan 1/raelizes then and always were, and others are more prone to add their PrediQtons, are commonly called their Prophecies. c Two than todiminiſh, becauſe it is more eaſie to add under colour ofin- Friends or Diſciples, and Contemporaries of Agr, called by thoſe terpretingzand becauſe it is more agreeable to the humour of Mane Names,who having a great and juſt Opinion of bis Wiſdom,defired kind, which is much delighted with its own Inventions,as the expe= i Heb his Inſtructions. Others, concerning {thiel and Ucsl, which they un- rience of all Ages {heweth« r By words or deeds;by diſcovering thy - his :h derſtand ai) Lone wo Ithiel, which _— _ | ws me, and an. folly and bringing thee to deſerved ſhame and puniſhment. "ps ſwers to Immanuel, which is God with us ; and Ucal, which ſignifies ; . c | 32:5, | Power or Prevalency. But if he had meant this of Chriſt, why ſhould h U ba _ : required s of thee, | deny me ri he deſign him by ſuch obſcure & ambiguous Names, as if he would xr" a Sag ”y C 6 Ity q Ns netfron me not be underſtood ? Why did he nor call him by the Name of Shilo #1 90 earneſtly and eſpecially defire.s Heb. Wirhboid chem nor few me before I die,i, e. whilſt I live,as things of great and continual ne-
or Meſiah,or ſome other Scripture-Title belonging and aſcribed to : bim ? Beſides, this Interpretation agrees not with the Contents of ceſlity for thy honour and ſervice, and my own good.
this Chapter, wherein there is only a ſhort and occaſional mention 32 Remove far from me « vani : *ve $ ſat. 61 Ts | ity x and lies y : give * Mat: of Chriſt, bur the Chprer conſiſts in a manner wholly of Counſels : . om 4 | | and Sentences ofa quite other kind, angie neither poverty nor riches, ® feed me w : + Heb. f; convenient for me s : ny allw«-
JOr, z 2 Surely I «zz more brutiſh than [ any man,and have ., From my Heart, and from the courſe of my Life. _— the pn
_— z. not the underitanding of || a man d. firſt of Agurs Petitions. x Either 1. al vainand falſe Opiniony con» 1 O ' 4+ Ad You come to me with a great opinion of my Wiſdom,and you cerning God or the thingsof God; all Unbelief, Idolatcy,,of Miſs Lhd, As expeCt thatTi ſhould inform andioſtruf you in all things,yes, even belief. Or 2, all vanity of Heart and Life: a vain Converſation,an mean 143, ; the greateſt Myſteries ; but you are much miſtaken in me; Iam AffeQation of the vain things of this World as Riches,PJeaſures, or as ignorant and fooliſh as other men generally are, yea morethan Honours,the bewitching power and ſad effefts whereof he had obſcr= ; many others. Which he utterseither «5. froma deep ſenſe of the vedin others, and feared in himſelf, as the following Requelt 1ms ga, commonCorruption of Humane Nature,and of the blindneſs of mens plies. y AH Falſhood and Deceir in my Words and Carriage to=
aninds in things concerning God andtheir own Duty, and ofrhe ue» wards God or Men; # This is his ſecond Requeſt, which may feat {4
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2,
Chap. XXX.
PROVERBS, . to have ſome reference to the former, Poverty being commonly the ' to the Crows, or Ravens, Occaſion and Temptation to the Sin of Lying, and Rzches being the | particularly to pick out t
caſions of them, c:flities, and to that eſtate and condition of Life in which thou haſt | valley of dead be put me, and to that work and ſervice which thou haſt for me to do» | which therefore rhe Ray
whovuſe to feed upon dead Carcaſes, and l |
, OT 4 SQ Ce , ; heir eyes, as is noted by all ſorts of Wri= great Occaſions and Enticements to Yaniry, Thus as his firſt Peti- | ters; of which ſee my Latin Synopſis. He faith,
tion was againſt the Sins themſelves,ſo this latter is againſt the Oc- | valley, either becauſe thzy moſt delight in Valleys, or with a partie
a Moderate and ſuitable both to my natural Ne- | cular reſpe& unto that Valley near Jeruſalem ; which was called che dies, Jer: 31: 40. from the Carcaſes caſt out there, 1o ens reſorted in great numbers according to
the ravens of the
| |
And this Mediocrity of Eſtate is ſo amiable, that it hath been oft deſired by wiſe Heathens as more eligible than a ſtate of the greateſt plenty and glory» *Neut: 8: 9 * Leſt I be full, andjdeny thee b, and ſay, Who is 12, & 32. the LORD ec? orleſt I be. poor,and ſteal, and rake the 16. name of my God in vain d. |
Hoſt 13'6: 4 By truſting to Riches, which is a Denial of God,76b 31:24, 28: # Heb. 5 yy unthankfulneſs for, and abuſe of his Mercies, and by Rebellion ye thee. againſt him,and divers other Courſes and common PraCtiſes of rich