hee propoundeth his counsell verse 13. Secondly he declareth the effect thereof Thirdly he expoundeth both his reuiew and determination or iudgement thereof verse 14 His determination he confirmes by a reason verse 15. All is figured by a prolepsis verse 16. 17. and concluded verse 17. which is confirmed verse 18. The first argument confirming the certaintie of his experimentall knowledge is drawne from the condition of his person King and therefore of farthest extent and reach of deâ—pest apprehension and largest comprehension as he that on an high hill seeth farthest and comprehendeth most Men of priuate state are but of priuate straight and and particular wits experienced and exercised in few and inferiour things and also disturbed many waies But a King is as the Sunne comprehending all things superiour and inferiour within the compasse of his sight and is eleuated as I may say aboue the troubled regions of the Aire all things being placed vnder him and free from all obstacles in a firmely established and peaceable common-wealth as this of Israel now was In a word hee is Gods vice-gerent the neerest attendant to him of his priuie counsell euer in presence and sight on whose hand as I may say the great King leaneth Dauid was a man of warre but God gaue Solomon peace with all nations and all nations were seruiceable to him Wherefore The more freely to liue in ease and fleshly pleasure To doe as brethren doe oft times falling at variance among themselues for want of an outward aduersarie against whom they may ioyne in vnitie of contention Or that the members of the body should deuoure and consume one another for want of matter to worke vpon from the stomacke No such thing For that is bruitish and ethnicall But he gaue him peace that hee might build him an house a glorious house Hee gaue him wisedome with peace to gouerne his people prudently and to teach them the feare of the Lord to stablish the whole worship of God in perfection according to the Law To glorifie the Lord in erecting his house and stablishing his worship that the beauty of both might be an astonishment to the nations that the God of Israel might be glorified in all the earth To conclude his Kingly office is amplied by the subiect or obiect Israel the people of God and therefore the most excellent and glorious King Lastly by the place in Ierusalem Ierusalem the citie of God the beauty of holinesse the paradise of the world renewed the ioy of the whole earth Now being a King hee wanted no meanes to attaine to knowledge neither authority to enquire and demaund the opinions and iudgements of others nor ability to get and vse all meanes requisite for exquisite knowledge Verse 13. And I gaue my heart to seeke and search out by wisedome concerning all things that are done vnder heauen this sore trauaile hath God giuen to the sonnes of men to be exercised therewith THe second Argument confirming the certainty of his experience drawne from his diligent trauaile and accurate endeauour As hee wanted not power and ability to procure and vse all meanes so neither wanted hee desire and diligence For hee gaue himselfe wholly not onely to seeke by wisedome to know things but to search out by obseruation and tryall according to wisedome the causes properties and effects and the reason of all things that are and are done vnder heauen But this hee did not in pride and curiositie but in modesty accordingly as he found himselfe gifted of God 1 King 4. 33. For God is the father of lights the gifts of his spirit are lights shining in darkenesse Wisedome is with God and proceedeth out from the throne of God which whosoeuer wanâ—eth can neuer attaine to the true knowledge of him because his worldly heart is full of darknesse For God hath subdued all things vnder vanity which the blinde world knoweth not or but dreamingly noteth which maketh flesh and bloud so proud from which no man can rid himselfe striue hee neuer so much but rather doth still as the proud curious heritickes did encrease vanity errour and folly as the hydropical body by thirsting and striuing to quench thirst by drinking doth increase the discase and in the end destroy it selfe The heathen kept neither meane nor measure in the curious and ambitious search of the wisedome of God in the world and his secret counsell in the vse of his creatures But for as much as the end of their endlesse labours was not the glory of God euen subiection to him in feare and thankefull obedience but their owne vaine-glory praise pleasure foolishnesse impietie they found not that which they sought for For a foole saith Solomon seeketh wisedome and findeth it not but wearieth himselfe in a Labyrinth and so became vaine in their worldly imaginations Wherefore because they sought to know God out of his Church and to assume the glory thereof to themselues by returning their owne eyes and the eyes of men after them to exalt and magnifie them as hee that seeketh praise by the curious description of a cunning worke but forgetteth yea despiseth the workeman himselfe and because they thought and sought to comprehend the infinite maiestie and wisedome of God in the creation and gouernment by humane capacitie and trauaile without the Spirit and Word of God therefore were they blinded like the Sodomites seeking Lots doore groping all their life after that which they could neuer finde attaining onely to so much as serued to quicken the worme of their dead consciences to make them inexcusable Furthermore as God hath by a generall decree in the beginning laid sore trauell on man to humble his pride thereby in so much that nothing can be gotten without great labour since the fall so neither can he attaine to the knowledge of wisedome without diligence For the gift is indeed freely giuen of God but we must receiue it by the appointed meanes Therefore although hee granted the request of Solomon in giuing a wise and vnderstanding heart aboue all that were before him or after him yet he applyed himselfe to the study and contemplation of all things and to finde out the secrets of Gods wisedome by carefull obseruation and experience So that in the studies of knowledge there is great affliction both of body and minde First because some neuer attaine to true wisedome but fall into vaine imaginations and manifold errours and so when they thinke to be wise they become fooles The iust iudgement of God on their proud presumption Rom. 1. 22. Of those kinds of studies these wordes of Solomon may be vnderstood This sore trauaile hath God giuen c. Secondly they that are mooued and directed by the spirit of God to the right end and so attaine to wisedome are greatly humbled with infinite toyle as well as the husbandman and in the end see nothing but vanity euen matter of griefe both in the things that are knowne and in the knowledge it selfe For they are still
not captiuated to his owne will is truly royall And thy Princes eate in due season c. That is when thy Magistrates Counsellers and officers are moderate and modest not giuen to feasting banketting prodigalitie pride glorifying one another in the flesh not to proud apparell proud buildings not to sports and pleasures drunkennesse and venery Prou. 31. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. For who is then graced preferred rewarded but the vassals of their lusts The Church and Churchmen go to wracke wanting necessary meate drinke apparell lodging c. but rather to sobrietie and parsimony not to oppression and robbery but to liberalitie and bountifulnesse not to carelesse wasting of the wealth of the land but to preserue and increase the same not to rob and spoyle but to enrich the Church and commonaltie lastly so to serue the body that the body of the Church and commonwealth may be serued by it and the Lord by both Verse 18. By much slouthfulnesse the building decayeth and through idlenesse of the hands the house droppeth through AN exposition or explication of the woe or miserie especially of the former part thereof vers 16. illustrated and inforced by a comparison drawne from the euill and disorderly oeconomie or gouernement of a priuate house or family which sheweth forth it selfe in the euill vsage of the outward building These euils are slouthfulnesse and carelesnesse or idlenesse The former is a vice of the minde the latter of the body A carelesse minde an idle hand Where those vices reigne the house not onely decayeth but rotteth and droppeth vpon the head of the improuident slouthfull vnthristie housholder A man in respect of his person is knowne by his apparell countenance and gate what manner of one he is as touching his ethicks or morality saith the sonne of Sirach Againe he is knowne by his house yard grounds cattell seruants and children what manner of man he is as touching his economie or husbandry Prou. 24. 30. 31. The house of the slouthfull man is ruinous and droppeth through his yard is like a vaste desert the fences and walls broken downe as a vineyard layd waste his fields are ouergrowne with thistles and briers his family is disordered and idle one contending and quarelling with another girning one at another all maisters and vnruly Thus it is in the house of prodigals drinking slipthrifts and Belials do naughts Thirdly in respect of his politicks or magistracie he is knowne by his subiects For as the housholder is in his house or family so is the magistrate in the citie and the king in his dominions An house is a part of a streete a streete is a part of a citie the citie is a part of the kindome The king is the head the kingdome is his body consisting of members whereof some are superiour as those that are placed in gouernment vnder him and are subordinate one to another others are inferiour Whereas the Prince feareth not God but is either couetous or wastfull carelesse and dissolute then the Church and common wealth go to wracke The gouernours are rauening Harpies and riotous deuouring the commons and feeding themselues of the flocke yea euery one after their examples preying one on another The vngodly flatterers lust-seruers are aduanced and placed in offices for money or fauour for there is no care nor feare of God in the superiours but euery one that feareth God is dishearted and he that speaketh vprightly is hated in the gate and he that rebuketh is abhorred Amos 5. And amongst those wicked ones there is nothing but enuie and contentions euery one being giuen to oppression pride and ambition and all enemies to God and godlinesse Whereupon it commeth in the end to be a vast desert of wilde beasts and as a vineyard lying waste spoyled with foxes and wilde boares like a field ouerrunne and cropt vp with cattell and pastures rooted vp with swine and ouergrowne with thistles and briers Such desolations doth the Lord threat vpon carnalitie and contempt of his word All these things declare what the Prince is and by what manner of spirit the commonwealth is inliued and moued For as the spirit of a thing is such is the thing If the spirit be weake the body is ouergrowne and ouercome with diseases as we see in plants in beasts in men Now the spirit of houshold gouernment is pater familias the good man of the house The spirit of polity or commonwealths gouernment is the king A prudent and valiant Prince hath a strong constitution and sound body his spirit worketh effectually in the finger and all vtmost parts as well as at the heart and inward parts that there may be soundnesse and ioy in all the body Verse 19. A feast is made for laughter and wine maketh merrie but money answereth all things AN explication of the complaint or woe especially of the latter part thereof vers 16. which was this Thy Princes eate in the morning that is spend their whole time euen the morning it selfe wherein nature it selfe bindeth vs to sobrietie and solitary study in eating drinking pleasures like to the Sodomites and beastiall Princes of Israel It is illustrated by the contrary and right vse of eating drinking and other expence A feast is made for laughter The vse of meate is the reparation and conseruation of the body in health and strength that a man may be enambled to discharge the duties of his calling wherein God hath placed him He must keepe his body in temperance sobriety and chastity that the minde may be more cleare and free of greater strength and vigour in the functions thereof both for deliberation and execution As for a feast that is made for laughter for a recreation of the minde and body at certaine conuenient times and to preserue common societie and neighbourhood or rather to testifie friendship and loue one towards another though particular businesses and necessities haue distracted them and drawne euery man ad sua curanda to care for his owne things of the vse whereof feasting and co mmon meetings testifie a certaine communitie such as in this disordered world and miserable condition of man can be had But to be addicted to feasting to make a trade of pampering the body as epicurishnesse and beastlinesse For beasts regard nothing but the belly they are all body and to feede well is their perfection And wine maketh merrie Wine also hath the same vse that is of meates He that giueth himselfe to drinking and companiship is a drunkard although he neuer be drunke Therefore the Prophet Esay denounceth a woe against them that are able to drinke strong drinke Woe be to them for they spend not onely the time of life idlely and wastefully but also make others drunke and glorie in euill But wine is not for Kings nor strong drinke for Princes Prou. 31. 4. but for the sicke to recouer health as Saint Paul said vnto Timothie Drinke a little wine for thy stomackes sake and often infirmities and wine
to illustrate the excellence of wisedome or dignitie of the wise mans speeches though his words coÌ„monly be not heard For this verse hath reference to the last words before The loud noise thundering words of a proud and wrathful gouernour among such like as himselfe ignorant foolish and passionate are heard For terrible and sounding words most affect the rude and passionate But the words of a wise man in quiet namely of a poore or meane man that hath no commanding power but is submisse humble and speaketh vnder correction not proudly and peremptorily are to be heard before him For pride stomachfulnesse headinesse wilfulnesse and presumptuous foole-hardinesse auaile little but things are rightly and easily effected by wisedome great weights are easily moued and remoued by the deuice of engines which to plaine strength are impossible The great words great strength and power of Xerxes was nothing good to but to dig down mountains to make nearer passages of riuers and to drinke riuers dry as it is recorded of his hoast For Leonidas with few words and no noise and few men surprised him as being a Whale on the sands and the ioyntlesse beast Alce leaning to a tree almost sawne through for these are taken by wisedome not by strength The submisse words of a poore man speaking with g ood vnderstanding are rather to be heard of gouernors and honorable men then are the boisterous words of the proud and foolish among fooles For the matters of the world are ordered by the wisedome of God which he reuealeth to whom he will without respect of persons for he respecteth his glory onely Therefore â—he regardeth the lowlinesse of the poore and sendeth the rich empty away He despiseth not the poore for his pouertie nor accepteth the person of the rich to giue him wisedome c. because of his riches though the rich foole arrogateth all to himselfe taÌ„quaÌ„ proprio iure All this is euident by the parable aforesaid Verse 18. Wisedome is better then weapons of warre but one sinner destroyeth much good A Third comparison to illustrate the excellencie of wisedome Weapons and engines auaile much in warres for no warre is made-without them but let them be as good and as strong as they can be yet wisedome is stronger For where wisedome is wanting weapons are as ready to turne their points vpon their maisters as against the enemies as the Madianites did and as the Iewes in the last siege and vtter ouerthrow of Ierusalem and their whole nation did This is a thing confessed of euery good warrier that weapons are nothing without wisedome and counsell and that wisedome giueth the dead blow as Tully saith Parua sunt soris arma nisi est consilium domi and not Achilles but Vlysses is termed Poliporthos the sacker of cities One wise Commander is better then many fighting men The Lion that is Leader or Captaine of Harts is better then an Hart that is Captaine and Leader of Lions Therefore the silence of wisedome is better then the noise of strength If the ship be not gouerned by the skilfull Pilot the rowers shall by their strength but runne her on the rockes and into the sands â—herefore â—e that sitteth at the sterne and discerneth the coasts bringeth the ship to the hauen rather then the mariners And this was the glory of the Romanes that they conquered the world by wisedom not by strength The Romanes were ciuill and prudent other nations barbarous and strong If beasts knew their strength they would beare rule ouer man and bring him into subiection vnder them to labour for them as they do for him and would prey vpon him If Absolon had obeyed the counsell of Achitophel 2. Sam. 17. 1. 2. 3. he had preuailed against Dauid but being yong and heady strong and furious such like violent courses best pleased him For when Hushai told him of an hoast like the sands of the sea shore for multitude and that it should fall on Dauid and his men like dew not leauing a man aliue and that they would draw downe cities with ropes into the riuer not leauing one stone behinde them he preferred this violent fury before the murdering counsell of Achitophel For the Lord had appointed to defeate the good counsell of Achitophel that he might turne Absolons foolish strength against himselfe If Rehoboam had followed the sage counsell of the Ancients and not taken the violent courses of the yong men he had not lost ten parts of his kingdome And one sinner destroyeth much good The Hebrew is Vechotea that is one declining diuerting aberring from the right way or straight course into by-wayes The words may be taken as a confirmation of the former sentence concerning the excellency necessity of wisedome in warres He that faileth but once in policy or counsell through neglect shall weaken his hoast and giue aduantage to the aduersary haply lose all his former victories as Hannibal and Attilius Regulus and many more stout warriers haue done Or rather they are an explication or illustration of wisedome by a distinction of wisedome and wise men For there is wisedome ioyned with the feare of God commonly called good wisedome and there is worldly crastinesse which Saint Iames termeth earthly sensuall and diuellish Iam 3. 15. and the sonne of Sirach termeth it execrable malice Such was the counsell of Achitophel and Herod This wisedome is serpentine and diabolicall like that of the High priest princes and Pharises against Christ and his spirituall kingdome It is suggested of lust and ingested of Sathan One sinner destroyeth much good as one wiseman fearing God doth much good as the Parable afore shewed and the example of good Obadiah and Iob testifie and of Hushai also So againe one fraudulent crafty guilefull person bringeth a curse vpon a whole common-wealth as Ieroboam did whose execrable deuice to stablish his kingdome see 1. King 12. 26. to the end So Herod to stablish himselfe in his kingdome slew all the children in Bethlem and the coasts about that were two yeares olde and vnder Such were the plots of Absolon against Dauid of the high Priest and princes of the Iewes against Christ The one will get a kingdome by wicked wisedome and the other preserue their kingdome by wicked wisedome But good is neither gotten nor preserued by euill For God wil be God and glorified only and man shall be a beast The mischiuous imaginations of the wicked shall not prosper Such is the wisedome of Antichrist and to conclude of the Diuell and all his children All euill proceedeth of them and in the end falleth vpon them as the dew that riseth out of the ground and falleth downe vpon the ground Therefore how profitable and wise soeuer the counsel of a wicked man seemeth to be yet giue no eare vnto him though our selues being euill are euer inclinable to the worse part For his counsells and doings in the end will marre all He will but shew foorth witty folly and bring
dreame and as but a dreame And so doth olde age wonder at the change of the world hee longeth after the former generation and desires to be dead All is vanity vexation and wearinesse But the yong generation thinketh not so Their endeuors expectations and hopes are strong and possible but the aged despaireth and sorroweth and is vexed to see vanities and foolish presumptions To conclude that which to his youth was a pleasure is to his age a paine that which was a delight is a wearinesse and anger and the Pallace is but a prison house Verse 2. While the Sunne or the Light or the Moone or the Starres be not darkened nor the Cloudes returne after the raine HEere hee beginneth the particular description of olde age drawing it out in liuely shape and colours to represent it to the eyes of the young men that being now young hee may see himselfe olde before his eyes And this he doth allegorically by manifold similitudes drawne from common and vsuall things continually obuious to the eies and eares the more firmely to fixe it in the memorie to the end that considering the shortnesse of time and weakenesse of age and certainty of death hee might the more diligently and carefully bâ—stirre him to his worke and in his worke euen doing good while time serueth to finish his worke before Sune-set to inne his fruits before winter While the Sunne or the Light c. quasi dicat before the sight of thine eyes be dimme through the weaknesse of the spirites drinesse of the sinewes and humour of the eyes and through vapours which arising out of the body into the head through coldnesse of the braine are clouded into rheume which trickleth downe the nose and eyes and being done away quickely returneth agayne as cloudes after raine in a moist season and waters into an emptyed fountaine which causeth olde age to weare his napkin at his girdle to keepe his head and feete warme that colde strike not vp into his head and being there may not congeale but euaporate forth through the poares and seames of the head and for the same purpose to weare a cloth about his necke to keepe the poares open that the vapours may there breake forth quâ— data porta ruant to preuent head-ach tooth-ach joynt-ach rheume in the eyes nose c. The ayre to aged eyes seemeth duskie and mistie and the Sunne wadeth as the Moone in a foggie euening and the Starres are out of sight Let the ouer-shadowing cloudes drisling miâ—â—es thicke fogges watrish ayre dewing moisture dropping of trees in a mist the dullnesse of the darke day the sluggishnesse of the rainie day the dropping of the eaues the siping through of waters into the house put vs in minde of the irkesomnesse and annoyances of olde age and to doe our dueties while wee haue the vse of our sight which once failing wee are disabled from innumerable things wherein we might be profitable to man gainfull to God and furtherers of our saluation Verse 3. In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble and the strong men shall bow themselues and the grinders cease because they are few and those that looke out of the windowes be darkened By the Keepers of the house are meant the hands The hand sayth Aristotle is the organ of organes or instrument of instruments For whereas other members haue their seuerall offices the office of the hand is manifold and generall seruing all the rest The body is an house or city or kingdome in it selfe the king or chiefe ruler is the head the hands are the keepers or guard Euery creature hath his weapons for defence man hath his hands his hands are all weapons euen as he is a little world What all particular creatures can doe with their weapons that can hee doe with his hands yea what suttleties or meanes of getting foode is in them all is in him humano more When the keepers of the house shall tremble that is with the palsie caused of cold binding or of heate consuming or of humors stopping the sinewes And the strong men shall bow themselues When the thighs shal be weake standing loose in the bases or sockets of the knees the spirit languishing the sinews withring the bloud setling and thickning in the veines as riuers in the drought of summer For strength is attributed to the bones thighs or legges Psal 147. 10. He delighteth not in the strength of an horse he taketh not pleasure in the legges of a man Old mens knees buckle or bend forward like an elbowe through the weakenesse of their joynts and sinewes as drunkards goe staggeringly when they are top-heauy nimio solutus Iaccho and their sinewes dissolued and heat euaporated with loud talking vehement contending and much drinke And the grinders cease that is when the tâ—eth are worme-eaten or moskered or mildered away or stand wedshodde in slimie humour standing like weather-beate stakes and mosâ—e begrowne rootes hollow and stumpie falling out one after another as the cogges of a mill worne thinne and narrow at the toppe or else rotten in the roote which partly are troublesome to the aged and partly they are afraid to break those odde straglers remayning And those that looke out at the windowes be darkened That is the eyes which are as ones head looking out at an hole or window the body is an house or tower the eye-holes are windowes through which the soule looketh out into the Cittie of the world The eyes of the aged are like an olde dustie window Verse 4. And the doores shall be shut in the streetes when the sound of the grinding is low and hee shall rise vp at the voice of the bird and all the daughters of musicke shall be brought low BY doores is meant the lips The wind-pipe is the entry the mouth is the doore-gate the lips are the two-leafed doore of the heart or soule as our Sauiour saith Out of the aboundance of the heart the mouth speaketh Euill thoughts come out of the heart passing by the entry of the throate through the doore The lips of old people are often pendulons and tremulous they keep them shut to stay the daily distillation of rheume neither haue they what to speake among strong men because their vnderstanding and memory faileth them they are testie morose cholericke and passionate their voice is weake and breath short and the state of all things is so altered since they were yong that they cannot tell what to thinke or say Children and olde men are neither Counsellours nor Actors the one committeth both these to the elder 1. King 3. 7. 9. the other to the yonger 2. Sam. 19. 35. 37. The strength of the one is to come the other is gone When the sound of the grinding is low because the teeth stand thin or loose or moskerd at the roote or that they are fallen out and he cheweth with his gummes and the grinding cannot be heard And he shall rise vp at the noise of