Simon Patrick on the Proverbs
1683
Chapter 2
10. "When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul.”
And when wisdom hath thus taken possession of thy very heart and affections; and thou findest an inward pleasure and satisfaction, by observing the rules of piety and all manner of virtue.
11. "Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee.”
This alone will be a sufficient security to thee, and 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 that cannot be persuaded by any means to forsake them.
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 subtly insinuate his lewd principles into thee.
13. "Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness.”
Though thou shouldst be assaulted by many of them, thou shalt easily discover their folly; in leaving the straight, plain and even paths of virtue, to walk blindly they know not whither in the perplexed ways of vice and wickedness.
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.
15. "Whose ways are crooked, and they froward 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 contradiction to their soberest reason and best understanding.
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 in verses 10 and 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 dangerous, of a naughty woman: whose company (though so pernicious that God would have thee perfectly estranged from her, as if she were not of the Commonwealth of Israel, yet) hath powerful charms in it, to flatter thee into her embraces.
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.
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 no body, 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. 6:4,5,11).
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 anybody 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.
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 (verses 11,12, etc.) 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 followed after them.
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. 11:8,9,21) 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.
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. 11:17 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 doe [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.