Simon Patrick on the Proverbs
1683
15. "Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well." Such are the fruitless moans of a man that path quite exhausted himself in those lewd courses, which show how much better it is to follow the advice which I now give thee: marry; and in a wife of thine own enjoy the please re thou desirest, and be content with them alone; innocent, chaste, and pure pleasures; as much different from the other, as the clear, waters of a wholesome fountain are from those of a dirty lake or puddle.
16. "Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets." Of whom thou mayest have a law full issue, which thou neediest not be ashamed to own; but openly produce, and send them abroad, like streams from a spring, to serve the public good: nay, a numerous progeny may be derived from your happy society, and match into divers other honest families.
17. “Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee." Children that acknowledge no other father, because they spring from one whom thou enjoyest (like a fountain in thine own ground) to thy self alone: being taught by thy confining thy self to her, never to admit any stranger to thy bed; but to keep it solely unto thee.
18. "Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth." Happy shall thine every way be in such a wife; whom I advice [advise] thee to take in thy youth, and avoiding those filthy cruel harlots (vs. 9) to solace thy self in her innocent and delight-full company: whereby thou wilt long preserve thy youth, which they speedily deflower (vs. 10).
19. "Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love." Love her and cherish her with a most tender affection; and let her always seem amiable in thine eyes: if thou wouldst recreate and disport thy self (as some are wont to do with young fawns, and other beautiful' creatures of like kind) let it be with her, as the sweetest companion; in whose embraces take such satisfaction, as to forget all other, and to be excessively transported with her as long as you live.
20. "And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?" Consider, my son (vs. 1), what I say, and deny if thou canst, that it is an unaccountable folly to seek in a vile harlot (to whom thou oughtest to be as great a stranger, as to her religion) that which thou mayest more fully, more pleasantly, securely, and constantly, as well as more innocently, enjoy in a pious wife of thine own nation.
21. "For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He pondereth all his goings." And which is most considerable, enjoy with the approbation and favor of the Lord: from whom no man can hide his most private actions, but He plainly sees and weighs all he doth, wheresoever he be; and will exactly proportion rewards and punishments, according as he behaves himself.
22. "His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins." If he be a wicked fornicator or adulterer, for instance, let him not think to escape, because he is so cunning that nobody observes him, or so powerful that hone can call him to account: for his own manifold iniquities shall arrest and apprehend him; and he shall need no other chains to bind and hold him fast, to answer for them to God.
23. "He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his (ally he shall go astray." Whose sentence upon such a person is this; that he shall inevitably perish (vs. 5), because he refused to follow these instructions; and not only miss of his aim of being happy, but like men that wander from the right way, precipitate himself into unexpected ruin (vss. 9-11) because he was such an egregious fool, as to take no warning by all that could be said to him; but still to commit innumerable sins (vss. 13-14) though he as told the many inconveniencies, nay, mischief they would bring upon him.