Doth not Wisdom cry Proverbs 8:1 The personification of Wisdom R. Wardlaw. Whatever may have been the satisfaction experienced by devout minds in reading this chapter, as if it contained the words of Christ and evidence of His pre-existent Divinity, I dare not withhold what I believe to be the true principle of interpretation. The objections to its meaning Christ, or the Word, ere He became flesh, when "in the beginning He was with God, and was God," are to my mind quite insuperable. For example — 1. It should be noticed that the passage is not so applied in any part of the New Testament. Had any New Testament writer expressly applied any part of the chapter to the Son of God, this would have been a key which we could not have been at liberty to refuse. 2. Wisdom here is a female personage. All along this is the case. Now under such a view the Scriptures nowhere else, in any of their figurative representations of "the Christ," ever thus describe or introduce Him. 3. Wisdom does not appear intended as a personal designation, inasmuch as it is associated with various other terms, of synonymous, or at least of corresponding, import. 4. The whole is a bold and striking personification of the attribute of wisdom, as subsisting in Deity (see ver 12: "I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions"). 5. Things which are true of a Divine attribute would naturally be susceptible of application to a Divine person. ( R. Wardlaw. ) She standeth in the top of high places. Proverbs 8:2 The purpose and range of Wisdom J. Parker, D. D. She sets up her tower everywhere, and speaks to all mankind. That is the true wisdom. When we come to understand the purpose and range of true wisdom, our business will be to see how many people we can get in, not how many we can keep out. Sometimes we shall endeavour to enlarge the gate, if haply we may bring some one in who otherwise would be kept outside. Wisdom does not whisper; she cries: she puts forth her voice; she asks the assistance of elevation; where men are found in greatest number she is found in greatest activity. Universality is a proof of the gospel. Any gospel that comes down to play the trick of eclecticism ought to be branded, and dismissed, and never inquired for. We want ministers that will speak to the world, in all its populations, climes, languages, and differences of civilisation and culture. ( J. Parker, D. D. ) Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man. Proverbs 8:4 God revealed in the universe and in humanity W. E. Channing, D. D. The truth, which can guide us to perfection and to happiness, is teaching us always and everywhere. God surrounds us constantly with His instruction. The universal presence of Truth is the subject before us. Wisdom is omnipresent. The greatest truths meet us at every turn. God is on every side, not only by His essential invisible presence, but by His manifestations of power and perfection. We fail to see Him, not from want of light, but from want of spiritual vision. In saying that the great truths of religion are shining all about and within us, I am not questioning the worth of the Christian revelation. The Christian religion concentrates the truth diffused through the universe, and pours it upon the mind with solar lustre. We cannot find language to express the worth of the illumination given through Jesus Christ. But He intends, not that we should hear His voice alone, but that we should open our ears to the countless voices of wisdom, virtue, and piety, which now in whispers, now in thunders, issue from the whole of nature and of life. I. THE VOICE OF WISDOM.— THAT IS OF MORAL AND RELIGIOUS TRUTH — SPEAKS TO US FROM THE UNIVERSE. Nature everywhere testifies to the infinity of its Author. It proclaims a perfection illimitable, unsearchable, transcending all thought and utterance. There is an impenetrable mystery in every action and force of the universe that envelops our daily existence with wonder, and makes sublime the familiar processes of the commonest arts. How astonishingly does nature differ in her modes of production from the works of human skill. In nature, vibrating with motion, where is the moving-energy? What and whence is that principle called life—life, that awful power, so endlessly various in the forms it assumes—life that fills earth, air, and sea with motion, growth, activity, and joy—life that enlivens us—what is it? An infinite universe is each moment opened to our view. And this universe is the sign and symbol of infinite power, intelligence, purity, bliss, and love. It is a pledge from the living God of boundless and endless communications of happiness, truth, and virtue. A spiritual voice pervades the universe, which is all the more eloquent because it is spiritual, because it is the voice in which the All-Wise speaks to all intelligences. II. THE VOICE OF WISDOM UTTERS ITSELF FROM THE WORLD OF MORAL AND INTELLIGENT BEINGS, THE HUMANITY OF WHICH WE EACH FORM A PART. This topic is immense, for the book of human nature has no end. New pages are added to it every day through successive generations. Take one great lesson, which all history attests — that there is in human nature an element truly Divine, and worthy of all reverence; that the Infinite which is mirrored in the outward universe is yet more brightly imaged in the inward spiritual world or, in other words, that man has powers and principles, predicting a destiny to which no bounds can be prescribed, which are full of mystery, and even more incomprehensible than those revealed through the material creation. 1. They who disparage human nature do so from ignorance of one of the highest offices of wisdom. The chief work of Wisdom consists in the interpretation of signs. The great aim is to discern what the visible present signifies, what it foreshows, what is to spring from it, what is wrapped up in it as a germ. This actual world may be defined as a world of signs. What we see is but the sign of what is unseen. In life an event is the prophetic sign and forerunner of other coming events. Of human nature we hardly know anything but signs. It has merely begun its development. 2. In estimating human nature most men rest in a half-wisdom, which is worse than ignorance. They who speak most contemptuously of man tell the truth, but only half the truth. Amidst the passions and selfishness of men the wise see another element — a Divine element, a spiritual principle. Half-wisdom is the root of the most fatal prejudice. Man, with all his errors, is a wonderful being, endowed with incomprehensible grandeur, worthy of his own incessant vigilance and care, worthy to be visited with infinite love from heaven. The Infinite is imaged in him more visibly than in the outward universe. This truth is the central principle of Christianity. What is the testimony of human life to the Divine in man? Take the moral principle. What is so common as the idea of right? The whole of human life is a recognition in some way or other of moral distinctions. And no nation has existed, in any age, that has not caught a glimpse at least of the great principles of right and wrong. The right is higher altogether in its essential quality than the profitable, the agreeable, the graceful. It is that which must be done though all other things be left undone, that which must be gained though all else be lost. Every human being is capable of rectitude. The power of resisting evil exists in every man, whether he will exercise it or not. The principle of right in the human heart reveals duty to the individual. Here, then, we learn the greatness of human nature. This moral principle — the supreme law in man — is the law of the universe. Then man and the highest beings are essentially of one order. It is a joyful confirmation of faith thus to find in the human soul plain signatures of a Divine principle, to find faculties allied to the attributes of God, faculties beginning to unfold into God's image, and presages of an immortal life. And such views of human nature will transform our modes of relationship, communication, and association with our fellow-beings. They will exalt us into a new social life. They will transform our fellowship with God. How little we know ourselves! How unjust are we to ourselves! We need a new revelation — not of heaven or hell — but of the Spirit within ourselves. ( W. E. Channing, D. D. ) The voice of Divine Wisdom Homilist. I. IT IS A VOICE STRIVING FOR THE EAR OF ALL. II. IT IS A VOICE WORTHY OF THE EAR OF ALL. 1. Her communications are perfect. 2. They are intelligible. 3. Precious. 4. Exhaustless. 5. Rectifying. 6. Original. What Divine Wisdom gives is undeniably uuborrowed. ( Homilist. ) Christ calling to men Charles Clayton, M. A. There are two suitors for the heart of man. The one suggests the pleasures of sense, the other the delights of religion. The earthly suitor is the world, the heavenly suitor is Christ. I. THE SPEAKER. II. THE OBJECT HE HAS IN VIEW. Our salvation: our temporal and eternal happiness. III. THE PERSONS TO WHOM HE SPEAKS. Not to fallen angels, but to the sons of men. He utters His voice in every possible variety of place, if so be that by any means He might save some. The self-destruction of the impenitent. ( Charles Clayton, M. A. ) The matter of Wisdom's speech Francis Taylor, B. D. Her exhortation. Her commendation. I. GOD'S ESPECIAL CARE IS FOR MEN. 1. Because there is no creature upon earth more to be wondered at than man. 2. Because God hath made him more capable of instruction than other creatures. 3. Because man is most capable of getting good by instruction. 4. Because God sent His Son into the world to become man for the good of man. II. GOD LOOKS THAT MAN SHOULD LEARN. 1. God takes great pains with him. 2. God is at great cost with him. III. ALL SORTS OF MEN MAY BE TAUGHT BY WISDOM'S VOICE. 1. There is a capacity left in mean men. 2. Common gifts of illumination are bestowed on mean men, as well as great ones.It reproves great men if they are ignorant; and men of meaner rank cannot be excused if they are ignorant. ( Francis Taylor, B. D. ) Wisdom offered to the sons of men J. Parker, D. D. Wisdom shows herself to be truly wise by recognising the different capacities and qualities of men: "Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man." Children who are at school are accustomed to distinguish between viri and homines — between the strong and the weak. "Unto you, O men, I call" — strong, virile, massive — "and my voice is to the sons of man" — the lesser, the weaker, the more limited in capacity, but men still — and I will accommodate my speech to the capacity of every one, for I have come to bring the world to the temple of understanding. Then there is further discrimination; we read of the "simple" and of the "fools." "Simple" is a word which, as we have often seen, has been abused. There ought to be few lovelier words than "simple" — without fold, or duplicity, or complexity, or involution: such ought to be the meaning of simple and simplicity. Wisdom comes to fools, and says she will work miracles. Could a man say, "I am too far gone for Wisdom to make anything of me," he would by his very confession prove that he was still within the range of salvation. "To know one's self diseased is half the cure": to know one's self to be ignorant is to have taken several steps on the way to the sanctuary of wisdom. This might be Christ speaking; yea, there are men who have not hesitated to say that by "Wisdom" in this chapter is meant the Wisdom of God in history, the Loges, the eternal Son of God. Certainly, the wisdom of this chapter seems to follow the very course which Jesus Christ Himself pursued: He will call all men to Himself — the simple, and the foolish, and the far away; He will make room for all. A wonderful house is God's house in that way, so flexible, so expansive; there is always room for the man who is not yet in. So Wisdom will have men, and sons of man; simple men, foolish men. By this universality of the offer judge the Divinity of the origin. ( J. Parker, D. D. ) The universal call of the gospel John Bonar. I. THE CALL OF THE TEXT TO SPIRITUAL DUTY IS ADDRESSED TO ALL MEN. II. CALLS AND INVITATIONS SERVE THE FOLLOWING IMPORTANT PURPOSES. 1. They show us our duty and obligation. 2. They show the connection betwixt the state to which we are called and the enjoyment of the blessing promised. 3. They point out and hold before us what must be accomplished in us, if ever we be saved. 4. They are intended to shut us up to the faith now revealed. 5. They are designed to show us what we ought to pray for. 6. They are to shut us out of all so-called neutral ground in spiritual things. ( John Bonar. ) Ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. Proverbs 8:5 Are you a fool A. F. Forrest. ?— The word "fool" is derived from a Latin verb, signifying "to be inflated with air"; substantive, "a wind-bag." So a fool is a witless, blundering creature, one whose conduct is not directed by ordinarily good sense or judgment. All who do not serve God are fools, according to the Bible way of looking at things. Many are Bible fools who are not fools according to the world's idea. I. HE IS A FOOL WHO BUYS THE WEALTH OF THE WORLD WITH THE RICHES OF HEAVEN. Does not the soul far outvalue thebody? Is not eternity greater than time? Thousands choose the tinsel before the real gold, as did the wicked cardinal, who said, "I prefer a part in the honours of Paris to a part in the happiness of heaven." II. HE IS A FOOL WHO SUPPOSES HE CAN FREELY INDULGE IN SIN, AND STILL KEEP IT UNDER HIS CONTROL. Men say they will go so far in the direction of this or that sin, and then stop short. As well might a man allow his train of loaded waggons to run down a steep declivity, until half the descent was made, before he applied the brakes. Dr. Johnson says, "The diminutive chains of habit are generally too small to be felt till they are too strong to be broken." III. HE IS A FOOL WHO, HAVING ONCE RECEIVED INJURY, RECKLESSLY EXPOSES HIMSELF TO IT A SECOND TIME. In other words, He is a fool who learns nothing from his own folly. The wise man is a wary man; and having received injury in any direction once, he keeps clear of that coast ever after. "Experience," one has said, "is one of the most eloquent of preachers; but she never has a large congregation." IV. HE IS A FOOL WHO WAITS TILL TO-MORROW BEFORE HE BECOMES RELIGIOUS. What has any one to do with to-morrow? Does he know that he will ever see it? Men may trifle with their religious opportunities until they are lost beyond recall. Until you enter fully and lovingly into the service of God you are living like fools, because unnecessarily imperilling your highest and most urgent interests — because you are living at enmity with Him in whose favour is everlasting life, and in whose displeasure is everlasting death. ( A. F. Forrest. ) Hear; for I will speak of excellent things. Proverbs 8:6 The excellency of wisdom J. Abernethy, M. A. Wisdom is represented as making a public appearance in a rude, ignorant, and corrupt world, loudly proclaiming her doctrines and counsels, and calling upon all men to hearken to them. What consideration could be more powerful to engage their attention than this, that she speaketh of "excellent things": the opening of her lips is of "right things," and her mouth speaketh "truth." I propose to show that this is the just character of the instructions and precepts of religious virtue. I. THE EXCELLENCE OF THE DOCTRINES AND INJUNCTIONS OF WISDOM, ABSOLUTELY AND IN THEMSELVES. We must fix an idea of excellence, making it the standard whereby to try everything which pretendeth to that character. There must be some common and plain rule wherein all men are agreed, and which must have so deep a foundation in nature as the necessary invariable determination of our minds. If you suppose the character of excellent and right to be the result of arbitrary human constitutions, it would never be uniform. But our notions of excellent and right are before the consideration of all laws, appointments, orders, and instructions whatsoever; for we bring all these to the test in our own minds, and try them by a sense which we have prior to any of them. Nor does this sense depend on any positive declaration of God's will. The original idea of excellence is essential to our nature. It is one of those perceptions to which we are necessarily determined when the object fitted to excite it is presented to us. There is a test, or power of discerning, in the mind. And this discerns the excellency of religious things. Set right and true against their opposites, in any case wherein you are competent judges, and you will see to which of them your own minds must necessarily give the preference. There is eternal truth in all God's testimonies; they are founded on self-evident maxims. II. COMPARE THE DOCTRINES AND PRECEPTS OF WISDOM WITH OTHER THINGS WHICH ARE MOST VALUED BY MAN, AND SHOW THEIR SUPERIOR WORTH. That wisdom is better than rubies, pearls, or whatever else can be described in this world, is shown — 1. In that none of them come up to the character of excellence before insisted on, and which must be attributed to wisdom. They all have only a limited and relative worth. 2. The most precious treasures of this world are not valued but with some regard to virtue, but religious wisdom is necessarily esteemed excellent independently of them, and without any manner of regard to them. 3. The things of this world, which rival wisdom in our esteem, have many inconveniences attending the acquisition and use of them, which do not affect this invaluable possession. Application:(1)We should hear the counsels of wisdom, make it our choice, and use our utmost endeavours to attain it.(2) We should entertain our minds with the excellency of wisdom as a very agreeable contemplation.(3) The excellence of wisdom should affect the characters of men in our esteem, and regulate our regards to them. ( J. Abernethy, M. A. ) For my mouth shall speak truth. Proverbs 8:7 The doctrines of religion have their evidence in themselves John Cornwall, D. D. I. CONFIRM AND ILLUSTRATE THIS PROPOSITION. 1. Those things which religion requires of us are such as Reason herself, when she forms her judgment aright, cannot but approve, or, at most, cannot justly refuse her assent to them. This will appear with respect to the practical commands and duties of religion. The duties which seem to bear hardest upon human nature are repentance, mortification, contempt of this world, loving our enemies, suffering persecution for righteousness' sake, and the like; which do all recommend themselves to our minds by their reasonableness. Though we have not the same clue of reason to conduct us through all the high mysteries of our faith, yet here also reason will justify us in yielding a firm and uncontroverted assent of mind to them, as having solid grounds of authority to rely upon, for the belief of them, which cannot possibly deceive us. II. THE CONCURRENT JUDGMENT AND APPROBATION OF ALL WISE AND GOOD MEN BOTH AS TO THE EVIDENCE AND REASONABLENESS OF THESE DOCTRINES AND LAWS. The judgment of such persons ought to be of great weight and moment, as being a judgment based on personal experience. These men not only know the truth, but feel such a sensible force and power of it upon their minds, as both enlightens their understanding to discern its real excellency, and gently bends their wills to receive and embrace it. Faith is no hasty and blind credulity, but a sober and rational assent of mind, built upon sure and solid principles. III. SUCH PERSONS AS HAVE NO UNJUST PREJUDICES AGAINST RELIGION PREVAILING IN THEIR MINDS WILL SOONER BE BROUGHT TO EXAMINE THE SEVERAL PROOFS AND TESTIMONIES OF ITS TRUTH AND DIVINE AUTHORITY. A fair examination of these proofs will not fail of giving them entire satisfaction. In dealing with the Jews, our Lord Jesus appealed to the consonancy of His doctrine with their own established law. He submitted His life and doctrine to their trial. IV. THEY WHO FAIRLY EXAMINE THE TRUTHS OF RELIGION, AND ARE DISPOSED TO EMBRACE THEM UPON SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE, SHALL HAVE THAT INTERNAL ILLUMINATION OF GOD'S HOLY SPIRIT WHICH SHALL CLEARLY DISCOVER THE EXCELLENCY AND AGREEABLENESS OF THEM TO THEIR MINDS. God will not give them a full and intuitive view into the great and sublime mysteries of religion. God will give such knowledge as our present faculties can receive. 1. Religion is very plain and intelligible to all those who are willing to understand it. 2. Prejudice gains an almost invincible power over the minds of men. 3. The more men improve in the knowledge and practice of religion, the greater will be their satisfaction in it. The best men will have the most important secrets of God's will revealed to them. ( John Cornwall, D. D. ) Receive my instruction, and not silver. Proverbs 8:10 The commendation of wisdom Francis Taylor, B. D. I. KNOWLEDGE MUST BE RECEIVED. 1. Do not refuse knowledge offered you in the Book of God. 2. Do not refuse instruction offered you by God's ministers. II. KNOWLEDGE MUST BE RECEIVED BY WAY OF INSTRUCTION. Instruction is necessary, as it does not come by nature, and God does not teach it now by miracle. III. KNOWLEDGE MUST BE MORE READILY RECEIVED THAN SILVER OR GOLD. It can do that which gold and silver can never do. It is the best riches. More is gotten by labouring for knowledge than for money. ( Francis Taylor, B. D. ) For wisdom is better than rubies. Proverbs 8:11 Rubies R. Newton, D. D. This jewel is called a sardius in two places in the Bible. The name comes from the Latin "Ruber," which means red, and this name is given to the ruby because of its colour. It is sometimes called a carbuncle. We may regard the ruby as representing love or charity. What is there about the ruby on account of which love or charity may be compared to it? What did people in olden times think the ruby could do? I. CURE SORROW. It was thought that a ruby had the power of driving away sadness from their hearts, or of curing their sorrows. That was not true, but this is true — if we have this ruby, a heart of love to Jesus, it will help to cure our own sorrows, and help us to cure other people. II. SHINE IN THE DARK. Stories used to be told of rubies and other jewels being employed, instead of lamps, in dark caverns, to give light, just as if they had power in themselves to shine like so many suns. But this was a mistake. It is only true of the Bible ruby. Real love to anybody, and especially the love of Jesus, will shine in the dark. And when we speak of love shining in the dark, we mean that it will give us help and comfort in trouble. It will make us able to do and suffer things that we never could do without it. III. KEEP THEM FROM HARM. People used to carry a ruby about them as a sort of charm. It is only the Bible ruby that can keep from danger. Loving and trusting God will be a true charm. The ruby heart will keep us from getting hurt. ( R. Newton, D. D. ) The supreme worth of wisdom J. Parker, D. D. What does Wisdom offer? She offers to surpass in value everything that men have yet honoured with their appreciation. She will put aside rubies, and things that are to be desired, and all gold, and she will stand alone, absolutely unique in worth. Gold may be lost, rubies may be stolen; desire may say, "I cannot pant and gasp any longer, I have been filled to satiety: let me die." Nor are these things to be ignored as to their temporary value and uses. He is a foolish man who despises gold and rubies and pearls and choice silver: he is more foolish still who thinks they can buy him anything that he can take into eternity with him. In death all these things leave the possessor. That is a mournful reality. May not a man take the family jewels with him? No, not one. Must he go into the other world empty-handed. Yes, empty-handed: he brought nothing into this world, and it is certain he can carry nothing out. Then we have only a life-right in them? Is there anything that will go with a man clear through to the other spaces? Yes: character will go with him. The man's character is the man himself. The wise man has the key of all the worlds. And the fool has the key of none of them. He who is without wisdom is without riches. He who has wisdom has all wealth. The wise man is never solitary. He has the thoughts of ages. He is a silent prophet; he will not write his prophecies but oh, how they make him glow, how they send a radiance into his vision, how they make him despise the charms, seductions, and blandishments of a lying world that rattles the bag of its emptiness to prove its treasure! ( J. Parker, D. D. ) I, Wisdom, dwell with Prudence. Proverbs 8:12 Prudence The Scottish Pulpit. This has been brought into unmerited contempt by being associated with what is really its opposite. The abuse of the title has led to practical evils. Individuals have been known to despise prudence as the most beggarly of the virtues, from a mistaken apprehension of its qualities. Marking the errors of the niggardly — the muck-worms of society — some persons conclude at once against the utility of prudence, and read the text, "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth," in a perverted sense. Nothing will they save, or provide for; and so against imprudence in one extreme they set up imprudence in the other. There is no such short cut to happiness; the spendthrift is as far off from felicity as the save-all. The only security lies in a positive assertion and practical affirmation of the whole doctrine and discipline of prudence in its purity and truth. We must conceive the right idea of Prudence, properly define her characteristics, arrive at an honest appreciation of her gifts and graces, and devote ourselves to her, as her faithful ministrants, in all her relations, social, intellectual, and moral. Such a prudence is co-mate with the loftiest wisdom. The prudential course of conduct would commend itself as an illustration of the most elevated philosophy. It would be at one with the most benevolent and beneficent impulses of the human heart, and at the same time insure the true interests of every individual who acted in obedience to its precepts. ( The Scottish Pulpit. ) Of religious prudence Bp. T. Mannyngham. According to the general design of these proverbial writings, wisdom stands before religion, and religion is expressed by the fear of God. Prudence is either universal or particular. Universal prudence is the same with the doctrine of morality, the application of the most proper means, viz., virtuous actions, towards the acquiring the chief end, the happiness of man. And particular prudence is distinguished by the different objects and ends about which it is conversant, and is the prosecution of any lawful design by such methods as shall appear to be best, upon a due consideration of circumstances. The text asserts that there is an inseparable connection between religion and prudence. Neither can be without the other. I. THERE IS NO TRUE POLITICAL PRUDENCE, BUT WHAT IS FOUNDED UPON RELIGION, OR THE FEAR OF GOD. God has delivered the government of the world to men, reserving to Himself a power over nature and a philosophy consisted in pretending to give an account of the world and its original, without an infinite understanding and first mover. And the main corruption of prudence consists in attempting the government of the world by human policy, without a due submission to the providence of God. Proud reasoners, and the sensual part of mankind, either wholly deny a providence or attribute very little to its superintendency and power. The universal history of the world, and the particular histories of nations and families, are full of the tragical end of those proud politicians who thought to govern without God, and to be prudent without religion. A natural sagacity is not sufficient for man, who is accountable for his actions, who must engage on no designs but what are rational, nor pursue them by any means but what are just and lawful. The wisdom that degenerates into craft is really mischievous folly. An uprightness of action, a constancy in virtue, and unmovable frame of mind and resolution of always pursuing what is just and beneficial to the public, by right and laudable ways, will make a man fortunate, valuable, and reverenced — fit for any trust. II. THE PIOUS PERSON IN THE MAIN IS THE TRULY JUDICIOUS. Wisdom is the knowledge of things great, admirable, and Divine, whereby the mind is raised and enlarged into delightful contemplations; and prudence is a right practical judgment, or the skill of judging what we are to do, and what not, and of distinguishing between good and evil, and the degrees of each. The ancient moralists never allowed a wicked man to be prudent. They declare that a wicked life corrupts the very principles of true prudence and right reason. Prudence is that virtue or power of the soul whereby the mind deliberates rightly, and finds out what is best to be done, when all things are considered; or it helps us to discover what are the best means for obtaining a good end. Now it is religion that qualifies the mind to consider practical matters in their true nature and consequences; that purifies the intention, corrects the inclination, moderates the affections, and make our deliberations calm and wise. It is the fear of God that sets bounds to prudence, that shows how far we are to act in any undertaking, and where we are to resign things up to a higher Conduct. It is temperance that gives us intellectual vigour, that makes us masters of our reason. These, and such-like virtues, being the prerequisites, or ingredients, of all true prudence, it is the pious man that in the main is the truly judicious person. But it is the truly pious man. It is a very imperfect notion of prudence to think that it consists in an exact knowledge of the world, or in getting a large share and possession of it. III. THAT PARTICULAR PRUDENCE WHICH IS REQUIRED IN THE CONDUCT OF A RELIGIOUS LIFE. 1. The first rule for the more prudent conduct of a religious life is, not to engage in things which are above our sphere. 2. Not presently to catch at perfection and the highest instances of piety. There is an order of duties, and a gradual advancement in religion. Enthusiasts make mad work with religion. 3. Not to engage too vehemently in things of an indifferent nature. 4. Not to spoil a good constitution of soul by any superstitious fancies or unnecessary scruples of conscience. Piety alone keeps men in the right, the safe, the pleasant path. ( Bp. T. Mannyngham. ) True prudence J. Carter, D. D. Many men are prudent who are not wise — that is to say, they are superficially cautious, sagacious, calculating; but they are never wise. True wisdom is the metaphysic of prudence. It is the innermost life and reality, and it expresses itself in the large prudence which sees more points than can be seen by mere cleverness. He that seeketh his life shall lose it; he that will throw away his life for Christ's sake shall find it, and shall thus prove himself in the long run to be the truly prudent man. Beware of the prudence that is as a skeleton. The true prudence is the living body, inhabited by a living soul — the soul is wisdom. Sometimes wisdom will drive a man to do apparently foolish things — at least, things that cannot be understood by those who live in rectangles, two inches by one and a half. But "Wisdom is justified of her children"; she calmly abides the issue of the third day, and raised again, she vindicates her origin and declares her destiny. ( J. Carter, D. D. ) The fear of the Lord to to hate evil. Proverbs 8:13 Hatred of evil W. Arnot, D. D. A formal definition of the fear of the Lord. To dread the punishment of sin seems to be the main feature in that religion which, under many forms, springs native in the human heart. This is the mainspring which sets and keeps all the machinery of superstition going. It was a maxim of heathen antiquity, that "Fear made God." To fear retribution is not to hate sin. It is a solemn suggestion that ever the religion of dark, unrenewed men is, in its essence, a love of their own sins. Instead of hating sin themselves, their grand regret is that God hates it. If they could be convinced that the Judge would regard it as lightly as the culprit, the fear would collapse like steam under cold water, and all the religious machinery which it drove would stand still. All the false religions that have ever desolated the earth are sparks from the collision of these two hard opposites — God's hate of

Benson Commentary Proverbs 8:1 Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? Proverbs 8:1 . Doth not wisdom cry — It is a great question what this wisdom is, of which Solomon discourses so largely and profoundly in this chapter. Some understand it of that attribute or perfection of the divine nature which is called wisdom, whereby God perfectly knows all things, and makes known to men what he judges it necessary or expedient for them to know. This is Bishop Patrick’s opinion, who says, “I take wisdom here, as it signifies in other places of this book, and hath been hitherto described; which Solomon now celebrates for her most venerable antiquity, and introduces like a most beautiful person, no less than a queen, or rather some divine being, who, having finished her own praises, concludes with an earnest invitation unto all to become acquainted with her instructions, if they mean to be happy, and to avoid the greatest miseries. Others, however, understand it of the Son of God, who is called the wisdom of God, Luke 11:49 . And it cannot fairly be denied that some passages do best agree to the former, and others to the latter opinion. “Possibly,” says Poole, “both may be joined together, and the chapter may be understood of Christ, considered partly in his personal capacity, and partly in regard to his office, which was to impart the mind and will of God to mankind.” This he did, 1st, By revealing it to, and writing it upon, the mind of man at his first creation, John 1:1-4 , &c. 2d, By publishing it unto the patriarchs in the time of the Old Testament, 1 Peter 1:11 ; and 1 Peter 3:18-20 . 3d, By declaring it from his own mouth, and by his apostles and ministers under the gospel. Proverbs 8:2 She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. Proverbs 8:2-6 . She standeth in the top of high places — Where she may be best seen and heard; not in corners, and in the dark, as the harlot did; by the way in the places of the paths — Where many paths meet, where there is a great concourse, and where travellers may need direction. She crieth at the gates — The places of judgment, and of the confluence of the people; at the entry of the city — To invite passengers at their first coming, and to conduct them to her house; at the coming in of the doors — Namely, of her house, as the harlot stood at her door to invite lovers. Unto you, O men, I call — To all men without exception, even to the meanest and most unworthy. O ye simple — Who want knowledge and experience, and are easily deceived; and ye fools — Wilful sinners. Hear, for I will speak excellent things — Hebrew, ?????? , princely things; things worthy of princes to learn and practise. Or such as excel common things, as much as princes do ordinary persons. Proverbs 8:3 She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors. Proverbs 8:4 Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man. Proverbs 8:5 O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. Proverbs 8:6 Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things. Proverbs 8:7 For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. Proverbs 8:7-10 . For my mouth shall speak truth — Hebrew, ???? , shall meditate, that is, shall speak, not rashly and hastily, but what I have well considered and digested. Wickedness is an abomination, &c. — I hate to speak it; therefore you may be assured I shall not deceive you. All the words of my mouth — All my precepts, promises, threatenings; are in righteousness — Are perfectly just and holy, and conformable to the rules of everlasting righteousness. There is nothing froward or perverse, &c. — Not the least mixture of vanity, or error, or folly in them, as there is in the words of the wisest philosophers. They are all plain — Evident and clear, or right, just, and good; to him that understandeth — To him who, with an honest mind, applies himself to the study of them, in the diligent use of all the means appointed by God to that end: or to him whose mind God hath enlightened by his Spirit, though they seem otherwise to ignorant and carnal men; to them that find knowledge — That are truly wise and discerning persons, and taught of God. Receive my instruction, and not silver — Rather than silver, that is, preferably to silver: or, the meaning may be, “Give not your heart to money, if you would possess wisdom.” For he seems to intimate the inconsistency of these two studies and designs, and the great hinderance which the love of riches gives to the study of wisdom. Indeed, it is impossible to join these two things together, the love of the world and the love of God, which is here implied in the love of wisdom. Proverbs 8:8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. Proverbs 8:9 They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge. Proverbs 8:10 Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. Proverbs 8:11 For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it. Proverbs 8:12 I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. Proverbs 8:12 . I wisdom dwell with prudence — I do not content myself with high speculations, but my inseparable companion is prudence, to govern all my own actions, and to direct the actions of others. This is said because some persons have much knowledge and wit, but not discretion. And find out — I help men to find out; witty inventions — Of all ingenious designs and contrivances for the glory of God, and for the good of mankind. “It is the eternal Wisdom that speaks here. She it is from whom all the light and all the knowledge of the wise proceed; all that is true and useful in the understanding and inventions of the human spirit; but above all, the sciences which tend to virtue, and which have God for their end.” — Dodd. Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. Proverbs 8:13 . The fear of the Lord — Which he had before said to be the beginning of wisdom; is to hate evil — It consists in a careful abstinence from all sin, and that not from carnal or prudential motives, but from real hatred to it, on account of its contrariety to the divine nature and attributes, its opposition to God’s word and will, its infinite evil in itself, and its eternally destructive consequences; pride — Which he mentions first, as that which is most hateful to God, and most opposite to true wisdom, and to the genuine fear of God, which constantly produces humility; and the evil way — All wicked actions, especially sinful customs and courses; and the froward mouth, do I hate — False doctrines, and bad counsels, and deceits. Proverbs 8:14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. Proverbs 8:14-15 . Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom — Hebrew, ??????? , and essence, that is, all solid, substantial, and useful wisdom is natural and essential to me. I am understanding — By my nature and essence. Or, I am the author of understanding. I have strength — Courage, resolution, and power, to execute all my counsels, and to conquer all difficulties. By me kings reign — They obtain their kingdoms by my appointment and providence; and if they rule their kingdoms wisely and justly, it is by my counsel and assistance. And princes decree justice — Their injustice or wickedness is from themselves, but all the just and good things which they do they owe to my guidance and aid. “All authority and power come from God; and all those who are established over others have received from the author of this wisdom all their superiority. Whether God gives a prince in his anger or in his mercy, it is he who hath established him; nor can they worthily exercise their power without the succours and assistance of wisdom. A prince may be a prince without having wisdom; but without it he can neither be a good nor a happy prince. Wisdom is the very first of royal qualities. The best and most excellent present which God can give to men, is a just and virtuous prince, and one like himself.” — Dodd. Proverbs 8:15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. Proverbs 8:16 By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. Proverbs 8:17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. Proverbs 8:17-18 . I love them that love me — I do not despise their love, though it be but a small and inconsiderable thing to me, but I kindly accept it, and will recompense it with my love and favour; and those that seek me early — That is, with sincere affection, and great diligence, and above all other persons or things in the world; shall find me — Shall not seek in vain, but shall obtain that wisdom which they so highly prize. Observe well, reader, in order that we may seek for wisdom with the earnestness she merits, we must know her value, and love her. We do not desire, much less do we earnestly seek that, the excellence and utility of which we do not know. We must therefore sincerely and importunately ask of God this knowledge, that, understanding the worth and necessity of wisdom, we may fervently desire and love her; and then, in proportion as this love increases, wisdom will more abundantly communicate herself to us: and “the more early in life we begin this search, the more shall we engage the love, and consequently the encouragement of this divine and blessed monitor.” — Dodd. Riches and honour are with me — To bestow on those that love me, who shall have as much of them as infinite wisdom sees will be for their good: see on Proverbs 3:16 ; Proverbs 4:7-9 . Yea, durable riches and righteousness — Riches honestly gotten, not by fraud and oppression, but in the way of justice and fair dealing; and riches charitably used, for alms are called righteousness. Those that have their wealth from God’s blessing on their industry, and that have a heart to do good with it, have riches and righteousness, and such riches will be durable. “Wealth gotten by vanity,” says Henry, “will soon be diminished, but that which is well got will wear well, and will be left to children’s children; and that which is spent in works of piety and charity is put out to the best interest, and so will be durable; for the friends made by the mammon of unrighteousness, when we fail, will receive us into everlasting habitations, Luke 16:9 .” Proverbs 8:18 Riches and honour are with me; yea , durable riches and righteousness. Proverbs 8:19 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. Proverbs 8:20 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: Proverbs 8:20-21 . I lead in the way of righteousness — In the way of truth, justice, and mercy, of holiness and happiness; the way in which God would have men to walk, and which will certainly bring them to the desired end. In the midst of the paths of judgment, keeping at an equal distance from both extremes, and from the very borders of them. That I may cause, &c., to inherit substance — Substantial, true, and satisfying happiness; which is here opposed to all worldly enjoyments, which are but mere shadows, and dreams of felicity, Proverbs 23:5 . Proverbs 8:21 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures. Proverbs 8:22 The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. Proverbs 8:22-26 . The Lord possessed me — As his eternal Wisdom and Word, which was in the beginning with him, John 1:1 , and in him, John 14:10 , and was afterward made flesh, and dwelt among men, as the only begotten of the Father, full of truth and grace, John 1:14 . Before his works of old — His works of creation, as it follows. He is before all things, says the apostle, and by him all things consist, Colossians 1:17 . I had glory with the Father, says this eternal wisdom, before the world was, John 17:5 . I was set up from everlasting — Hebrew, ????? , I was anointed, ordained, or constituted, to be the person by whom the Father resolved to do all his works, first to create, and then to uphold, and govern, and judge, and afterward to redeem and save the world; all which works are particularly ascribed to the Son of God, as is manifest from John 1:1 , &c. Colossians 1:16-17 ; Hebrews 1:3 , and many other places. From the beginning — Before which there was nothing but a vast eternity; or ever the earth was — Which he mentions, because this, together with the heaven, was the first of God’s visible works. When there were no depths — No abyss or deep waters, either mixed with the earth, as they were at first, or separated from it; I was brought forth — Begotten of my Father. Before the mountains were settled — Or fixed by the roots in the earth. While as yet he had not made the earth — That is, the dry land, called earth, after it was separated from the waters, Genesis 1:10 . Nor the fields — The plain and open parts of the earth, distinguished from the mountains and hills, and the valleys enclosed between them; nor the highest part — Hebrew, the head; the first part, or beginning; or, the best part; that which exceeds other parts in riches or fruitfulness; which he seems to distinguish from the common fields. Of the dust of the world — Of this lower part of the world, which consists of dust. Proverbs 8:23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. Proverbs 8:24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Proverbs 8:25 Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: Proverbs 8:26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. Proverbs 8:27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: Proverbs 8:27-29 . When he prepared the heavens I was there — Not as an idle spectator, but as a co-worker with my Father. When he set a compass upon the face of the depth — Of that great abyss of water and earth, mixed together, which is called both earth, and water, and the deep, ( Genesis 1:2 ,) when he made this lower world in the form of a globe. When he established the clouds above — Hebrew, strengthened them, by his word and decree, which alone upholds the clouds in the air, which otherwise would quickly be dissolved or dispersed. When he strengthened the fountains — When he shut up the several fountains in the cavities of the earth, and kept them there, as it were, by a strong hand, for the use of man and beast; of the deep — Which fountains have their originals from the deep, either from the sea, or from the abyss of waters, in the bowels of the earth. When he gave to the sea his decree — Its bounds or limits, namely, by those parts of the earth which border upon it; that the waters should not pass his commandment — Should not overflow the earth; when he appointed — Or fixed; the foundations of the earth — Hung the earth, self- balanced, upon its centre, or gave the earth its firm standing upon its foundations, notwithstanding all the assaults which the waters of the sea, or those in the bowels of the earth make against it. Proverbs 8:28 When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: Proverbs 8:29 When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: Proverbs 8:30 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him : and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; Proverbs 8:30-31 . Then I was by him — Conversant with him, and united to him, as was said before; as one brought up with him — As one tenderly and dearly beloved by him. I was daily his delight — His elect; in whom his soul delighted, Isaiah 42:1 . Rejoicing always before him — In constant and most intimate communion with him. Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth — In the vast variety of creatures wherewith the earth was beautified and enriched; and my delights were with the sons of men — Made after the likeness of God, and capable of converse with him. Then I delighted to uphold them by my power and providence, to reveal myself, and my Father’s mind and will to them, from age to age, to assume their nature, and to redeem and save them. “The wisdom of God,” says Calmet, “communicated itself to men preferably to all other sensible creatures; having given to them alone intelligence, and souls capable of the illumination of prudence, and of the practice of virtue. The Son of God, the eternal wisdom, abundantly proved his delight to be with the sons of men, when for their instruction and salvation he took upon him a human form.” Proverbs 8:31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men. Proverbs 8:32 Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. Proverbs 8:32-35 . Now therefore hearken, &c. — Seeing I have a true love to you, and seeing I am so thoroughly acquainted with my Father’s mind, and so excellently qualified to be your Counsellor and Ruler; hear instruction and be wise — Hearken, I beseech you, and yield to the voice of your own reason, and of God’s holy word; and refuse not — Hebrew, ??? ????? , et non abstrahite vos, and do not withdraw yourselves: be so wise and considerate as not to decline hearing, receiving, and obeying it; do not, in any way, reject or slight it. But rather invite such instructions, by giving them thankful entertainment, and going thither where you may meet with them. For blessed is the man that heareth me — Who not only hearkens obediently when he is told his duty, but makes it his business to be rightly informed; watching daily at my gates — Neglecting no opportunity, but constantly and diligently attending there where he may be taught how he ought to live; waiting at the posts of my doors — As servants, and clients, and others wait at the doors of princes, or persons eminent for place, power, or wisdom, that they may be admitted to speak to, or converse with them. Whoso findeth me findeth life — The wisdom here intended, when attained, is the life, salvation, and happiness of men. Christ, the Wisdom and Word of God incarnate, to whom all these attributes agree perfectly, is peculiarly so. But he must be found; that is, known, believed in, loved, and obeyed; he must be revealed to and in us. Proverbs 8:33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Proverbs 8:34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. Proverbs 8:35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. Proverbs 8:36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death. Proverbs 8:36 . But he that sinneth against me — By the neglect or contempt of, or rebellion against my commands; wrongeth his own soul — Doth the greatest injury to his own soul: he even destroys it, and is guilty of the worst kind of murder, of soul-murder. All they that hate me — That reject and disobey my counsels, living in the commission of known sin, which, in God’s account, is hating him, as is here and elsewhere implied; love death — Not directly and intentionally, but by consequence, because they love those practices which they know will bring certain destruction upon them. Benson Commentary on the Old and New Testaments Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission.

Expositor's Bible Commentary Proverbs 8:1 Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? CHAPTER 9 THE FIRST-BORN OF THE CREATOR "Doth not Wisdom cry?"- Proverbs 8:1 In the last chapter a dark and revolting picture of Vice was drawn. This chapter contains a lovely and living picture of Wisdom. In this contrast, as we have already seen, Vice can be presented as a vicious woman, because it is unhappily only too easy to find such an incarnation in actual experience: Wisdom, on the other hand, cannot be presented as an actual person, but only as a personification, because there was, as yet, no Incarnation of Wisdom; far from it, Solomon, the wisest of men, the framer of many wise proverbs, had been in practical conduct an incarnation of folly rather than of wisdom, had himself become a proverb for a wise and understanding heart in combination with a dark and vicious life. Yet how could the teacher fail to feel that someday there must be an Incarnate Wisdom, a contrast to the Incarnate Vice, a conqueror and destroyer of it? In describing Wisdom personified, and in following out her sweet and high-souled utterance, the teacher unconsciously to himself becomes a prophet, and presents, as we shalt see, a faint and wavering image of Him who of God was to be made unto men Wisdom, of Him who was actually to live a concrete human life embodying the Divine Wisdom as completely as many poor stained human lives have embodied the undivine folly of vice. The description, then, is an adumbration of something as yet not seen or fully understood; we must be careful not to spoil its meaning by representing it as more, and by attempting to press the details in explanation of the being and the work of Christ. We shall do wisely to look at the whole picture as it formed itself before the eye of the writer, and to abstain from introducing into it colors or shades of our own. Our first task must be to follow the movement of the chapter as carefully as possible. Wisdom, unlike the vicious woman who lurks in the twilight at the corner of the street which contains her lair, stands in the open places; she makes herself as manifest as may be by occupying some elevated position, from which her ringing voice may be heard down the streets and up the cross-ways, and may attract the attention of those who are entering the city gates or the doors of the houses. As her voice is strong and clear, so her words are full and rounded; there is no whispering, no muttering, no dark hint, no subtle incitement to secret pleasures; her tone is breezy and stirring as the dawn; there is something about it which makes one involuntarily think of the open air, and the wide sky, and the great works of God. { Proverbs 8:1-6 } There is the beauty of goodness in all that she says; there are the charming directness and openness of truth; she abhors tortuous and obscure ways; and if some of her sayings seem paradoxes or enigmas, a little difficult to understand, that is the fault of the hearer; to a tortuous mind straight things appear crooked; to the ignorant and uninstructed mind the eternal laws of God appear foolishness; but all that she says is plain to one who understands, and right to those who find knowledge. { Proverbs 8:7-9 } She walks always in a certain and undeviating course-it is the way of righteousness and judgment-and only those who tread the same path can expect to perceive the meaning of what she says, or to appreciate the soundness of all her counsels. { Proverbs 8:20 } And now she proclaims the grounds on which she demands the attention of men, in a noble appeal, which rises to a passionate eloquence and deepens in spiritual significance as it advances. Roughly speaking, this appeal seems to fall into two parts: from verse 10 to verse 21 ( Proverbs 8:10-21 ) the obvious advantages of obeying her voice are declared, but at verse 22 ( Proverbs 8:22 ) the discourse reaches a higher level, and she claims obedience because of her essential nature and her eternal place in the universe of created things. In the first part Wisdom solemnly states her own value, as compared with the valuables which men usually covet-silver, and gold, and precious stones. That she is of more account than these appears from the fact that they are but parts of her gifts. In her train come riches; but they differ from ordinary riches in being durable; her faithful followers obtain substantial wealth, and their treasuries insensibly fill. { Proverbs 8:8-9 } To riches she adds honor, a crown which worldly riches seldom bring, and, what is better still, the honor which she confers is associated with righteousness, while the spurious honor which is commonly rendered to riches, being conferred without any moral implication, is devoid of any moral appreciation. { Proverbs 8:18 } But after all, she herself is her own best reward; the prosperity which accompanies her seems trivial compared with the desirableness of her own person. Her queenly dwelling is prudence, and at her touch all the charmed regions of knowledge and discovery fly open; they who dwell with her and are admitted to share her secrets find the fruit and the increase of the intellectual life incomparably better than fine gold or choice silver. And that gives to her endowments their peculiar completeness is that she requires a moral culture to go hand in hand with mental development; and leading her disciples to hate evil, and to avoid the arrogance and the pride of the intellect, she rescues knowledge from becoming a mere barren accumulation of facts, and keeps it always in contact with the humanities and with life. Indeed, she finds it one great part of her mighty task to instruct the rulers of men, and to fit them for the fulfillment of their high functions. Her queenly prerogative she shares with all her faithful followers. Since Wisdom is the actual arbiter of human life, the wise man is, as the Stoics would have said, a king: nor can any king be recognized or tolerated who is not wise. { Proverbs 8:10-16 } And all these advantages of wealth and honor, of knowledge, and power, and righteousness, are put within the reach of every one. Wisdom, is no churl in loving: she loves all who love her. She does not seek to withdraw herself from men: rather she chooses the places and the ways in which she can best attract them. Queenly as she is, she condescends to woo them. Her invitations are general, even universal. And therefore if any do not find her, it is because they do not seek her: if any do not share in her rich gifts and graces, it is because they will not take the trouble to claim them. { Proverbs 8:17 } But now we pass on to the second ground of appeal. Wisdom unveils herself, discloses her origin, shows her heart, stands for a moment on her high celestial throne, that she may make her claims upon the sons of men more irresistible. She was the first creation of God. Before the earth issued out of nothingness she was there. In joyous activity, daily full of delight, she was beside God, an architect, in the forming of the world. She saw the great earth shaped and clothed for the first time in the mantle of its floods, and made musical with the sound of its fountains. She saw the mountains and the hills built up from their foundations. She saw the formation of the dry land, and of the atoms of dust which go to make the ground. { Proverbs 8:26 } She saw the sky spread out as a firm vault to cover the earth; and she saw God when "in His hand He took the golden compasses, prepared In God’s eternal store, to circumscribe This universe and all created things." She saw the mighty tides of the ocean restricted to their appointed cisterns, and the firm outlines of the land fixed as their impassable barriers. And this very Wisdom, who thus presided over the formation of land, and sea, and sky, is she who still sports with God’s fruitful earth-yes, sports, for the great characteristic of Wisdom is her exultant cheerfulness, and it must by no means be supposed that the foolish and the wicked have all the gaiety and mirth as their own. This Wisdom is she who too finds her peculiar delight with the sons of men. { Proverbs 8:23-31 } Is it not obvious, then, that men, who are her sons, ought to give ear to her counsels? What could establish a stronger claim for attention than this ancient origin, this honorable part in laying the very foundations of the earth, and this special interest in human life from the beginning. Raised to this high level, where we command so wide a prospect, are we not forced to see that it is our duty, our interest, our joy, to come as humble suitors to the gates of Wisdom and there to watch, and wait, and seek until we may obtain admission? Must we not search after her, when in finding her we find life and obtain favor of the Lord? Can we not perceive that to miss her is to miss life, to wrong our own souls-to hate her is to love death? Evidently her eagerness to win us is entirely disinterested; though she delights in us, she could easily dispense with us; on the other hand, though we do not delight in her, though we constantly turn a deaf ear to her, and refuse to walk in her ways, she is indispensable to us. Such a passage as this gives rise to many reflections, and the longer we meditate upon it the more rich and suggestive it appears. Let us try to follow out some of the thoughts which readily present themselves, and especially such as are suggested by the verses which may be described as a poem of creation. First of all, here is the noble idea which overturns at a touch all mythological speculations about the origin of things-an idea which is in deep harmony with all the best knowledge of our own time-that there is nothing fortuitous in the creation of the world; the Creator is not a blind Force, but an Intelligent Being whose first creation is wisdom. He is the origin of a Law by which He means to bind Himself; arbitrariness finds no place in His counsels; accident has no part in His works; in Wisdom hath He formed them all. In all heathen conceptions of creation caprice is supreme, law has no place, blind force works in this way or that, either by the compulsion of a Necessity which is stronger than the gods, or by freaks and whims of the gods which would be contemptible even in men. But here is the clear recognition of the principle that God’s Law is a law also to Himself, and that His law is wisdom. He creates the world as an outcome of His own wise and holy design, so that "nothing walks with aimless feet." It is on this theological conception that the possibility of science depends. Until the universe is recognized as an ordered and intelligible system the ordered and intelligent study of it cannot begin. As long as the arbitrary and fortuitous are supposed to hold sway inquiry is paralyzed at its starting-point. It may, however, be suggested that the doctrine of Evolution, which scientific men are almost unanimous in accepting, is inconsistent with this idea of Creation. By this doctrine our attention is directed to the apparently disordered collision of forces, and the struggle for existence out of which the order and progress of life are educed, and it is hastily assumed that a Wise Intelligence would not work in this way, but would exhibit more economy of resources, more simplicity and directness of method, and more inevitableness of result. But may we not say that the apparent fortuitousness with which the results are achieved is the clearest evidence of the wise purpose which orders and directs the process? For about the results there can be no question; order, beauty, fitness everywhere prevail; life emerges from the inorganic, thought from life, morality and religion from thought. The more our attention is called to the apparently accidental steps by which these results are reached, the more persuaded must we become that a great and a wise law was at work, that by the side of the Creator, as a master workman, was Wisdom from the beginning. Such a passage as this, then, prepares the way for all science, and furnishes the true conceptions without which science would be sterile. It takes us at a step out of a pagan into a truly religious mode of thinking; it leads us out of the misty regions of superstition to the luminous threshold of the House of Knowledge. It may be said with truth that many scientific facts which are known to us were not known to the writer; and this may raise a prejudice against our book in those minds which can tolerate no thought except that of the present generation, and appreciate no knowledge which is not, as it were, brought up to date; but the fruitful conception is here, here is the right way of regarding the universe, here the preparation of all science. And now to advance to another idea which is implied in the passage, the idea that in the very conception of the universe human life was contemplated, and regarded with a peculiar delight by the Wisdom of God. The place which Man occupies in creation has been variously estimated in different religious systems and by different religious thinkers. Sometimes he has been regarded as the center of all things, the creature for whom all things exist. Then a reaction has set in, and he has been treated as a very insignificant and possibly transient phenomenon in the order of things. It is characteristic of the Bible that it presents a balanced view of this question, avoiding extremes in both directions. On the one hand, it very clearly recognizes that man is a part of the creation, that he belongs to it because he springs out of it, and rules over it only in so far as he conforms to it; on the other hand, it clearly insists on that relation between man and his Creator which is hinted at here. Man is always implicitly connected with God by some half-divine mediator. The Wisdom of God watches with an unmoved heart the growth of the physical world, but into her contemplation of mankind there enters a peculiar delight. There is that in man which can listen to her appeals, can listen and respond. He is capable of rising to the point of view from which she looks out upon the world, and can ever see himself in the light in which she sees him. In a word, man, with all his insignificance, has a sublime possibility in him, the possibility of becoming like God; in this he stands quite alone among created things; it is this which gives him his pre-eminence. Thus our passage, while it does not for a moment imply that the material universe was made for the sake of man, or that man in himself can claim a superiority over the other creatures of the earth-and so far takes a view which is very popular with scientific men-yet parts company with the philosophy of materialism in claiming for man a place altogether unique, because he has within him the possibility of being linked to God by means of the Wisdom of God. And now we may notice another implication of the passage. While Wisdom celebrates her high prerogative as the first-born of the Creator and the instrument of the creation, and urges upon men as parts of the creation the observance of the Moral Law, she is implicitly teaching the great truth which men have been so slow to grasp, that the law of practical righteousness is of a piece with the very laws of creation. To put it in another form, the rules of right conduct are really the rules of the universe applied to human life. Laws of nature, as they are called, and laws of morality have their origin in one and the same Being, and are interpreted to us by one and the same Wisdom. It would be well for us all if we could understand how far-reaching this great truth is, and an intelligent study of this passage certainly helps us to understand it. None of us, in our wildest moments, think of pitting ourselves against the laws of nature. We do not murmur against the law of gravitation; we scrupulously conform to it so far as we can, knowing that if we do not it will be the worse for us. When heavy seas are breaking, and the spirit of the winds is let loose, we do not venture on the waves in a small, open boat, or if we do, we accept the consequences without complaint. But when we come to deal with the moral law we entertain some idea that it is elastic and uncertain, that its requirements may be complied with or not at pleasure, and that we may violate its eternal principles without any serious loss or injury. But the truth is, the Law is one. The only difference arises from the fact that while the natural laws, applying to inanimate objects or to creatures which enjoy no freedom of moral life, are necessarily obeyed, the moral rules apply to conscious reasoning creatures, who, possessed of freedom, are able to choose whether they will obey the law or not. Yes, the Law is one, and breaches of the Law are punished inevitably both in the natural and in the moral sphere. This same Wisdom, to which "wickedness is an abomination," and which therefore exhorts the sons of men to walk in the ways of righteousness, is the great principle which ordered the physical universe and stamped upon it those laws of uniformity and inevitableness which Science delights to record and to illustrate. But when we notice how the Wisdom who is here speaking is at once the mouthpiece of the laws which underlie the whole creation and of the laws which govern the moral life, it is easy to perceive how this passage becomes a foreshadowing of that wonderful Being who of God is made unto us Wisdom as well as Righteousness. Or, to put it in a slightly different way, we are able to perceive how this passage is a faint and imperfect glimpse into the nature and the work of Him whom in New Testament phraseology we call the Son of God-faint and imperfect, because this Wisdom, although represented as speaking, is still only an abstraction, a personification, and her relation both to God and to man is described in very vague and indefinite language; and yet, though faint and imperfect, very true as far as it goes, for it recognizes with wonderful distinctness the three truths which we have just been considering, truths that have become luminous for us in Christ; it recognizes, firstly, that the world was the creation of Wisdom, of Reason, or, if we may use the New Testament term, of the Word; it recognizes, secondly, that the thought of Man was contained in the very thought of creation, and that man was related in a direct and unique way with the Creator; lastly, it recognizes that goodness lies at the very root of creation, and that therefore natural law when applied to human life is a demand for righteousness. It is interesting to observe that this glimpse, this adumbration of a great truth, which was only to become quite clear in Christ Jesus our Lord, was advanced a little in clearness and completeness by a book which is not generally considered to be inspired, the so-called book of Wisdom, in a passage which must be quoted. "For she [i.e., Wisdom] is a breath of the power of God, and a pure influence flowing from the glory of the Almighty; therefore can no defiled thing fall into her. For she is the brightness of the everlasting light, the unspotted mirror of the power of God, and the image of His goodness. And being but one, she can do all things; and remaining in herself, she maketh all things new; and in all ages entering into holy souls, she maketh them friends of God and prophets. For God loveth none but him that dwelleth with Wisdom. For she is more beautiful than the sun, and above all the order of stars; being compared with the light, she is found before it." In this passage Wisdom is still a mere impersonation, but the language employed is evidently very near to that which the New Testament applies to Christ. When Philo came to treat of the idea, and wished to describe this intermediate being between God and man, he employed another term; changing the feminine into the masculine, he spoke of it as the Logos. And this expression is adopted by the Fourth Gospel in describing the Eternal Son before He became flesh; the Word of the fuller revelation is the Wisdom of the Proverbs. How far Christ recognized in this impersonation of our book a description or representation of Himself it is impossible to say. It is certain that on one occasion, in defending His action against the charges of the Pharisees, He declared, "Wisdom is justified of her children," { Luke 7:35 Matthew 11:19 } a defense which can be most simply explained by supposing that Wisdom stands for Himself. It is certain, too, that He spoke of His own preexistence, { John 8:58 } and that the Evangelist assigns to Him in that life before the Incarnation a position not unlike that which is attributed to Wisdom in our passage: "All things were made by Him: and without Him was not anything made that hath been made. No man hath seen ‘God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him." { John 1:3 ; John 1:18 } But whether our Lord expressly acknowledged the forecast of Himself which is contained in the passage or not, we cannot fail to mark with joy and wonder how strikingly all that is best in the utterance and in the delineation of Wisdom is produced, concrete, tangible, real, in Him. He, like Wisdom in the book of Proverbs, appears in the busy haunts of man, appeals to them, invites them with large, open-armed generosity, His voice is to the sons of men. He, like Wisdom, can say with absolute truth, "All the words of My mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing crooked or perverse in them." He too could speak of His teaching as "plain and right," and could with simple literalness declare that His words were more precious than gold, while obedience to Him would cause men "to inherit substance." With what force He might claim that even kings rule by Him we shall only know when the kingdoms of the world have become His in their integrity: but we can see at once how appropriate in His lips is the beautiful saying. "I love them that love Me, and those that seek Me early shall find Me." With equal suitability might He the First-born of all creation, the beginning of the creation of God, use the sublime language which follows. And He too could say that His delight was with the sons of men. Yes, how much that means to us! If His delight had not been with us, how could ours ever have been with Him? What a new meaning irradiates every human being when we realize that with him with her, is the delight of the Son of God! What a revelation lies in the fact, a revelation of what man was by his origin, made in the image of God, and of what he may be in the last event, brought to "the fullness of the measure of the stature of Christ." We must not speak as if He delights in us because He has redeemed us; no, He redeemed us because He delighted in us. Is not this a ground on which He may appeal to us, "Now, therefore, my sons hearken unto Me; for blessed are they that keep My ways?" And can we not say to Him with a fervor which the cold abstraction of Wisdom could not possibly excite. "We would watch daily at Thy gates, waiting at the posts of Thy doors. For when we find Thee we find life and obtain favor of the Lord. When we sin against Thee we wrong our own souls: when we hate Thee we love death?" Yes, in place of this ancient Wisdom which, stately and lovely as she is, remains always a little intangible and unapproachable, Christ is made unto us Wisdom, and He speaks to us the old words with a deeper meaning, and new words which none but He could ever speak. The Expositor's Bible Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission.