A plain and familiar exposition of the ninth and tenth chapters of the Proverbs…A plaine and familiar exposition of the ninth and tenth chapters of the Prouerbs…

Terror to them that suffer Satan to rob them of all good §2lessons and instructions, and yet think that no hurt at all is done to them. If their houses had been broken up by men, and their money taken out of their chests, their neighbours should hear their clamours, and the whole country should hear their outcries, but let the devil himself bereave them of that portion which should not have been only for living, but life, not for this present state, but their everlasting state: in this case they be quiet, no wrong is offered to them, they have sustained no manner of loss. It is set down as a judgement and curse by the Prophet, that men shall put their money into a broken bag, and what a fearful case stand they in then ¹that put the sacred instructions of the blessed word of God into a bottomless heart, that can hold nothing, but that which will pervert and hurt them? The Apostle giveth an earnest caveat to the Hebrews, admonishing them strictly to give ²heed to the things which they heard, least they should let them slip, and as the word signifieth, should leak or run out. For it were better to have wounds in our bodies that all our blood should gush out, then to be rifted vessels, having chinks in our souls, that the doctrine of life should soak away, and ooze out from us.

Terrour to them that suffer Sathan to rob them of all good §2lessons and instructions, and yet thinke that no hurt at all is done to them. If their houses had beene broken vp by men, and their money taken out of their chests, their neighbours should heare their clamours, and the whole countrie should heare their outcries, but let the diuell himselfe bereaue them of that portion which should not haue beene onely for liuing, but life, not for this present state, but their euerlasting state: in this case they be quiet, no wrong is offred to them, they haue sustained no manner of losse. It is set downe as a iudgement and curse by the Prophet, that men shall put their money into a broken bagge, and what a fearefull case stand they in then ¹that put the sacred instructions of the blessed word of God into a bottomlesse heart, that can hold nothing, but that which will peruert and hurt them? The Apostle giueth an earnest caueat to the Hebrewes, admonishing them strictly to giue