An exposition with practical observations continued upon the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters…

First, Every wicked man, is a foolish, a silly man; Sin is pure folly, In the Proverbs all along, wickedness is the Interpretation of foolishness. It is folly to take brass Counters for gold, and to be pleased with Bugles more then with Diamonds. When an heir is impleaded for an Idiot, the Judge commands an apple, or a counter, with a piece of gold to be set before him, to try which he will take; if he takes the apple or the counter, and leaves the ⟨p. 182⟩gold, he is then cast for a fool, and unable to manage his estate, for he knows not the value of things, or how to make a true election. Wicked men are thus foolish and more, for when bugles and diamonds, counters and gold are before them, they leave the diamonds and the gold, and please themselves with those toys and babbles; when (which is infinitely more sottish) Heaven and hell, life and death are set before them, they choose hell rather then Heaven, and death rather then life; they take the mean, transitory, trifling things of the world, before the favour of God, the pardon of sin, a part in Jesus Christ, and an inheritance among the Saints in light All the wisdom of wicked men, is wisdom in their own conceits. And Solomon assures us, that there is more hope of a fool then of such, that is, of those, who are sensible of their own failings, and are willing (as the Apostle directs) to become fools that they may be wise, 1 Cor. 3. 18. Opinion in it self is weak, but self-opinion is very strong; even the strongest of those strong-holds, and the highest of those high Towers, which the spiritual war, by those weapons which are mighty through God, is to oppose and cast down: which, till they are cast down, these fools are impregnable, and will not be led captive unto Christ.

First, Every wicked man, is a foolish, a silly man; Sinne is pure folly, In the Proverbs all along, wickednesse is the Interpretation of foolishnesse. It is folly to take brasse Counters for gold, and to be pleased with Bugles more then with Diamonds. When an heyre is impleaded for an Ideot, the Judge commands an apple, or a counter, with a peece of gold to be set before him, to try which he will take; if he takes the apple or the counter, and leaves the ⟨p. 182⟩gold, he is then cast for a foole, and unable to mannage his estate, for he knows not the value of things, or how to make a true election. Wicked men are thus foolish and more, for when bugles and diamonds, counters and gold are before them, they leave the diamonds and the gold, and please themselves with those toyes and bables; when (which is infinitely more sottish) Heaven and hell, life and death are set before them, they chuse hell rather then Heaven, and death rather then life; they take the meane, transitory, trifling things of the world, before the favour of God, the pardon of finne, a part in Jesus Christ, and an inheritance among the Saints in light All the wisdome of wicked men, is wisdome in their owne conceits. And Solomon assures us, that there is more hope of a foole then of such, that is, of those, who are sensible of their owne failings, and are willing (as the Apostle directs) to become fooles that they may be wise,