A godly and learned exposition vppon the Prouerbes of Solomon: written in French by Maister Michael Cope, minister of the woorde of God, at Geneua: and translated into English, by M.O.

26 The person that trauelleth, trauelleth for himselfe, for his mouth craueth it of him.

There is none except he be impudent, or blockish, which doth deny that wee must beare the yoke of the Lorde willingly, yet do we al naturally deny it not by woord, but indeede. For God hath layde payne, labour, and trauell vppon our backes, and yet wee loue rest, ydlenes, & slouthfulnes: as wee are conuinced by our consci∣ence, and the rich worldlinges doe shew it, when they liue after the pleasure of their fleshe, making themselues beleeue that it is laweful for them to take their ease, delightes and pleasures without applying themselues too some honest and profitable vocation:

for because that they haue abundance of goods, for to liue with∣out doing ought, they would thinke it too vile and bace a thing for their maistership and worship, to set hande to woorke, or to giue themselues to some vocation, wherin they might get some mony, or serue their neighbours. Al that serue, and are hired either for a yeere, or from day to day, and doe not their worke so carefully and faithfully in the absence of their Maisters, as in their presence, either bee it in presence or in absence doe make no account to doe their worke wel, do also shewe it. And albeit that diuers, euen of those which are not taught in the worde of God, bee very earnest and stoute at their worke, yet is it not to say that they worke willingly, but it is because they loue themselues, and desire to gaine something for their profit. Solomon doeth signifie it, saying, The person or soule that trauaileth, &c. Or, that most commonly, they feare to haue nothing put in their mouthes and to eate. The reason that So∣lomon giueth, doeth shewe it, when hee sayeth, for his mouth cra∣ueth it. He sheweth that it commeth not of a franke and free hart, nor by charitie, that they are giuen to worke: but that they haue re∣gard to themselues, and feare to want. And thus Solomon doth not teache vs expresly what we haue to doe: but he doth shew vs what our nature is, and with what desire it is led, and what wee do com∣monly. And yet we must not thinke that he alloweth vs to doe that which he pronounceth heere, except that in labouring for ourselues we do also take care of our housholdes, and shewe compassion on the needie and on the necessitie of the poore: and that folowing the admonition: let him that stole, steale no more, but let him rather la∣bour, with his handes the thing that is good, that hee may haue to giue vnto him that needeth. He therfore rebuketh the slouthful∣nesse of our nature, and therewith doeth somewhat shewe vs that hee which laboureth not, is worthy to dye for hunger: as Saint Paul declareth, for if any man wil not worke, let him also not eate. Some do take heere trauaile for molestation, trouble and punishment: and do interprete this sentence, as if Solomon did say, The foule of man doeth forsake molestation: for his mouth giueth him occasion: that is to say, That there happeneth great troubles vnto a man that spea∣keth rashly and without cause. This sense is true, and very agreeable to the scriptures: it agreeth also with experience: notwithstanding it

is much constrained: and therefore wee wil receiue the first sense the which doeth teache vs that wee must not bee slouthful, but at the lest wee shoulde trauaile for to auoyde pouertie, I say, at the least: for that which ought chiefly to induce vs to trauaile is obedience that wee owe vnto our Lorde, and consequently the duetie that wee owe vnto our familie, and to our poore neighbors: For God hath no neede of our trauaile, nor of the profit that com∣meth thereof.

Notes

• Ephe. 4. 28.
• 2. Thes. 3. 10.
• Mat. 12. 36. 37.
• Iam. 1. 26. & 3. 6.