A plaine and familiar exposition of the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth chapters of the Prouerbs of Salomon

Verse 11. The graue and destruction are before the Lord: how much more the hearts of the sonnes of men?

THE graue] The darkest places in the ground, or dee∣pest places in the waters, where any dead corpse is, or hath beene couered, and consequently all others as obscure as they, or lower than they, euen to the very center of the earth: [and destruction] the place and state of the damned spi∣rits: [are before the Lord] hee seeth both how the bodies con∣sume, and how the soules suffer, and what be the thoughts of them that sustaine such infernall torments: [how much more the hearts] the counsels, and purposes, and discourses, and motions of all the faculties of the soules: [of the sonnes of men] of euery one in euery age that is descended from the race of mankinde, so long as he liueth on earth. Yet is not this an argument from impuritie, in respect of God, as though it were easie for him to behold some thoughts, and hard to find out others: (for all are equally comprehended of him) but in regard of men, which with greater difficultie attaine to the knowledge of that whereunto their sense is not able to reach, and with more facilitie discerne that which is subiect to their senses: and so according to themselues they conceiue of the Lord.

Now if they apprehend that he doth continually obserue and looke vpon things that bee so abstruse and hidden, they may be easily perswaded that hee is not vnacquainted with that which is more conspicuous and apparant.

[Doct.] There can nothing be kept so close and secret any where, but the Lord doth at all times euidently see it. The third verse of this chapter was to the same purpose: and there the point hath beene spoken too.