A compleat history of the canon and writers, of the books of the Old and New Testament, by way of dissertation, with useful remarks on that subject ... by L.E. Du Pin ... ; done into English from the French original.

SECT. XII. Of the Book of Proverbs. Whether it be entirely Solomon's. When Compos'd. The Argument of this Book. The Ʋsefulness of this Method for the Teaching of Morality.

KING Solomon the Son of David, having receiv'd from God the Gift of Wisdom, and Understanding, compos'd 3000 Sentences or Proverbs, and 1005 Songs, as is observ'd, 1 Kings, Ch. 4. Ver. 32. No doubt but that the Collection which we have of them in the Book of PROVERBS, consists of some of those that Solomon com∣pos'd: His Name is at the beginning of the whole Work, The Proverbs of Solomon the Son of David. In the 25th Chapter, 'tis observ'd, That the following Proverbs are like∣wise Solomon's: But that they were collected by Persons appointed for that purpose by King Hezekiah: These are also Proverbs of Solomon, which the Men of Hezekiah King of Judah copied out. The 13th Chapter begins thus, The Words of Agur the Son of Jakeh, Names which the Author of the Vulgar Translation took for Appellative Names, and accordingly has render'd them thus; Verba congregantis filii Vomentis. The last Chap∣ter is intituled, The Words of King Lemuel. These Titles incline us to believe, That the first four and twenty Chapters may be the Original Piece of Solomon; that the five next are Extracts, or a Collection of several of his Proverbs, made in the time of King Hezekiah and by his Order; and that the two last Chapters were added, and belong to different, tho' unknown, Authors. For there is no mention any where made of this Agur the Son of Jakeh, nor of King Lemuel, whom some pretend to be Heze∣kiah. Let this be as it will, These two last Chapters are an Addition annex'd after∣wards, and of a different Style from the rest. The last is likewise compos'd of two distinct Pieces: The former, like to the rest of the Book, consisting of Sentences; and the latter, which cannot be the same Author's, is a description of a Wise Wife. 'Tis likewise probable, That the end of the 24th Chapter, from the 23th Verse, which begins thus; These things also belong to the Wise, is another Author's.

This Book, by the Hebrews, is call'd MISLE, or as St. Jerom pronounces it MA∣SALOTH, a Phrase which signifies, as we have already observ'd, a Proverb or Alle∣gory, but which has been extended to all manner of figurative Sentences. The Greeks have translated it only 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and the Latins, Proverbia, an Expression which has another Signification in our Language, and which may more properly be render'd, Sentences or Maxims.

The Ancients have styl'd this Book, The Wisdom of Solomon, and have frequently cited it under that Title, as Eusebius observes in the 4th Book of his History, Ch. 15. This Book contains a great many Instructions and Moral Maxims proper for the Con∣duct of Humane Life, such as not only relate to the Worship of God, the Sanctity and Innocency of Manners, but likewise the Rules of humane Wisdom and Prudence, with several Oeconomical and Political Admonitions. There are some of them Aenigmatical or Parabolical, and others, whose Sense is plain and manifest; but they are all written in a sublime manner. Each Sentence contains a compleat Sense, com∣pris'd in a few Words, and express'd after a lively, noble and Poetical manner, and even in Metre, if we will believe St. Jerom in the case. The nine first Chapters contain an Exhortation to the Study and Love of Wisdom. The rest of the Book consists of Moral Sentences upon several Subjects, collected without any Order or Con∣nexion.

As to the time when this Collection was made, we may judge of that by what we have said concerning the Three distinct Parts of which it is compos'd. If the first be the Original of Solomon, which they only copied, its time is indisputable. One need only Enquire, whether he wrote it when he was young, or when he was old, which is not much material. The Jews say, That he wrote the Canticles in his Youth, the Proverbs in his Manhood, and the Ecclesiastes the latter end of his Life. The Character of these Three Books agrees pretty well with these Three Ages, and 'tis manifestly, the only Foundation the Rabbies have to divide them thus. Others, Ha∣ving a respect to the Subject-Matters, pretend, that the Proverbs are the first Work of Solomon, Ecclesiastes the second, and the Canticles the third: Which St. Jerom seems to

approve of, when he observes in his Commentary on Ecclesiastes, That the Proverbs are proper for Children, Ecclesiastes for Persons of Riper years, and the Canticles for old Men. Some other Jews pretend, That Solomon compos'd and dictated those three Books about the end of his Life. Those things may pass for trifling Searches, from which 'tis impossible to discover the Truth, or to receive any Satisfaction. 'Tis more proper to shew the Usefulness of this Method of Teaching Morality by Proverbs and Sentences. 'Tis doubtless the most ancient of any. For before Morality was reduc'd into an Art, and made a Methodical Science, the Wise Men, who would instruct others in their Duty, made use, upon occasion, of Parables, Fables, and Riddles, to let them know what they ought to do, or else gave them short Rules, in order to put them into practice. This Mehtod, practis'd by the Wise Men of Greece, has a great many Advantages: It has nothing in it that is painful or disagreeable. It teaches the Truth without Study and Application, after a plain and natural manner. It inspires into Children in their very Infancy the first Principles of Morality. The Brevity wherewith those Truths are propos'd, renders them more palpable, and imprints them the more easily on the Memory. A Truth express'd in a few Words is less forgot, and affects a Man more, than if it were stretch'd out into a long Discourse, and prov'd by a Train of Argu∣ments. That noble and sublime manner, wherein it is express'd, strikes the Mind, and persuades it more effectually, than the longest Syllogistical Discourses. The lively light of Truth, which is of it self conspicuous, is better perceiv'd, than when wrap'd up and shrouded with vain Ornaments. These Sentences are as so many Spurs to rouze the Soul, and pierce the Heart. They give cruel Stings of Conscience to the Guilty, and quiet the Minds of the Innocent. They remain engraven upon the Me∣mory, and upon all occasions very easily and readily present themselves to the Soul. They serve as the Law and Rule of all our Actious, and form in a Man's Mind an Habit of acting conformable to Prudence and Equity. Their vast variety is di∣verting, and at the same time includes all the Duties of Humane Life in all States and Conditions. They do not only stop at the general Principles, but likewise make the Application of them, and enter into the particularities of Actions, Cir∣cumstances, and Occasions. These in general are the Advantages that may be drawn from Moral Sentences. But of all the Collections that have ever been made, it must be own'd, That there has never been any so large and excellent as that of the Pro∣verbs of Solomon, and that it infinitely surpasses all that the Philosophers have done of this Nature; whether we consider the Justness of Thought, or the Nobleness of Ex∣pression, or the wonderful Variety and extent of Matters; or lastly, the Wisdom of the Maxims. We here meet with none of those false Lights which are so frequent in Proverbs, where a dazling Lustre is sometimes minded more than a solid Truth. We here see no mean Expressions, or frisolous Thoughts, wherein 'tis a hard matter not to descend sometimes to Vulgar Sentences. We therein meet with no such strain'd Thoughts, or forc'd Turns, which are the Effect of an heated and disorderly Imagi∣gination. All here is Genuine, Sublime, Wise, Plain, Natural, and Instructive. 'Tis suited to the Capacities of all the World, and contains the Duties of all Estates and Conditions of Men; and, in a Word, is very proper to make a compleat Wise Man.