John Trapp on Proverbs 3:7

Verſ. 7. Bee not wiſe in thine own eyes] Bis deſipit qui ſibi ſ[illegible: 1 letter]pit. Hee is two fools that is wiſe in his own eyes. This [non-Latin text not transcribed] marres all. Socrates his Hoc ſcio quod nihil ſcio, gat him the name of the wiſeſt among men.Arachu[illegible: 1 letter] apud Ovid. Metamor, lib. 6. Conſilii ſati[illegible: 1 letter] in me mihi — is the proud mans poſi[illegible: 1 letter]. Hec that would bee wiſe, muſt bee a fool, that hee may bee wiſe, 1 Cor. 3.18. Intus exiſtens prohibet alienum: A conceit of wiſdome bars out wiſdome.

Fear the Lord] This makes a modeſt opinion of a mans ſelf. Joſeph a man famous for the fear of God, when Pharaoh expected from him an interpretation of his dream, as having heard much of his skill, It is not in m[illegible: 2 letters], ſaid hee,Gen. 41.16. God ſhall give Pharaoh an anſwer of peace. Loe hee extenuates his own gifts, and aſcribes all to God. Wherefore ſuddenly after, as Joſeph had ſaid to Pharaoh, Without mee ſhall God make anſwer to Pharaoh, ſo Pharaoh is heard ſay to Joſeph, Without thee ſhall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the Land of Egypt, verſ. 44. So that here was exemplified that holy Proverb[illegible: 1 letter] Prov. 22.4. By humility and the fear of the Lord, are riches, and honour, and life. The Original runs thus, By humility the fear of the Lord are riches, &c. There is no And in the Hebrew. Humility and the fear of the Lord are ſo near akin (this being the Mother of that) as if the one were predicated of the other, as if they were one and the ſame grace.

And depart from evil] Another effect of this clean fear of God, as David calleth it, Pſal. 19.9. Cave, spectat Ca[illegible: 1 letter]o, was a watch word among the Romans. A reverend and religious man had theſe words following written before him in his ſtudy, Noli peccare: Nam Deus videt, Angeli aſtant, Diabolus accuſabit, Conſcientia teſtabitur, Infernus cruciabit. Take heed of ſin; for God ſeeth thee, Angels ſtand by thee, the Devil will accuſe thee, thy Conſcience will teſtifie againſt thee, and Hell will torture thee.Pſal. 134.4 Hoſ. 3.5. But beſides all this, there is mercy with God that hee may bee feared: and the children of Iſrael ſhall fear the Lord and his goodneſs.