Proverbs 8 · The Lantern

Doth not wisedome crie? and vnderstanding vtter her voyce?

She standeth in the top of the high places by the way in the place of the paths.

She cryeth besides the gates before the citie at the entrie of the doores,

O men, I call vnto you, and vtter my voyce to the children of men.

O ye foolish men, vnderstand wisedome, and ye, O fooles, be wise in heart.

Giue eare, for I will speake of excellent things, and the opening of my lippes, shall teache things that be right.

For my mouth shall speake the trueth, and my lippes abhorre wickednesse.

All the wordes of my mouth are righteous: there is no lewdenes, nor frowardnesse in them.

They are all plaine to him that will vnderstande, and streight to them that woulde finde knowledge.

Receiue mine instruction, and not siluer, and knowledge rather then fine golde.

For wisdome is better then precious stones: and all pleasures are not to be compared vnto her.

I wisdome dwell with prudence, and I find foorth knowledge and counsels.

The feare of the Lord is to hate euill as pride, and arrogancie, and the euill way: and a mouth that speaketh lewde things, I doe hate.

I haue counsell and wisedome: I am vnderstanding, and I haue strength.

By me, Kings reigne, and princes decree iustice.

By me princes rule and the nobles, and all the iudges of the earth.

I loue them that loue me: and they that seeke me earely, shall finde me.

Riches and honour are with me: euen durable riches and righteousnesse.

My fruite is better then golde, euen then fine golde, and my reuenues better then fine siluer.

I cause to walke in the way of righteousnes, and in the middes of the paths of iudgement,

That I may cause them that loue me, to inherite substance, and I will fill their treasures.

The Lord hath possessed me in the beginning of his way: I was before his workes of olde.

And now I shall again recite the words which I have spoken in proof of this point. When Scripture says, "The Lord rained fire from the Lord out of heaven," the prophetic word indicates that there were two in number: One upon the earth, who, it says, descended to behold the cry of Sodom; Another in heaven, who also is Lord of the Lord on earth, as He is Father and God; the cause…

The Lord is God's true and natural Son, and he is known to be not just eternal but one who exists concurrently with the eternity of the Father.

"The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his ways." The ways of the Lord are his works, by contemplating which man comes to faith or knowledge. For his invisible attributes are clearly seen, understood by the things that are made, from the creation of the world. His ways are the very illuminations by which he shows himself to angelic spirits and to human minds.

I was set vp from euerlasting, from the beginning and before the earth.

Since the heretics, reading the next verse, take a perverse view of that also, because it is written, "He founded me before the world," namely, that this is said of the Godhead of the Word and not of his incarnate presence, it is necessary, explaining this verse also, to show their error.It is written, "The Lord in Wisdom founded the earth; if then by wisdom the earth is founde…

[Solomon] says, "He laid down both the cause and foundation of creation." Also it is written, "He created all things in himself, and he is before all things." And the Lord says as well, "I am the beginning of the creation of God." Indeed, desiring to be the foundation of the church, he submitted to becoming human so that the church might be constituted firmly in him.

When there were no depths, was I begotten, when there were no fountaines abounding with water.

Before the mountaines were setled: and before the hilles, was I begotten.

Let us consider [that] our Savior is a "reflection of glory." The reflection of glory has not been begotten just once and no longer begotten. But just as the light is an agent of reflection, in such a way the reflection of the glory of God is begotten. Our Savior is the wisdom of God. But the wisdom is the reflection of everlasting light.

But now, lest the terms 'creation' and 'establishing' should be an obstacle to belief in the divine birth, these words follow, "Before He made the earth, before He made firm the mountains, before all the hills He begat Me." Thus He is begotten before the earth, Who is established before the ages; and not only before the earth, but also before the mountains and hills.

Whether he is eternally begotten or not, I do not yet say, until I have looked into the statement, "Before all the hills he begets me" more accurately. But I cannot see the necessity of their conclusion. For if, as they say, everything that is to come to an end had also a beginning, then surely that which has no end had no beginning.

He had not yet made the earth, nor the open places, nor the height of the dust in the worlde.

When hee prepared the heauens, I was there, when he set the compasse vpon the deepe.

Learn also that the Father was with him, and he with the Father, when all things were being made. Wisdom says, "When he was preparing the heavens I was with him, when he was making the fountains of waters." And in the Old Testament the Father … showed that the Son was to be worshiped with himself as the maker of all things.

This Wisdom uttered made the sky, The sky and light and all besides; All by the Word's almighty power Were fashioned, for the Word was God.

For in the beginning when He created the world and all that therein is, and when He was establishing things, wisdom worked with Him, even as Solomon saith, "The Lord by His wisdom laid the foundations of the earth, and He constructed the heavens by His understanding; and by His knowledge were the depths broken up, and the clouds distilled water." And again wisdom saith, "When H…

When he established the cloudes aboue, when he confirmed the fountaines of the deepe,

When he gaue his decree to the Sea, that the waters shoulde not passe his commandement: when he appointed the foundations of the earth,

Then was I with him as a nourisher, and I was dayly his delight reioycing alway before him,

We can therefore imagine no moment whatever when that power was not engaged in acts of well-doing. Whence it follows that there always existed [in God's wisdom] objects for this well-doing, namely, God's works or creatures, and that God, in the power of his providence, was always dispensing his blessings among them by doing them good in accordance with their condition and deser…

We have that general seemliness; for God made the beauty of this world. We have it also in its parts; for when God made the light, and marked off the day from the night, when he made heaven, and separated land and seas, when he set the sun and moon and stars to shine upon the earth, he approved of them all one by one.

"And I delighted every day," etc. Saying "playing," he means rejoicing. Therefore, he was playing before the Father every day, because, as the prophet says, "From the beginning, from the days of eternity" (Mic. 5), he was rejoicing to be one with the Father.

And tooke my solace in the compasse of his earth: and my delite is with the children of men.

Therefore nowe hearken, O children, vnto me: for blessed are they that keepe my wayes.

Heare instruction, and be ye wise, and refuse it not: blessed is the man that heareth mee, watching dayly at my gates, and giuing attendance at the postes of my doores.

For he that findeth me, findeth life, and shall obteine fauour of the Lord.

But he that sinneth against me, hurteth his owne soule: and all that hate me, loue death.

Proverbs8