Death. There can be no precaution too great, chap. ii. 18. (Calmet) CHAPTER VII. Voice. Men are wanting to themselves: they cannot plead ignorance. (Calmet) --- Wisdom stands on high in the Catholic Church inviting all to virtue and happiness. (Worthington) --- Some explain this of the light which is communicated to men; but the Fathers apply it to Jesus Christ, some of the expressions regarding his divinity, and others his human nature, Ecclesiasticus xxiv. Doors. Amid disputants, whose eagerness ought to convince us of the preference due to wisdom over all terrestrial concerns, ver. 10. Money. They are generally incompatible. Thoughts. All good comes from God, the eternal wisdom, (Calmet) which speaks here. (Worthington) Things. Power and knowledge are the gift of the Almighty, Romans xii. 1. A prince who resembles God the most, is his best present. (Pliny in Trajan) Glorious. Literally, "proud." (Haydock) --- But here it only means great, Isaias ix 15., and lxi. 6. Riches too commonly nourish pride, and it is very rare to see them joined with justice. (Calmet) Stone. So the Septuagint translate paz, (Haydock) which designates a more pure sort of gold, Genesis ii. 11. (Calmet) Enrich. Hebrew, "grant what is (real goods) an inheritance to them," &c. --- Treasures. Septuagint add, "with goods. If I announce to you daily occurrences, I will admonish you to number the things of the world," (Haydock) and all past events. (Calmet) Possessed. As Christ was with God, equal to him in eternity, John i. Septuagint, "created," which many of the Fathers explain of the word incarnate, (see Cornelius a Lapide; Bossuet) or he hath "placed me," (St. Athanasius iii. contra Arian. Eusebius) a pattern of all virtues. The Septuagint generally render kana, "possessed," as Aquila does here. (Calmet) Up. Hebrew, "anointed." Septuagint, "he founded." Christ was appointed to be the foundation, on which we must be built. (St. Athanasius iii. Orat.) Conceived. Having yet manifested none of my works. Since the creation, wisdom only seeks to communicate itself to us. (Calmet) Poles. Hebrew, "head or height of the dust of the world." (Haydock) --- I subsisted with the chaos, before things appeared in their present form. (Calmet) --- The poles denote the north and south, or the four quarters of the world. (Menochius) CHAPTER VIII. Sky. Protestants, "clouds." Pagnin, "the air." Vulgate \'e6thera. Septuagint, "the clouds above." (Haydock) --- Moses assigns the higher and lower waters the same origin, Genesis i. 7. Pass. This is often remarked, Psalm xli. 8. --- Earth. See Job xxxviii. 8. (Calmet) Forming. Hebrew, "one nursed," (Calmet) or nursing, nutritius. (Pagnin) --- He was not an idle spectator. --- Playing. With ease and surprising variety. (Calmet) Men. God saw that all was good, but delighted most in his own image. (Menochius) --- He prefers man before all other corporeal creatures. (Worthington) --- To him alone below he has granted understanding, and a soul capable of virtue. The Son has also assumed our nature, Baruch iii. 37. Lord. Wisdom, or Jesus Christ, is our salvation, happiness, and life. Septuagint, "and the will is prepared by the Lord." St. Augustine often quotes this to prove the necessity of preventing grace. (Ep. ccxvii., and clxxxvi.) (Calmet) Death. Not in itself, (Haydock) but by adhering to such things as bring death. (Menochius) House. The sacred humanity, (St. Ignatius; St. Augustine, City of God xvii. 20.) or the Church. (St. Gregory, Mor. xxxiii. 15.) --- Here we may receive all instruction, the seven sacraments, and the gifts of the Holy Ghost. Pleasure had mentioned here attractions: now those of true wisdom are set before us. (Calmet) --- God sent his pastors at all times, to invite people to embrace the latter. They are all included in the number seven, both before and under the law, as well as in the gospel, where St. Paul styles Sts. Peter, James, and John, pillars, Galatians ii. This is the literal sense, on which the mystical is grounded, and both are intended by the Holy Ghost, intimating that the uncreated wisdom took flesh of the blessed Virgin [Mary], prepared the table of bread and wine, as Priest according to the order of Melchisedec, and chose the weak of this world to confound the strong, as St. Augustine explain this passage. (Sup. and q. 51.) (Worthington) Victims. Moses ordered the blood to be poured out at the door of the tabernacle, and a part given to the priests, after which the rest might be taken away. The like was probably done at Jerusalem, Leviticus xvii. 4. These victims are contrasted with those of pleasure, chap. vii. 14. --- Mingled. It was not customary for any but barbarians and the gods to take pure wine. Some mixed two, others three, five, or even twenty parts of water. But the scholiast of Aristophanes says, the best method was to have three parts water, and two of wine. Mercury complains that his wine was half water. (Arist. Plut. v. Sun. i.) --- The Fathers often apply this text to the feast of Jesus Christ in the blessed Eucharist. (Calmet) --- St. Cyprian (ep. iii.) citeth the whole passage of Christ's sacrifice in the forms of bread and wine. (Worthington) Maids. Septuagint, "servant men," the pastors of the church, inviting all to piety in so public a manner, that none can plead ignorance. (St. Gregory) (Calmet) --- To invite. Protestants, "she crieth upon the highest places of the city." (Haydock) --- Christ enjoins his apostles to preach on the roofs, Matthew x. 37. One. Simple, but not inconstant, like children, 1 Corinthians xiv. 20. Pleasure addresses the same, (chap. vii. 7.) but for their destruction. (Calmet) Scorner. This is the reason why wisdom speaks only to the simple. The conceited would only laugh at her instructions. These scoffers represent heretics and libertines, chap. i. 22. (Calmet) --- Where there is no hope of amendment, prudence and charity require us to be silent, as our rebukes would only procure us enmity, and make the sinner worse. (Worthington) --- Of such St. John was afraid, and therefore ceased from writing, 3 John 9. Yet St. Paul commands public reprehension, 1 Timothy v. 20. (Menochius) --- When there is any prospect of good, all, particularly superiors, are bound to correct. (St. Augustine, City of God i. 9.; and St. Basil, reg. fus. 158.) (Worthington) Occasion. This word is found in Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic. We might supply instruction, (Calmet) with Protestants. Prudence. Or "prudence is the science of the saints," (Haydock) directing what to choose on all occasions to obtain heaven. (Calmet) --- The knowledge contained in the holy Scriptures, and possessed by the saints, is superior to all other sciences. (Menochius) And full. Protestants, "she is simple and knoweth nothing." Septuagint, "is in want of a piece of bread." They have several verses before this, which are here omitted. (Haydock) --- Wisdom and pleasure are opposed to each other. (Calmet) Pleasant. Impure pleasures are more delightful (Calmet) to sensual men. (Haydock) --- The prohibition increases appetite. (Menochius) Giants. Who lived when all flesh had corrupted its ways, (Genesis vi. 12.) and were sentenced to hell, Job xxvi. 5., and Isaias xiv. 9. (Calmet)