On Friday of the second week of Lent, an instruction of a certain man to his spiritual brethren, taken from the Book of Proverbs. #

Brethren, ye have heard from the prophets, the apostles, and the Gospel concerning the vanity and sorrow of riches. And now I desire further to instruct you in wisdom and the fear of God from the proverbs of the wise, wherein it is written: “My son, if thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it.” And again: “My son, if thou receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee, so that thine ear may hearken unto wisdom”—that is, unto Christ, who is Wisdom—“and apply thine heart to understanding,” meaning faith, “then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God: for the Lord giveth wisdom, and out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” And again: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and a good understanding have all they that do his commandments.” But the foolish fall into every evil. “The meek shall inherit the earth, but the proud and the rebellious shall lay it waste. The Lord resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

And again: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding, that thy foot may walk uprightly and not stumble.” “Blessed is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding: for the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.” And again: “The wise man deviseth no evil against his neighbor, but the proud and foolish stir up strife.” “The curse of the Lord is upon the house of the wicked, but he blesseth the habitation of the just. Surely he scorneth the scorners, but giveth grace unto the lowly.” And again: “The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the promotion of fools.” “A wise son heareth his father’s instruction, but a scorner heareth not rebuke. He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul, but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.” And again: “A wise man seeketh wisdom and the path of righteousness, and when he hath found what is good, he laboreth not in vain; but a fool shall fall into a deep pit and perish, and his latter end shall be worse than his beginning.”

And again: “Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. The instruction of the wise is life to the soul and healing to the body, the forgiveness of sins, and a treasure of life.” And again: “Give not heed to the words of an evil woman, for the lips of a strange woman drop as a honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: but her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.” “He that cleaveth unto her shall find death; his body shall be consumed, and his soul shall be cast into hell.” Then shalt thou say: “O wretched man that I am, why have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof? I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me; I have hated them, and in my foolishness I have perished.”

And again: “Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well; but beware of those that are strange unto thee. Then shalt thou be found in the midst of the congregation of the wise.” And again: “The adulterer and the drunkard shall perish through lack of understanding.” “Receive instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold.”

And again: “The law of the Lord hateth the arrogance of the proud, and He shall suddenly break their bones: but the meek and those who love the Lord shall inherit riches and glory.” And again: “Blessed is the man that heareth the instruction of the wise, for he shall be wiser than the wise.” And again: “He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot. Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.” Therefore the Lord saith: “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” For the Lord calleth the foolish “swine,” but the precious pearl is His divine teaching.

And again: “A wise son maketh a glad father, but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.” “Silver tried in a furnace, and gold purified, is the tongue of the wise, but the heart of the fool is full of evil.” And again: “The lips of the wise know what is acceptable, but the mouth of fools poureth out folly.” And again: “The blessing of the Lord is upon the head of the righteous, and a crown of glory upon the head of the wise.” Such men have no sorrow in their hearts, and their treasures are filled with substance. “The mouth of the wicked speaketh iniquity, but the lips of the humble learn wisdom, while those who exalt themselves fall into heresy.”

And again, it is written: “The fool, envying the wise, falleth into heresy; and he that hateth the instruction of the wise, falleth into Judaism. Such a man shall be condemned together with the Jews and heretics.” And again, the Book of Proverbs saith: “The righteous perisheth, but his hope shall not be cut off forever. The expectation of the wicked shall perish, and their torment shall have no end.”

And again: “A wise man endureth insult and keepeth silence concerning a reproach; but a fool declareth his friend’s wrath on the first day.” The righteous will never be pleased with iniquity, but the wicked is filled with all manner of evil. The humble man is always rich in spirit, but the fool is ever found in blasphemy and cursing.

And again: “He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his soul, but he that is quarrelsome, contentious, and disobedient destroyeth his own soul.” And again: “The hearts of the wise seek instruction unto salvation, but the hearts of fools wander far from the teaching that bringeth salvation.” And again: “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall find harm.” The righteous shall inherit great riches, but the sinners shall inherit much sorrow and affliction.

And again it is said: “He that chasteneth his son loveth him, but he that spareth the rod hateth him.” And again: “The wise buildeth a house, but the fool destroyeth it.” And again: “In a wise man is glory to the prince, but in a foolish man is destruction and downfall.” A prince who taketh counsel with a wise man shall not destroy his dominion, but he that consulteth with fools shall lose his kingdom. If a prince’s heart is good, wisdom shall dwell therein; but in the heart of the proud, folly shall take its abode. “He that listeneth to a talebearer angers him that gave him rule; and he that justifieth the guilty for a bribe shall receive an unappealable judgment on the last day.”

And the prophet David saith: “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth them.” But “the sinners”—that is, unjust and merciless judges—“shall call upon Him and weep, being cast into everlasting torment. The Lord shall turn away His face from them,” saying: “There shall be no mercy for him that hath not shown mercy.” O woe unto him that judgeth unrighteously! For by his own works shall he be judged! It is written: “A prince shall not be saved by his dominion, nor a bishop by his bishopric, nor any ruler by his rank, but every man shall shine forth in his own order, if he keepeth the commandments of the Lord.”

And Isaiah saith: “Wash you, make you clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.” These words are addressed to princes and rulers, not to simple men. And the Book of Proverbs saith: “A wise servant is pleasing unto kings and rulers.” “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure with injustice.”

And again: “The houses of robbers shall the Lord destroy, but He shall establish the dwelling of the meek, and they shall have long life.” And again it is written: “By mercy sins are purged, and by righteousness iniquities are cleansed.” For the Lord Himself hath said: “I will have mercy, and not sacrifice.” And the Book of Proverbs again saith: “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.”

And again: “The lover of sin rejoiceth in strife, but they that do good shall inherit blessings.” “A proud man shall fall into evil, but he that is silent and humble shall enter into a goodly inheritance.” And again: “He that hath mercy on the poor and needy, in the day of affliction the Lord shall deliver him; but the proud man troubleth the saints.”

And again: “It is better to dwell in a poor hut with righteousness than in a house of plastered walls with iniquity.” And again: “He that heareth not one that prayeth, he himself shall pray to God, and God shall not hear him.” And “he that keepeth enmity in his heart is a transgressor of the law, and his prayer shall not be accepted before God.” “The sacrifices of the wicked are an abomination unto the Lord, as also are the offerings of the lawless, the extortioner, the bribe-taker, and the tavern-keeper.”

And again: “The rich and the poor meet together: the Lord is the maker of them both.” And Hannah, the mother of Samuel, said: “The Lord maketh poor and maketh rich, He bringeth low and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy from the dunghill.” And again: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth the Lord, and executeth judgment and righteousness in the earth.”

The prophet Zechariah saith: “Guide our feet into the way of peace.” And David saith: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.” And again, the Book of Proverbs saith: “My son, if thou be wise, thou shalt rejoice in thy soul.”

“Be not a winebibber, nor be eager to purchase meats: for the drunkard abideth ever in uncleanness, and at the end of his life shall become impoverished.” And again: “He that findeth a good wife findeth a treasure more precious than many costly stones, and such a wife rejoiceth the heart of her husband.”

And again: “To a holy man is given an evil wife, and such a one shall receive a greater crown from God; but to a sinful man is given a good wife.” This is unknown to many. And again: “O Lord my God, give me understanding, that I may know when it is fitting for me to speak a word.”

And this have I set before you as a field, and as a root in the dry earth, concerning Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.