â—…a Effigies IOHANNIS TRAPP A. M. Aetat Suae 59. 1660. A COMMENTARY OR EXPOSITION UPON These following Books of holy Scripture Proverbs of Solomon Ecclesiastes the Song of Songs Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel Being a Third Volume of ANNOTATIONS Upon the whole BIBLE By John Trapp M. A. once of Christ-Church in Oxford now Pastour of Weston upon Avon in Glocester-shire LONDON Printed by Robert White for Nevil Simmons Bookseller in Kederminster and are to be sold by Henry Mortlock at the Phenix in Pauls Church-yard and by Thomas Basset in Dunstans Church-yard in Fleet-street Anno Dom. 1660. To the Worshipful his much honoured Friends Edward Stephens of Sadbury Esq together with the Worshipful Colonel Thomas Stephens Esq and his thrice-thrice-Worthy Consort Mris Katharine Stephens as also to their only Son Mr. Thomas Stephens the younger Much honoured and dearly beloved in the Lord I No sooner bethought me of this Dedication then there came likewise into my mind that Apostolical Distinction of true Christians into Fathers Young men and Little children 1 John 2.12 13. All these taken conjunctim Saint John had by a most kind compellation called Little children ver 1. My little children saith he these things write I unto you as in an Epistle Dedicatory that ye sin not sc sinningly as chap. 3.6 and mortally as chap. 5.16 But if any man do sin as alas we can do no less we have an Advocate with the Father appearing for us as a Lawyer appeareth for his Client Heb. 9.24 even Jesus Christ the just one Vorstius the Judges own Son and he is the propitiation that is the Propitiatour by a Metalepsis for our sins Learn this in general saith the holy Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tit. 1.9 and hold it fast as with both hands for it is of the very foundation As for particulars I have yet somewhat more to say to you divisim severally and asunder And first for you Little children or Babes in Christ who have had your spiritual Conception Gal. 4.19 Birth 1 Pet. 1.23 and are now in your child-hood 1 Cor. 3.12 Heb. 5.13 as well appeareth 1. Because your sins are forgiven you for his names sake ver 12. for an assurance whereof God hath given you the Sacrament of Baptism to signifie as by sign to ascertain you as by seal to convey to you as by instrument Christ Jesus with all his benefits 2. Because ye have known the Father in some degree at least whilest he hath inwardly sealed you up by his Spirit set his mark upon you and sent you word as it were how well he loveth you Now then the lesson that I have to lay before you Little Ones is only this That it is the last hour and as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come even now there are many Antichrists abroad ver 18. look well to your selves therefore that ye be not beguiled as little ones are apt to be that ye fall not from your own stedfastness but for a Preservative grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to him be glory both now and for ever Amen 2 Pet. 3.18 Next for you Fathers you that are old Disciples as Mnason is called Acts 21.16 you that are already gray-headed and experienced Christians Saints of the first magnitude Ephes 4.13 such as the Psalmist celebrateth Psalm 92.14 I grant that ye have known him that is from the beginning ver 13. and I say it again for your singular commendation and encouragement Ye have known him that is from the beginning ver 14. even that Antient of daies whose head and hair are white like wool as white as snow Rev. 1.14 You know him I say with a knowledge not only Apprehensive and Disciplinary but also Affective and Directive of your whole life Nevertheless I must friendly forewarn you of this one thing Old Melancthon was much delighted with that saying of Achilles in Philostratus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though ye know it already Love not the world neither the things that are in the world ver 15. 'T is strange you should and yet 't is often seen you do dote over impotently on these things here below even then when you have one foot in the grave and should have the other foot in heaven whether ye are hasting The higher the Sun the shorter surely should be the shade The nearer to the Sea the sooner should come in the tide And as in a Piramide the higher you go the lesser compass you find So ought it to be with you Reverend Fathers upon whose heads God hath set a silver crown of hoary hairs already and will shortly set upon them an immarcessible crown of glory Lastly for you Young men that are not only past the spoon but come to a well-grown age in Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have to praise you for this and again I praise you that ye have in a good measure overcome that wicked One the Troubler ver 13 14. because ye are strong and the word of God abideth in you ver 14 But yet as strong as ye are and the glory of young men Heb. of choice young men is their strength Prov. 20.29 well improved by you because made use of against the devil yet let me caution you also as well as Elder Saints to beware of the world a subtile a sly enemy and very insinuative into the best breasts Love not the world neither the things that are in the world is your lesson too ver 15. Divorce the flesh from the world and then your Adversary the Devil can do you no hurt Hitherto worthy Sirs you have heard the beloved Disciple only glossed and paraphrased a little and a better you cannot hear for he was à secretis to the wonderful Counsellour and leaned on his bosom Shall I now take the humble boldness Gentlemen after so great an Apostle to bespeak you severally in like sort only with a little inversion of the Apostles order And first for you Sir the Grand-sire the Antientest and most honourable of this thrice-worthy Ternio besides your singular sagacity and prudence both civil and sacred the holy Apostles character of a Father these four Notes of an old man in Christ are all fairly pensil'd out and exemplified in your religious and righteous life and practice absit verbo invidia as in any mans I know alive at this day 1. Such an one is exceeding humble as Abraham was Gen. 18.27 I am but dust and ashes as Jacob was Gen. 32.10 I am less then the least of thy loving kindnesses Lord as David was Psalm 22.6 I am a worm and no man as Nehemiah was when he prayed for pardon of his Reformations chap. 13 22. As Paul was with his Minimissimus sum so Estius rendereth him Ephes 3.8 as Ignatius was with his Tantillitas nostra our utmost meanness as Austin was with his Non sum dignus quem tu diligas I am utterly unworthy
Vers 17. A friend loveth at all times Such a friend was Jonathan Hushai the Archite Ittai the Gittite who stuck close to David when hee was at his greatest under B. Morton But such faithful friends are in this age all for the most part gone in Pilgrimage as hee once said and their return is uncertain David met with others besides those above mentioned that would bee the causes but not the companions of his calamity that would fawn upon him in his flourish but forsake him in his trouble My lovers and friends stand aloof c. The Antients pictured Friendship in the shape of a fair young man bare-headed meanly apparelled having on the out-side of his garment written To live and to dye with you and on his forehead Summer and Winter His breast was open so that his heart might bee seen and with his finger bee pointed to his heart where was written Longè Propè Far and near Humphrey Duke of Glocester being wounded and overthrown by the Duke of Alenzon at the battel of Agincourt was rescued by his brother King Henry the fifth who bestriding him delivered him from danger c. Speed And a Brother is born for adversity Birth binds him to it and although at other times fratrum concordia rara brethren may jar and jangle yet at a straight and in a stresse good nature will work and good blood will not belie it self And as in the natural so in the spiritual brotherhood Misery breeds unity Ridley and Hooper that when they were both Bishops differed so much about Ceremonies could agree well enough and bee mutual comforts one to another when they were both prisoners Esther concealed her kindred in hard times but Gods people cannot Moses must rescue his beaten brother out of the hand of the Egyptian though hee venture his life by it Vers 18. A man void of understanding striketh hands Of the folly and misery of rash suretyship See Chap. 6.1 2 c. with the Notes there In the presence of his friend Or before his friend that is before his friend do it who was better able and more obliged Thus like a Woodcock hee puts his neck into the ginne his foot into the stocks as the Drunkard and then hath time enough to come in with the fools had I wist and to say as the Lion did when taken in the toil Si praescivissem If I had foreseen this But why should there bee amongst men any such Epimetheus such a Post-master an after-wit Vers 19. Hee loveth transgression that loveth strife It s strange that any should love strife that Hell-hag 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And yet some like Trouts love to swim against the stream like Salamanders they live in the fire of contention like Phocion they hold it a goodly thing to dissent from others like Pyrrhus they are a people that delight in war Psal 68.30 Like Davids enemies I am for peace saith hee that was his Motto but when I speak of it Psal 120.7 they are for war These unquiet spirits are of the Devil doubtlesse that turbulent creature that troubler of Gods Israel Hee knows that where envying and strife is there is confusion and every evil work James 3.16 and that hee loveth transgression that loveth strife hee taketh pleasure in sin which is the cause of his unquietnesse Good therefore and worthy of all acceptation is the counsel of the Psalmist Cease from anger and forsake wrath fret not thy self in any wise to do evil Psal 37.8 Hee that frets much will soon bee drawn to do evil An angry man stirs up strife and a furious man aboundeth in transgression Prov. 29.22 Hence our Saviour bids Have salt within your selves that is mortifie your corruptions and then bee at Peace one with another Mark 9.50 Hence also Saint James saith that the wisdome from above is first pure and then peaceable And Saint Paul oft joyns faith and love together there can bee no true love to and good agreement with men till the heart bee purified by faith from the love of sin And hee that exalteth his gate seeketh destruction Eventually hee seeketh it though not intentionally that exalteth his gate that is his whole house a part being put for the whole which hee that builds over-sumptuously is in the ready rode to beggery the begger will soon have him by the back as they say quaerit rupturam hee will shortly break Others read the words thus And hee enlargeth his gate that seeketh a breach that is say they hee that picketh quarrels and is contentious setteth open a wide door to let in many mischiefs Vers 20. Hee that hath a froward heart findeth no good Who this is that hath a froward heart and a perverse tongue Solomon shews Prov. 11.20 viz. the hypocrite the double-minded man Jam. 1.8 that hath an heart and a heart Psal 12.2 One for God and another for him that would have it as that desperate Neapolitan boasted of himself And as hee hath two hearts so two tongues too 1 Tim. 3.8 wherewith hee can both bless and curse talk religiously or prophanely according to the company James 3.10 11. speak Hebrew and Ashdod the language of Canaan and the language of Hell like those in an Island beyond Arabia of whom Diodorus Siculus saith that they have cleven tongues Antiq. l. 3. so that therewith they can alter their speech at their pleasure and perfectly speak to two persons and to two purposes at once Now how can these Monsters of men expect either to finde good or not to fall into mischief How can they escape the damnation of Hell whereof hypocrites are the chief inhabitants 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 24.31 yea the free-holders as it were for other sinners shall have their part with the Devil and hypocrites Vers 21. Hee that begetteth a fool doth it to his sorrow Solomon might speak this by experience and wish as Augustus did Utinam coelebs vixissem aut orbus periissem Hof 4 O that I had either lived a batchelour or died childlesse to bring forth children to the murtherer children to the Devil that old man-slayer Oh what a grief is this to a pious Parent how much better were a miscarrying womb and dry breasts What heavy moan made David for his Absolom dying in his sin How doth many a miserable Mother weep and warble out that mournful ditty of hers in Plutarch over her deceased children Quo pueri estis profecti poor souls what 's become of you And the Father of a fool hath no joy No more than Oedipus had who cursed his children when hee died and breathed out his last with Per coacervatâ—â— percat domus impia luctus No more than William the Conquerour had in his ungracious children or Henry the second who finding that his sons had conspired against him with the King of France Daniel fol. 112 fell into a grievous passion cursing both his sons and the day wherein himself was born and in
years So that hee bee trisaeclisenex as Nestor was of old and Johannes de temporibus a French-man not many ages since to whom I may add that old Parre old very old man that died of late years having been born in Henry the sevenths daies or Edward the fourths And his soul bee not filled with good Though hee bee filled with years and filled with children that may survive and succeed him in his estate yet if hee bee a covetous caytiff a miserable muckworm that injoyes nothing as in the former verse is not Master of his wealth but is mastered by it lives beside what hee hath and dies to save charges * As hee in Camd. Remains And also that hee have no burial Hee leaves nothing to bring him honestly home as they say or if hee do yet his ungrateful greedy heirs deny him that last honour Jer. 22.19 so that hee is buried with the burial of an Ass as Coniah suffered to rot and stink above ground as that Assyrian Monarch Isa 14. 19 20. and after him Alexander the Great who lay unburied thirty daies together So Pompey the Great of whom Claudian the Poet sings thus Nudus pascit aves jacet en qui possidet orbem Exiguae telluris inops And the like is storied of our William the Conquerour and divers other greedy engrossers of the worlds good See here the poisonful and pernicious nature of niggardise and covetousness that turns long life and large issue those sweetest blessings of God into bitter curses And withall take notice of the just hand of God upon covetous old men that they should want comely burial which is usually one of their greatest cares as Plutarch observeth For giving the reason why old men that are going out of the world should bee so earnestly bent upon the world hee saith it is out of fear that they shall not have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 friends to keep them whiles alive and some to bury them when they are dead I say that an untimely birth I affirm it in the word of truth and upon mature deliberation That an untimely birth not onely a naked young childe as aforesaid that is carried ab utero ad urnam from the womb to the tomb from the birth to the burial but an abortive that coming too soon into the world comes not at all and by having no name findes it self a name as Pliny speaks of the herb Anonymus Vers 4. For hee cometh in with vanity c. As nothing being senseless of good or evil And departeth in darkness is buried in huggermugger And his Name shall bee covered c. that is there is no more talk of this abortive Vers 5. Moreover hee hath not seen the Sun A second priviledge and prerogative of the poor abortive None are so miserable wee see but they may bee comparatively happy It is ever best to look at those below us and then wee shall see cause to bee better contented This hath more rest than the other The Corn that is cropt as soon as it appeareth or is bruised in peeces when it lies in sprout is better than the old weed that is hated while it standeth and in the end is cut down for the fire Vers 6. Yea though hee live a thousand years Which yet never any man did Methusalah wanted thirty two of a thousand The reason thereof is given by Occolampadius quia numerus iste typum habeat perfectionis ut qui constet è centenario decies revoluto because the number of a thousand types out perâ—ection as consisting of an hundred ten times told But there is no perfection here saith hee Yet hath hee seen no good For All the daies of the afflicted are evil saith Solomon And mans daies are few and full of trouble Prov. 15.15 Job 14.1 Gen. 47.9 saith Job Few and evil are the daies of my pilgrimage saith Jacob and I have not attained to the daies of the years of the life of my Fathers c. For Abraham lived one hundred seventy five years and Isaac one hundred eighty near upon forty years longer than Jacob but to his small comfort for hee was blinde all that time yet nothing so blinde as the rich wretch in the Text qui privatus interno lumine tamen in hac vita din vult perpeti caecitatem suam as one speaketh who being blind as a Mole lies rooting and poring uncessantly in the bowels of the earth as if he would that way dig himself a new and a nearer way to Hell and with his own hands addeth to the load of this miserable life As hee hath done no good so hee hath seen or enjoyed none but goes to his place Do not all go to one place the place that Adam provided for all his posterity the house appointed for all living as Job calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 12.23 chap. 30.23 the Congregation-house as One renders it Heaven the Apostle calls the Congregation-house of the first-born whose names also are there said to bee written in Heaven But covetous persons as they are called the inhabitants of the earth Rev. 12. Jer. 17.13 in opposition to those Coelicola Citizens of Heaven the Saints so their names are written in the earth because they have forsaken the Lord Jer. 2.13 the fountain of living waters and hewed them out cisterns that can hold no water What marvel then if they live long and yet see no good if they are driven to that doleful complaint that Saul made God hath forsaken mee 1 Sam. 28.15 and the Philistims are upon mee sickness death hell is upon mee I am even now about to make my bed in the dark and all the comfort I can have from God is that dismal sentence This shall yee have of mine hand yee shall lye down in sorrow Isa 50.11 Loe this is the cursed condition of the covetous carl as hee hath lived beside his goods having jaded his body broken his brains and burthened his conscience so hee dies hated of God and loathed of men the Earth groans under him Heaven is shut against him Hell gapes for him 1 Cor. 6.8 9. Phil. 3.18 Thus many a Miser spins a fair threed to strangle himself both temporally and eternally O that they would seriously think of this before the cold grave hold their bodies and hot hell torment their souls before death come with a writ of Habeas corpus and the Devil with a writ of Habeas animam as once to that rich fool Luk. 12. Vers 7. All the labour of man is for his mouth That is Dii boni quantum hominum unus exercet venter Seneca Deus homini augustum ventrem c. Sergius PP for food and rayment as 1 Tim. 6. a little whereof will content nature which hath therefore given us a little mouth and stomach to teach us moderation as Chrysostome well observeth to the shame of those beastly belly-gods that glut themselves and devour the creatures
God betimes to gather Manna in the morning of their lives to present the first-fruits to God whose soul hath desired the first ripe fruits Micah 7.1 and who will remember the kindness of their youth the love of their espousals Jer. 2.1 God of old would bee honoured with the firstlings of men and of cattel by the first-fruits of trees and of the earth in the sheâ—f in the threshing-floor in the dough in the loaves Hee called for ears of corn dried by the fire and wheat beaten out of the green ears Levit. 2.14 to teach men to serve him with the primrose of their childe-hood Three sorts there were of first-fruits First Of the ears of corn offered about the Passeover Secondly Of the loaves offered about Pentecost Lastly About the end of the year in Autumn Now of the two first God had a part but not of the last Hee made choice of the Almond-tree Jer. 1.11 because it blossometh first so of Jeremy from his infancy Timothy from his Mothers breasts c. Hee likes not of those arbores antumnales Jude 13. which bud at latter end of harvest Hee cares not for such loiterers as come halting in at last cast to serve God when they can serve their lusts no longer The Circassians a kinde of mongre-Christians are said to divide their life betwixt sin and devotion dedicating their youth to rapine Bâ—cerw Enquiâ— 1â—5 Mal. 1.14 and their old age to repentance But cursed bee that cozener saith the Prophet that hath a male in his flock and yet offereth to the Lord a corrupt thing Wilt thou give God the dreggs the bottom the snuffs the very last sands thy dotage which thy self and friends are weary of James 4 Shall thine oyl which should have been fuel for thy thankfulness increase the fire of thy lusts and thy lusts consume all How much better were it to sacrifice early with Abraham the young Isaac's of thine age to bring as hee did young Rams unto the Lord and even whiles thou art yet a lad a stripling to take heed to thy waies according to Gods Word Psal 119.9 Yee shall not see my face saith Christ as once Joseph except you bring your younger brother with you While the evil daies come not viz. Of old age and misery for these are seldome separated Senectus ut Africa semper aliquid novi adportat As Africa is never without some monster so neither is old age ever without some ailement Multa senem circumveniunt incommoda Horat. Many are the inconveniences that do encompass an old man Solet senectus esse deformis infirma obliviosa odentula lucrosa indocilis molesta saith Cato in Plutarch Plut. in Apoph Rom. old age useth to bee deformed weak forgetful toothless covetous unteachable unquiet Now shall any man bee to besotted and betwitcht as to make that the task of his old age which should bee the trade of his whole life and to settle his everlasting onely surest making or marring upon so sinking and sandy a foundation A Ship the longer it leaks the harder it is to bee emptied a Land the longer it lies the harder it is to bee plowed a Nail the further it is driven in with the greater difficulty it is pulled our And shall any man think that the trembling joints the dazled eyes the fainting heart the failing hands the feeble leggs of strengthless drooping untractable wayward froward old age can break up the fallow ground can ever empty and pluck out the leaks and nails of so many years flowing and fastning Vers 2. While the Sun or the light or the Moon c. i. e. Whiles greater and lesser comforts fail not Or before the sight of thine eyes grow dim and as unfit to let in light as an old dusty window The air to aged eyes seemeth dusty and misty and the Sun wadeth as the Moon in a foggy evening and the stars are out of sight 1 Cor. 13. they see thorow a glass darkly as the Apostle speaks in another case they can know no kin without spectacles the defluxion of rheum which trickleth down the nose and cheeks being as it were the Rain the gathering of new matter which continually distilleth being as it were the returning of the clouds after the rain in a moist season and waters into an emptied fountain Some with relation to the former verse interpret the words thus Let thy Creator bee remembred while the Sun is not darkned that is while youth continueth Or if not so while the light of the Sun is not gone that is while thy manhood lasteth Or if not so while the Moon is not darkned that is while thine elder years are not spent Or if not so while the stars are not shut up while the worst of old age hath not seized upon thee for then the clouds will return after the Rain that is one grief comes upon the neck of another Psal 42.7 as deep calleth upon deep at the noise of the water-spouts One affliction followeth and occasioneth another without intermission of trouble as one billow comes wallowing and tumbling upon another or as in April weather one showre is unburthened another is brewed Hence some of the antient Patriarchs are said to have died old men and full of years they had enough of this world and desired to depart as Abraham Simeon others Hence the Poets feign that Tithonus when he might have had immortality here hee would not Cic. de Senectuâ—e And Cato protested that if of old hee might bee made young again hee would seriously refuse it Vers 3. In the day when the Keepers of the house c. i.e. The hands and arms wherewith we defend the head and whole body called an house also by St. Paul from harm and danger and maintain our lives which are therefore called the lives of our hands because upheld with the labour of our hands Isa 57.10 These are fitly called Keepers or Gardians for their usefulness and for their faithfulness too Plut. Numa Pompilius consecrated the hands to Faith His successor Tullus Hostilius being a prophane perfidious person Lactant. and a contemner of all Religion as that which did but emasculate mens minds and make them idle brought in and worshipped two new Gods viz. Pavor and Pallor Fear and Paleness Like another Cain Sighing and trembling hee was upon the Earth So the Septuagint render that Gen. 4.12 Not his hands onely trembled which is thought to bee Cains mark Gen. 4.15 but his heart too Isa 7.2 Not with old age neither as here but with the terrours of an evil conscience But to return to the Text Ecquem vero mihi dabis Rhetorem tam magnifice exquisite disserentem in non obscura sententiae tot lumina imo flumina orationis exscrentem Old men are full of the Palsie for most part and many other infirmities which here are most elegantly described by a continued allegory Men draw forth as lively as