Bible Commentaries

Proverbs 15:25 — "kept not his first estate, but left his habitation," Judges 1:6 which indeed he could hold no longer; for it spewed him out into hell, that infernus ab inferendo dictus. See Trapp on " Proverbs 12:7 " See Trapp on " Proverbs 14:11 " But he will establish the border of the widow. — Not the rest of her goods only, but the very utmost borders of her small possession. She hath commonly no great matters to be proud of, nor any patrons to stick to her, and stickle for

Proverbs 15:9 — abomination. — Not his sacrifices only, but his civilities; all his actions - natural, moral, recreative, religious - are offensive to all God’s senses, as the word signifies. The very "ploughing of the wicked is sin": Proverbs 21:4 all they do is defiled, yea, their "very consciences." 2 Timothy 1:15 Their hearts, like some filthy bog or fen, or like the lake of Sodom, send up continual poisonous vapours unto God: and he, not able to abide them, sends down eftsoons a

Proverbs 29:14 — of his subjects, which is the best life-guard, and God for his protection; for he is professedly the poor man’s patron, Psalms 9:18-19 and makes heavy complaints of those that wrong them. Isaiah 3:13-15 ; Isaiah 10:1-3 ; Amos 5:11-12 ; Amos 8:4-6; Zephaniah 3:12

Ecclesiastes 3:7 — Schismatics rend the Church, heretics the Scriptures. God will stitch up all in his own time, and heal the breaches thereof. Psalms 60:2 A time to keep silence, and a time to speak. — It is a singular skill to "time a word," Isaiah 50:4 to set it upon its wheels, Proverbs 25:11 as Abigail did for her family, 1 Samuel 25:23-31 as Esther did against Haman. And it is a happy thing when a man can pray, as one once did, Det Deus ut sermo meus adeo commodus sit, quam sit accommodus, God

Ecclesiastes 5:9 — kind of uses. Alma mater, terra ferax. "Then shall the earth yield her increase; and (therein) God, even our own God, shall bless us." Psalms 67:6 "Can any of the vanities of the heathens give rain," or grain? No, neither. Jeremiah 14:22 Can the earth bring forth fruit of herself? αυτοματως . So, indeed, our Saviour seems to say, "First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear"; Mark 4:28 but then it

Isaiah 25:6 — shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And in this mountain, — i.e., In the Church, Isaiah 2:2 God’s court, Isaiah 24:23 as the table stood in the sanctuary. Shall the Lord of hosts make. — Instead of that tree of life in paradise. See Revelation 2:7 . Unto all people, — i.e., To the elect among all people, for reprobates are not worthy. Matthew 22:8 Revelation

Isaiah 6:8 — "Lay hands upon no man rashly," but with deliberation. The mystery of the Trinity is well observed by some in the following words, as by others this, that ministers serve not men, but the only true God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 1 Corinthians 4:1 2 Corinthians 5:21 Who shall go for us? — Nobis, id est tribus Elohim sive personis Sanct. Trin. - Piscat. God knew whom he would send, but he will have the prophet offer himself; for he loveth a cheerful server, and ministers must take the

Isaiah 65:1 — his unworthy countrymen. See on Isaiah 1:10 . I am found of them that sought me not. — The first act of our conversion then, the infusion of the sap, is of God; our will prevents it not, but follows it. See 2 Corinthians 3:5 Romans 8:7 John 6:44 1 Corinthians 12:3 Deuteronomy 29:3-4 Psalms 36:10 . Note this against the patrons of nature, freewill men, Papists especially, who not only ascribe the beginning of salvation to themselves, in co-working with God in their first conversion, but also

Isaiah 9:1 — rolled in blood. Isaiah 9:2-3 ; Isaiah 9:5 Oecolamp. By the way of the sea. — The sea of Tiberias, John 21:1 or lake of Genesareth. Luke 5:1 Beyond Jordan. — Or, Beside Jordan. In Galilee of the Gentiles. — See Trapp on " Matthew 4:15 "

Jeremiah 17:10 — know every turning and winding in the watch. God is the heart maker and the heart mender; neither is there any creature, no, not any creature of the heart, that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and opened before his eyes. Hebrews 4:13 "Naked" for the outside, and opened for the inside - dissected, quartered, and, as it were, "cleft through the back-bone," as the apostle’s word τετραχηλισμενα

Daniel 11:21 — esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God; Luke 16:15 but the bramble thinketh it a goodly thing to reign, so doth not the vine and fig tree. Judges 9:8-15 A good man honoureth them that fear the Lord, but contemneth a vile person. Psalms 15:4 Mr Foxe, when one asked him, saying, Do ye not remember such an honest, poor man, for whom you did something? Yes, said he, I forget lords and ladies to remember such. And again, when a great lord and wicked met him in the streets, and asked him, How

Daniel 3:26 — fear not to go down to the grave so long as we may hear God saying unto us, as once he did to old Jacob thinking of his journey to Egypt, "Fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will go with thee, and I will also bring thee up again." Genesis 46:3-4 Further, note how these three martyrs carry themselves toward the tyrant: they do simply obey his command, and come forth; they are not puffed up by the strangeness of the miracle wrought upon them, neither do they tattle, but suffer the matter

Hosea 13:11 — David’s house, and likewise of the people’s rebellion. It was ab irate potius quam ab exorato Deo. Take him (saith he, since you will needs have him) with all that shall follow after. The hypocrite shall reign, that the people may be ensnared, Job 34:30 . "Set thou a wicked man over him" (saith the psalmist), "and let Satan stand at his right hand," Psalms 109:6 ; see Daniel 8:23 . Saul was a hypocrite, Jeroboam a wicked man; so were all his successors in that throne. Leviticus

Joel 1:8 — νομιζομενα , iusta defunctorum. It is fit that the body, when sown in corruption, should be watered by the tears of those that plant it in the earth. Only we must not mourn in this case as heathens, without hope, 1 Thessalonians 4:13 . Our grief must not be excessive, either for measure or continuance; neither must we mourn so much for our friends departed as for our sins against God. In the former case baldness is forbidden; in the latter it is required, Isaiah 22:12 Zechariah

Jonah 1:14 — man’s life — Which we take away, but full sore against our wills. Wilful murder was ever accounted a heinous crime among the heathens also. Abel’s innocent blood had as many tongues as drops, to cry to heaven against Cain, Genesis 4:10 , "The voice of thy brother’s blood"; and 2 Kings 9:26 , "Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth." Murder ever bleeds fresh in the eye of God; and to him many years, yea, that eternity that is past, is but yesterday.

Micah 5:9 — my Church, but thou shalt have the better of them. Thou shalt keep footing still under the standard of the cross, and prevail, Sub militia crucis (Calv.). The mountain of the house of the Lord shall overtop all other mountains of worldly power, Micah 4:1 . It shall be as that mountain not far from Arbela (where the empire of the world was won and lost in one day), called Nicatorium by Alexander the Great, as a constant trophy of that famous victory he there got over Darius, νικατοριον

Micah 7:6 — his limbs in a man that is thus unnatural, fierce, traitorous, heady, high-minded; which yet is foretold of these dregs of time, these last and worst days, both by our Saviour, Matthew 10:21 ; Matthew 10:35-36 , and likewise by St Paul, 2 Timothy 3:3-4 . Such a son was he who, when his father complained that never father had so undutiful a child as he had: Yes, said his son (with less grace than wit), my grandfather had. Such a son was Ham, and Absalom, and Amida, son of Muleasses, King of Tunis,

Nahum 1:8 — thereof — i.e. Of Nineveh, that great but bloody city, Nahum 3:1 . Her state shall be utterly ruined, as the old world by the general deluge. But because the word here rendered flood is used for rivers that overflow the banks, 2 Chronicles 32:4 , and the adjunct, overrunning, also implies as much, see Isaiah 8:8 Daniel 11:10 ; Daniel 11:40 I suppose the Holy Ghost here forethreateneth that ruin of this city by the river Tigris, which at an inundation broke out upon the wall, and threw down

Habakkuk 1:3 — here in their common commerce), and publicly, as in the next words, in courts and consistories; for all was out of order. And cause me to behold grievance — Molestation and mischief done to those that would live peaceably in the land, Psalms 7:14 ; Psalms 7:16 ; Psalms 94:20 ; Psalms 55:11 to the poor that are fallen into their nets, debts, bonds, and mortgages, Psalms 10:9 . It is as if the prophet should say, Why dost thou not punish these enormous practices, but suffer evildoers to abuse

Zephaniah 2:7 — captivity. And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah — Who had not only their own country kept empty for them all the seventy years of captivity, and not any displaced to make room at their return See Trapp on " Zechariah 7:14 " but liberty to make use of the Philistines’ country; which was also further subdued by the Maccabees, but especially by the apostles, who preached the gospel, and planted Churches in those parts, as we read in the Acts, Acts 8:26 ; Acts