Bible Commentaries

Ecclesiastes 12:11 — of the snare of the devil, who hath cast many into such a dead lethargy, such a dedolent disposition, that, like Dionysius the Heracleot, they can hardly feel sharpest goads, or needles thrust into their fat hearts - "fat as grease." Psalms 119:70 St Peter so preached that his hearers were "pricked at heart." Acts 2:37 St Stephen so galled his adversaries that they were "cut to the heart." Acts 7:54 And before them both, how barely and boldly dealt John Baptist and our

Ecclesiastes 9:9 — in his bosom. God took one of man’s ribs, and, having built it into a wife, laid it again in his bosom, so that she is flesh of his flesh, yea, she is himself, as the apostle argues, and therehence enforceth this duty of love. Ephesians 5:28-31 Neither doth he satisfy himself in this argument, but adds there blow to blow, so to drive this nail up to the head, the better to beat this duty into the heads and hearts of husbands. All the days of the life of thy vanity. — Love and live comfortably

Song of Solomon 2:8 — listening, hankering and hearkening after her beloved. Of the ear we use to say that it is first awake in a morning. Call one that is asleep by his name, and he will soon hear and start up. Christ "calls all his sheep by their name," John 10:3 and they "know his voice," John 10:4 so well are they versed in his Word, and so habitually are their senses exercised, Hebrews 5:14 yea, they know his pace. For - Behold he cometh, — viz., To "make his abode with me," according

Song of Solomon 5:5 — been once hand fasted to Christ by a lively faith, though for a season it may, by the malice of Satan working with corruption, suffer some decays of her first love, be drawn aside by some lust, and enticed so as to fall from former steadfastness; James 1:14 2 Peter 3:17 yet after a while her thoughts will work, and the sweet remembrance that Christ hath left behind him, will make her to say, "I will go and return to my first husband, for then it was better with me than now." Hosea 2:7

Song of Solomon 6:2 — There is no envy in spiritual things, because they may be divided in solidum. in the whole. One may have as much as another, and all alike. Yea, God’s people know that the "manifestation of the Spirit is given them to profit withal," 1 Corinthians 12:7 and that it is not pouring out, but want of pouring out, that dries up the streams of grace, as that of off. 2 Kings 4:6 What is meant by Christ’s garden? See Trapp on " Song of Solomon 4:16 " He is said to go down to

Song of Solomon 6:9 — is, of those that make divisions, and cut the Church in minutula frustula, as Augustine saith of the Donatists, into little pieces, and sucking congregations, making separations. Christi tunica est unica. Peter himself was blamed for this, Galatians 2:11-12 and others branded for profligate professors. "These are they that separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit." Judges 1:19 The primitive Christians were famous for their unity, animo animaque inter se miscebantur, saith Tertullian.

Isaiah 27:9 — Crosses are leeches to suck out the noxious blood, flails to thresh off our husks, files to brighten our graces, … Sanctified afflictions, said Mr Dod, are good promotions. "Corrections of instructions are the way of life," Proverbs 16:23 For though "not joyous but grievous at present, yet afterwards they yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them that are thereby exercised." Hebrews 12:11 It fareth with God’s afflicted as it did once with those that had

Isaiah 49:4 — pains, who had, as one saith of Jul. Scaliger, ‘a golden wit in an iron body’; but this matter was not malleable: hence he spake to them to as little purpose as Bede did when he preached to a heap of stones. Hence his complaint: Isaiah 53:1 "Who hath believed our report?" He might haply hope at first, as holy Melanchthon did, that it was impossible for his hearers to withstand the evidence of the gospel: but after he had been a preacher a while, it is said he complained that

Daniel 4:33 — dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ [feathers], and his nails like birds’ [claws]. The same hour was the thing fulfilled. — When least expected. The like befell the old world, Sodom, Pharaoh, Julian, … See 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 . As they say of the metal they make glass of, it is nearest melting when it shineth brightest; so are the wicked nearest destruction when at greatest lustre. And he was driven from men. — By his own courtiers and subjects.

Daniel 7:7 — μετοπισθε δρακων, μεσσηδε χιμαιρα ." - Hom. It is a nameless monster, made up of all the properties of the former beasts. Revelation 13:1-2 The Rabbis, with their "wild boar out of the wood," Psalms 80:13 fall far short of it. Luther Loc. Com. not unfitly compareth the Church of God to a silly poor maid, sitting in a wood or wilderness, and beset with hungry lions, wolves,

Hosea 4:7 — like young mules, which, when they have sucked, turn up their heels and kick their dam; so did these haughty and haunty priests. Their hearts were fat as grease, they were enclosed in their own fat, but they delighted not in God’s law, Psalms 17:10 ; Psalms 119:70 . Cum ipsis opibus lascivire coepit Ecclesia, saith Platina. The Church began to be rich and wanton at once, rich and riotous. They had golden chalices, but wooden priests, repugnante ceutra teipsum felicitate tua, as Salvian saith

Micah 1:7 — Alexander’s time made a defection to him, and brought many Jews with him, but that saved them not from utter destruction. And all the hires thereof shall be burnt with fire — Her rewards given her by her sweet hearts, Hosea 2:5 ; Hosea 2:12 ; Hosea 9:1 ; her vowed presents and memories (as Papists now call them), her monies and donaries, shall be set on a light fire. God will confute their vain confidences, as he did those Popish rebels of Norfolk, in Edward VI’s time, who brought

Nahum 1:3 — act of their rebellion, and to send them packing to their place in hell. So that it is not for want of power that he is so patient. "For the Lord our God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible," Deuteronomy 10:17 . But what need we go farther than the text, where he is called the strong God, great in power, and that will not at all acquit the wicked — This is the last letter in his name (that nomen maiestativum, as Tertullian calleth it), Exodus 34:7

Nahum 2:3 — shall be terribly shaken. The shield of his mighty men is made red — Panoplia terrorem auget. All was red (a colour much affected by the Medes, Persians, and Chaldees), to show that they were a sanguinary nation, and not more gold thirsty Isaiah 13:17 than blood thirsty (Herodot., Dioed. Sic., Xenophon, Curtius). The valiant men are in scarlet — A colour affected by martial men, that would seem to fear no colours. The Lacedaemonians used it much when they went to fight: that if they should

Habakkuk 2:16 — certain drunkard, “ Heus, hic situs est Offellius Buratius Bibulus, Qui dum vixit, aut bibit aut minxit, abi praeceps. ” Drink another while of the cup of shame and sorrow; take thy part of all manner of miseries, Jeremiah 25:26 Obadiah 1:16 . "Snares, fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest, shall one day be the portion of thy cup: For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness," Psalms 11:6-7 . Yea, he loveth to retaliate, and will therefore make these drunkards drink also;

Habakkuk 3:9 — with rivers. Thy bow was made quite naked — sc. Out of the case. He meaneth, thy power was clearly manifested and powerfully exerted against the nations above mentioned; so that all men might see plainly that thou wert that man of war, Exodus 15:3 , which shootest thine arrows at a certainty, and never missest thine enemies, thy buttmark, see Job 16:12 . According to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word — i.e. According to thy promises to thy people, confirmed with oaths, even those

Zechariah 10:8 — I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased. I will hiss for them and gather them — As a shepherd hisseth or whistleth for his flock. See Judges 5:16 , where it should not be translated the bleatings of the flocks, but the hissings or whistlings of the shepherds to their flocks, when they would get them together. God, who hath all creatures at his beck and call, can easily bring back his banished,

Zechariah 11:9 — die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another. Then said I, I will not feed you — Now the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, so that there was no remedy, as 2 Chronicles 36:16 . Now his decree brought forth, Zephaniah 2:2 . Now he grows implacable, inexorable, peremptory. Wherein nevertheless the Lord might very well break forth into that speech of the heathen emperor, when he was to pass sentence upon a malefactor, Non

Zechariah 12:11 — Magnificabitur luctus (so the Hebrew hath it), their mourning shall be greatened, their heaviness heightened, they shall rise in their repentance above all that is ordinary. The casuists and schoolmen affirm sorrow for sin to be the greatest of all sorrows. 1. In conatu: in the effort, the whole soul seems to send springs into it, out of every faculty. 2. In extensione: in the strain, it is a spring which in this life more or less is continually dropping; neither would God have the wounds of godly sorrow

Zechariah 8:17 — And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these [are things] that I hate, saith the LORD. And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts — See Trapp on " Zechariah 7:10 " Take notice here, that as conversing with evil imaginations and inward lusts proves one to be carnal, Ephesians 2:3 , so the law is spiritual, Romans 7:14 , and takes hold of the root of bitterness, Deuteronomy 29:18 , lie it never so low and