John Trapp on 2 Timothy 4

CHAP. IIII. Verſe 1. I charge thee therefore]

MAtters of greateſt importance muſt be preſſed with greateſt vehemence. As God putteth not forth great power, but for great purpoſe, Epheſ. 1.18, 19 ſo neither muſt we uſe great earneſtneſſe, but in affairs of great moment. It is a weakneſſe to be hot in a cold matter, but worſe to be cold in a hot matter. Farellus perſwading Calvin (then a young ſtudent, and bound for Italy) to ſtay and help in the Lords work at Geneva, pronounced Gods curſe upon his ſtudies (which Calvin pretended) in caſe he ſtaid not. Whereupon,M[illegible: 1 letter]lch. Adami in vita Calv. pag. 114. Non auſas fuit Calvinus ad Farelli tonitrua plus quam Periclea (ſaith mine authour) jugum vocationis, quod ſibi à Domino imponi videbat, detractare. Calvin durſt not ſtir after ſuch a charge, but ſtaid it out there to his dying day.

Verſe 2. Be inſtant] Gr. Stand over it. Stand cloſe to it. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Chryſostome at Antioch having preached many Sermons againſt ſwearing, was at length asked, when he would preach upon another ſubject? He anſwered, When you leave ſwearing, I'le leave preaching againſt ſwearing.

In ſeaſon, out of ſeaſon] On the Lords-day, on the week day, Volentibus nolentibus dic importunum, Tu vis errare, tu vis perire, ego nolo, ſaith Augustine. Let men know whether they will or no, that for lack of preaching they ſhall not periſh. The ſhew-bread ſtood all the week before the Lord; to ſhew, that preaching is not ou[illegible: 1 letter] of ſeaſon on any day. The Friers of Baſil held that it was Lutheranum diebus profanis praedicare, Mel[illegible: 1 letter]h. Adam. Act. and Mon fol. 11 11. Ibid. 86 [illegible: 2 letters] Hereticall to preach on working-daies. But Anthony Perſon, Martyr, told his perſecutours, That they were bite ſheeps and not Biſhops for neglecting to preach: It being as great a wonder at Rome to hear a Biſhop preach, as to ſee an Aſſe ſlie, ſaid Dr Baſſinet. Ibid 1559. Ibid. 1380. But Biſhop Ridley preached uſually every Sabbath-day and holy-day: ſo did B. Iewel, Dr Tailor Martyr, Mr Bradford, even during his impriſonment: Preaching, reading and praying was all his whole life. Ibid. 1457. He did ſharply reprove ſin, pithily improve errours, ſweetly preach Chriſt crucified, earneſtly perſwade to a godly life, &c.

With all long-ſuffering, &c.] Sidecimus quiſ que , ſi unus perſuaſus fuerit, ad conſolationem abundè ſufficit, ſaith Chryſoſtome. If you gain but the tithe of your hearers, or leſſe, it is well.

Verſe 3. Sound doctrine]Alex Aphrod. problem. Which as honey, Vulnera purgat, ulcera mordet, purgeth green wounds, but cauſeth pain to exulcerate parts. Children, though they love and lick in honey, yet will not endure to have it come near their lips, when they have ſore mouths.

Having itching cars]Horat. Which muſt have clawing preachers; ſuch as will never auriculas mordaci rader[illegible: 1 letter] v[illegible: 1 letter]ro, deal plainly and faithfully with their ſouls.

Verſe 4. Turn their cars from the truth] Ariſtotle writeth, That Vultures are killed with oil of roles.De mirahil. [illegible: 1 letter]uſcult. Sweet ſmels enrage Tigers. Swine cannot live in ſome parts of Arabia, ſaith Pliny, by reaſon of the pleaſant ſent of aromaticall trees, there growing in every wood.

Verſe 5. Endure afflictions, do the work] Honor ministerij eſt in onere, dignit as in diligentia, corona in contemptu.

Make full proof] [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Or, Accompliſh thy Miniſtery: So executing every part of it, as to make it thy whole buſines. Verbi miniſter es, hoc age, was Mr Perkins his Motto. Thou art a Miniſter, look to it.

Verſe 6. Ready to be offered] [non-Latin text not transcribed] He ſpeaks of it as done already. To be poured out as a drink-offering upon Gods altar. Thus the Apoſtle expreſſeth himſelf emphatically, pathetically, elegantly, ſetting forth by what death he ſhould glorifie God, viz. by being beheaded. Whether my death be a burnt-offering, a drink-offering (by fire or ſword) or a peace-offering (that I die in my bed) I deſire it may be a freewill offering, a ſweet ſacrifice to the Lord.

The time of my departure] He makes nothing of death. It was no more betwixt God and Moſes, but Go up and die. So betwixt Chriſt and Paul, but launch out, and land immediately at the fair haven of heaven.

Verſe 7. I have fought a good fight] The nearer any thing is to the center, the more ſtrongly and ſwiftly it moveth. The wine of the ſpirit is ſtrongeſt in the Saints, when they are drawing to an end. His motions are quickeſt, when naturall motions are ſloweſt, moſt ſenſible when the body begins to be ſenſleſſe, moſt lively when the Saints are a dying.

Verſe 8. There is laid up a crown] Beyond a crown, the wiſhes of mortall men extend not. Alexander inviting many to ſupper, provided a crown of 180 pound to be given to thoſe that drank moſt. One and fourty killed themſelves, with drinking, to get that crown. Shall theſe do more for a trifle, then we will do for heaven?

A crown of righteouſnes] So ſalvation is called: not for that it is of right due to us, but becauſe it is purchaſed for us by the righteouſneſſe of Chriſt, and ſhall be freely given to thoſe that are juſtified by faith.

Verſe 9. Doe thy diligence, &c.] We want much of our comfort in the want of a friend, Eccleſ. 4.9. Optimum ſolatium ſodalitium. How doth David bemoan the leſſe of Ionathan? How did D. Tailour prize the company of his fellow-priſoner, that Angel of God, as he called him, Iohn Bradford? What a mercy did S. Paul count it, that ſick Epaphroditus recovered, Phil. 2.27?

Verſe 10. Demas hath for ſaken me] Blazing comets, as long as they keep aloft, ſhine bright: but when they begin to decline from their pitch, they fall to the earth. Ionathan followed the chaſe well, and with gre[illegible: 1 letter]dy purſuit, till he met with the honey: ſo doth many a Demas.

And is d[illegible: 1 letter] parted unto Theſſalonica] Where he became an Idol Prieſt, as ſaith Dorotheus.

Verſe 11. For he is profitable] Once unprofitable (Act. 15.38. See the Note there) but now profitable, Philom. 11.

Verſe 12. Tychicus have I ſent] For what end, ſee Eph. 6.22. with the Note there.

Verſe 13. The cloak that I left] O ſup[illegible: 1 letter]llectilem Apoſtolicam! O what a ſmall deal of houſholdſtuff had this great Apoſtle, Er[illegible: 1 letter]ſ in Ioe. ſaith Eraſmus [illegible: 1 letter]a cloak to keep off the rain, and a few books and writings. Tota [illegible: 1 letter]ti[illegible: 2 letters]m ſup[illegible: 1 letter]ll[illegible: 1 letter]x mea eſt char tacea, ſaith he in another place. Er[illegible: 1 letter]ſ in farrag. epiſtol. All my ſtock is in books. And of judicious Calvin it is reported, that all the goods that he left behind[illegible: 1 letter] him, his library being ſold very dear, come ſcarce to 300 florens, that is about go pounds of our money. Seekeſt thou great things for thy ſelf? Ier. 45.5.

Verſe 14. Alexander the copper-ſmith] Who was once Martyrio propinquus, ſaith Calvin, near unto Martyrdome in Pauls cauſe, Act. 19.33. A glorious profeſſour may become a furious perſecutour. Let him that ſtands, take he[illegible: 1 letter]d leſt he fall.

The Lord reward him] This is neither a curſe,Author queſt. apud Juſt. Mar. nor a railing ſpeech (ſaith an Ancient) but a prediction well beſeeming an Apoſtle, that avenged not himſelf, but rather gave place to wrath, Rom. 12, 19.

Verſe 15. He hath greatly reſiſted our words] Or, our pr[illegible: 1 letter]echings, not our perſons only. This was a foul fault. See I Theſſ. 4. 8. Exod. 16.8.

Verſe 16. No man ſtood with me] So that Paul might have ſaid as Socrates did, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Plato. [non-Latin text not transcribed], My friends, I have never a friend. And as Plato, A friend is a very mutable creature.

Verſe 17. The Lord ſtood] God is never ſo ſweet and ſo ſeaſonable to his Saints, as in the day of their deepeſt diſtreſſe. He loves to help thoſe that are forſaken of their hopes.

The preaching might be fully known] Or, Soundly proved to be a divine ordinance, by my conſtancy and contempt of death.

Out of the mouth of the lion] Nero, who firſt orientem fidem, Romae cruentavit, as Tertullian ſpeaketh, put Chriſtians to death, and made a bloudy decree, That whoſoever confeſſed himſelf a Chriſtian, ſhould,Dedicator dam nationi[illegible: 1 letter] chri, li. anorum. Teit. without any more ado, be put to death as a convicted enemy of mankinde. Tertullian calleth him, The Dedicatour of the condemnation of Chriſtians.

Verſe 18. And the Lord ſhall deliver] Experience breeds confidence.

Ʋnto his heavenly kingdom] So David argues from temporals to eternals, Pſal. 23.5, 6.

Verſe 19. Salute Priſca &c.] See the Note on Rom. 16.3.

Verſe 20. At Miletum ſick] See the Note on Phil. 2.27.

Verſe 21. Do thy diligence, &c.] The Apoſtle quickneth Timothy as Tully did his friend. Quamobrem ſi me amas, &c. ſi dormis expergiſcere, ſi ſtas ingredere, ſi ingrederis curre, ſi curris advola. Credibile non est quantum ego in amore & fide tua ponam. Make all poſſible haſte hither, for I rely much upon thy love and loialty.

Verſe 22. Grace be with you] Gods bleſſing be with you alwaies, Amen. Act. and Mon. 1365. Laur. Saunders. Even now to ward the offering of a burnt ſacrifice, &c. ſaid that Martyr in a letter to certain friends.