John Trapp on Ecclesiastes 12:3

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 they can the pictures of their young age, that in old age they may ſee their youth before their eyes. This is but a vanity, yet may good uſe bee made thereof. So contrarily the Preacher here draws out to the life the picture of old age, that young men may ſee and conſider it together with death that follows it, and after death judgement.

And the ſtrong men ſhall bow themſelves] Nutabunt, the leggs and thighs ſhall ſtagger and faulter, cripple and crinkle under them, as not able to bear the bodies burden. The thigh in Latine is called femur a ferendo, becauſe it beareth and holdeth up the creature, and hath the longeſt and ſtrongeſt bone in the whole body, The legg hath a ſhin-bone, and a ſhank-bone, aptly fitted for the better moving. The foot is the baſe, the ground and pedeſtal which ſuſtaineth the whole building. Theſe are Solomons ſtrong men: but as ſtrong as they are, yet in old age they buckle under their burden; and are ready to overthrow themſelves and the whole body.Genua [illegible: 1 letter]abant. Virg. Hence old men are glad to betake them to their third legg, a ſtaff or crutch: Membra levant baculis tardique ſenilibus annis. Hence Heſiod calls them [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Let them learn to lean upon the Lord, as the Spouſe did upon her Beloved, Cant. 8.5. and hee will ſtir up ſome good Job to bee eyes to them, when blinde, and feet to them, when lame, chap. 29.15. Let them alſo pray with David, Caſt mee not off in the time of old age, forſake mee not when my ſtrength faileth, Pſal. 71.9.

And the grinders ceaſe, becauſe they are few] The teeth (through age) fall out, or rot out, or are drawn out, or hang looſe in the gumms, and ſo cannot grind and maſticate the meat that is to bee tranſmitted into the ſtomach, for the preſervation of the whole. Now the teeth are the hardeſt of the bones,Lactant. de opif. Dei. if that they bee bones, whereof Ariſtotle makes queſtion. They are as hard as ſtones, in the edges of them eſpecially: and are here fitly compared to Millſtones from their chewing office. The ſeat of the teeth are the jaws, where they have their ſeveral ſockets, into which they are mortiſed. But in old men they ſtand wet-ſhod in ſlimy humor, or are hollow and ſtumpy, falling out one after another, as the coggs of a Mill, ſo that Frangendus miſero gingiva panis inermi.Juvenal.

And thoſe that look out at the windows] The eyes are dim, as they were in old Iſaac and Jacob. An heavy affliction ſurely, but eſpecially to thoſe that have had eyes full of adultery, evil eyes, windows of wickedneſs, for the conſcience of this puts a ſting into the affliction, is a thorn to their blinde eyes,2 Pet. 2. and becomes a greater torment than ever Regulus the Roman was put to,Plut. Oculus ab occalendo. Turk. hiſt. when his eye-lids were cut off, and hee ſet full oppoſite to the Sun ſhining in his ſtrength: Or than that Grecian Prince, that had his eyes put out with hot burning baſons, held near unto them.