John Trapp on Ecclesiastes 7:21

Verſ. 21. Alſo take no head] But bee as a deaf man that heareth not, and as a dumb man, in whoſe mouth there is no reproof, Pſal. 38.13. If thou anſwer any thing, ſay as hee in Tacitus did to one that railed at him, Tu linguae, ego vero aurium dominus, Thou mayeſt ſay what thou wilt, but I will hear as I liſt; or as once a certain Steward did to his paſſionate Lord, when hee called him knave, &c. Your Honour may ſpeak as you pleaſe, but I beleeve not a word that you ſay, for I know my ſelf an honeſt man. The language of reproachers muſt bee read like Hebrew, backwards. Princes uſe to correct the indecencies of Embaſſadors, by denying them audience. Certain it is, that hee enjoyes a brave compoſedneſs, that ſets himſelf above the flight of the injurious claw. Iſaac's apology to his brother Iſmael, viz. patience and ſilence, is the beſt anſwer to words of ſcorn and petulancy, ſaid learned Hooker. I care not for mans day, 1 Cor. 4.3 ſaith Paul, Non curo vanum calumniatorem, I regard not a vain ſlanderer, ſaith Auſtin. Wicelius and Cochleus gave out, that wee Lutherans betraied the Rhodes to the Turk, ſaith Melanchthon. Theſe impudent lies need no confutation, dicant ipſi talia quoad velint, let them tell ſuch loud and leud lies as many as they will. When a net is ſpread for a bird, ſaith Auſtin, the manner is to throw ſtones at the hedge. Theſe ſtones hurt not the bird, but ſhee hearing and fearing this vain ſound, falls into the net. In like manner ſaith hee, men that fear and regard the vain ſound of all ill words, what do they but fall into the Devils net, who thereby carries them captive into much evil, many troubles and inconveniencies?

Leſt thou hear thy ſervant curſe thee] Who ſhould in duty ſpeak the beſt of thee, though frample and froward, croſs and crooked, 1 Pet. 2.18. Or by ſervant underſtand baſe inferiour people, ſuch as were Tobiah the ſervant,Pſal. 35.15 the Ammonite, and thoſe abjects that tare Davids name, and ceaſed not.