John Trapp on Ecclesiastes 8:1

CHAP. VIII. Verſ. 1. Who is as the Wiſe man?]

Velut inter ſtellas Luna minores QUa. dic. Hee is a matchleſs man, a peerleſs Paragon, out-ſhining others, as much as the Moon doth the leſſer Stars. Plato could ſay, that no Gold or Precious ſtone doth gliſter ſo gloriouſly, [non-Latin text not transcribed], as the prudent ſpirit of a good man.Gen. 41.38 Thou art a Prince of God amongſt us, ſaid the Hittites to Abraham. Can wee finde ſuch a man as this Joſeph, in whom the Spirit of God is, ſaid Pharaoh to his Counſellors? Haſt thou conſidered my ſervant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, &c? Job 1.8. My ſervant Moſes is not ſo, who is faithful in all my houſe, and ſhall bee of my Cabinet-Counſel, Numb. 12.7. To him God ſaid, Tu verò hic ſta mecum, But do thou ſtand here by mee, Exod. 34.5. Sapiens Dei comes eſt, ſaith Philo. Look how Kings have their Favourites whom they call Comites, their Couſins and Companions, ſo hath God. Nay, the righteous are Princes in all Lands, Pſal. 45.16. Kings in righteouſneſs, (compare Mat. 13.17. with Luk. 10.24.) the excellent Ones of the Earth, Pſal. 16.3. the Worthies of the world,Hom. 55. in Matth. Heb. 11.5. fitter to bee ſet as Stars in Heaven, and to bee continually before the Throne of God. Chryſoſtome calls ſome holy men of his time, [non-Latin text not transcribed], Earthly Angels: and ſpeaking of Babylas the Martyr, hee ſaith of him, Magnus at que admirabilis vir, hee was an excellent and an admirable man,Orat. contra Gentiles. &c. And Tertullian writing to ſome of the Martyrs, ſayes, Non tantus ſum ut vos alloquar, I am not good enough to ſpeak unto you. Oh that my life and a thouſand ſuch wretches more might go for yours! Oh why doth God ſuffer mee and other ſuch Caterpillars to live (ſaith John Careleſs Martyr, in a letter to that Angel of God Mr. Bradford, as Dr. Taylor called him) that can do nothing but conſume the alms of the Church, and take away you ſo worthy a workman and labourer in the Lords Vineyard,Acts and Mon. 1744. &c?

And who knoweth the interpretation of a thing?] Wiſe a man may bee, and yet not ſo apt and able to wiſe others. Thoſe wiſe ones that can wiſe others, ſo as to turn them to righteouſneſs, ſhall ſhine as the brightneſs of the firmament, yea as the Stars, Dan. 12.3. they do ſo whilſt upon earth; Wiſdome makes their very faces to ſhine,Acts 6 15. as St. Stephens did, and as Holy Jobs, whiles hee was in a proſperous condition, Chap. 29.8, 9, 10. Jobab hee was then the ſame (ſome think) that is mentioned, Gen. 36.33.) as when in diſtreſs his name was contracted into Job. And then (though himſelf were otherwiſe wiſe) hee might want an Interpreter, One of a thouſand (for ſuch are rare, every man cannot ſell us this precious oyl Matth. 25.9.) to ſhew unto him his uprightneſs that is the righteouſneſs of his own experience, how himſelf hath been helped and comforted in like caſe, or, to clear up to an afflicted Job his ſpiritual eſtate, and to ſhew him his Evangelical Righteouſneſs. Oh how beautiful are the feet of ſuch an Interpreter! I have ſeen thy face, (ſaith the poor ſoul to ſuch) as though I had ſeen the face of God, Gen. 33.10.

A mans wiſdome maketh his face to ſhine] Godlineſs is venerable and reverend. Holy and Reverend is his name, Pſal. 112. Gods Image is amiable and admirable: Natural conſcience cannot but ſtoop and do obeyſance to it: What a deal of reſpect did Nebuchadnezzar and Darius put upon Daniel? Alexander the Great upon Jaddus the High-Prieſt? Theodoſius upon Ambroſe? Conſtantine upon Paphnutius, kiſſing that eye of his that was bored out for the cauſe of Chriſt, &c? Godly men have a daunting preſence, as Athanaſius had, and Baſil: to whom when Valens the Arrian Emperour came, whiles hee was in holy exerciſes, it ſtruck ſuch a terrour into him,Greg. Orat. de lande Baſilii. that hee reeled and had fallen, had hee not been upheld by thoſe that were with him. Henry the ſecond of France being preſent at the Martyrdome of a certain Taylor, burnt by him for Religion, was ſo terrified by the boldneſs of his countenance,Epit. hiſt. Gall. 82. and the conſtancy of his ſufferings, that hee ſwore at his going away, that hee would never any more bee preſent at ſuch a ſight.

And the boldneſs of his face ſhall bee changed] Or, doubled: his conſcience bearing him out, and making him undaunted, as it did David, Pſal. 3. and the Dutch Martyr Colonus, who calling to the Judge that had ſentenced him to death, deſired him to lay his hand upon his heart, and then asked him whoſe heart did moſt beat, his or the Judges? By this boldneſs Jonathan and his Armour-bearer ſet upon the Garriſon of the Philiſtims; David upon Goliah their Champion. The Black-Prince was ſo called, not of his colour, Speed. 688. but of his valour and dreaded acts in battel.