John Trapp on Esther 7:10

Verſe 10. So they hanged Haman on the Gallowes] Heb. tree. Neither hanged they him only to death: but crucified or nailed his dead body to the tree, for greater ignominy. So ſome gather from chap. 8.5. The Septuagint alſo render it: So they crucified him. And here hanged the greatneſſe of Haman, who now is fallen from the Palace to the Gallowes, from the higheſt ſtage of honour, to the loweſt ſtaire of diſgrace, and lies wrap't up in the ſheet of perpetual infamy. So let all thine enemies periſh, O Lord, &c. A like end befell Bonoſus the drunken Emperour; Amaſis that inſolent King of Egypt; Joane that libidinous Queen of Naples; our Roger Mortimer, that Troubler of the Realme hang'd at Tyburne; Oliver that proud Prefect, advanced to higheſt honours and offices by Lewis King of France, Cranz l. 12. c. 17. but hang'd up by his ſonne and ſucceſſour upon a new and large Gallowes, ſet up for the purpoſe, and not without his deſert. High places are not more uneaſie then ſlippery. Even height it ſelf maketh mens brains to ſwim, and when they fall they come down with a poiſe.

That he had prepared for Mordecai] Joſephus hath here a very good Note; Ʋnde mihi contigit mirari nomen Dei, & ſapientiam & juſtitiam ejus agnoſcere, &c. I cannot but admire the Lords wiſdom,Lib. [illegible: 1 letter]1. Antiq. c. 6. and acknowledge his juſtice, in that he not only puniſhed him for his malice to the Church, but by turning his own miſchief upon himſelf, hath made him an example to all poſterity, hanging him up in gibbets that others may take warning. The like the Lord did by Adonibezek, Pharaoh, Goliah, Achitophel, Abſalom, Sennacherib, Maxentius, Valerianus, &c. Quàm benè diſpoſitum terris ut dignus iniqui,Claud. lib. in Eutrop. Fructus conſilii primis authoribus inſtet, &c. See thoſe ſacred Similies to the ſame ſenſe, Eccleſ. 10.8, 9. Prov. 26.27. Pſal. 7.16. &c. [non-Latin text not transcribed] Heſiod Lib 8 de viz. verb, c. 21. and beware of making a match with miſchief, leſt ye have your belly-full thereof. He that conceiveth with guile, ſhall (though he grow never ſo big) bring forth nothing but vanity and worſe, Job 15.35. As he hath ſowen the winde, ſo he ſhall reap the whirlwinde, Hoſ. 8.6. See the Note there. Diaboli ſervus & ſatelles praecipuus erat Haman, ſaith Rupertus. Haman was a main ſtickler for the devil, who paid him accordingly; the wages of ſin is death, and it may well be feared that Haman was killed with death, Lavat. in loc. as Jezaebels children were, Rev. 2.23 Fuit enim homo dirae feritatis planéque [non-Latin text not transcribed], for he was a moſt cruel wretch, and a plain Atheiſt. I ſhall ſhut up the ſtory of his life,Amb. de Nab. Iſr. c 11. as Ambroſe doth that of Ahab and Jezabels fearful end. Fuge ergo, dives ejuſmodi exitum, &c. Tremble at ſuch ends, and be careful to avoid them. Such ends ye ſhall eaſily avoid, if ye carefully fly ſuch like foule and flagitious practiſes.

Then was the Kings wrath pacified] Harbonah had helped to kindle it, verſe 9. and by executing Haman, Sententiam ocyus dicto exequuntur oculici. Merl. whom he had accuſed, he now helpeth to quench it. For it was not unuſual of old, that men of greateſt rank and quality ſhould execute Malefactours, as Gideon did Zeba and Zalmunnah, as Samuel did Agag, as Benaiah did Adonijah, Joab and Shimei, by the command of Solomon. The holy Angels delight in ſuch an office, as at Sodom, and in Sennacheribs army: and how active ſhall they be at the laſt day, but chiefly againſt ſuch as walk after the fleſh in the luſt of uncleanneſſe, and deſpiſe Government, 2 Pet. 2.10. So ſhall Gods wrath be pacified, as once it was when Phineas the High Prieſt had done execution upon that unclean couple. The Saints have another way of pacifying him; of preventing his judgements, and diſarming his indignation: and that is by remembring their ſins, and being confounded in his Preſence, never opening their mouths any more, Ez[illegible: 1 letter]ch. 16.63. unleſſe it be in an humble confeſſion, which is the Chriſtians beſt Apology? as the Apoſtle calleth it, 2 Cor. 7.11. This will quiet Gods Spirit (as the phraſe is, Zech. 6.8. and cauſe him to ſay as Job 33.24. I have found a reconciliation. Surely, if we judge our ſelves, he will not judge us, 1 Cor. 11.31. God ſhall be prevented, and the Accuſer of the brethren put out of office; our Hamans alſo ſhall be hang'd up before the Sun, our ſturdy corruptions crucified, and the Lord ſhall as little repent him of any good he hath done us, as Ahaſhuerus did of gratifying his wife Eſther, and Kinſman Mordecai; who were now all the doers, ſeeking the wealth of Iſrael, and ſpeaking peace to that whole people, as appeareth in the following chapters. As for the King he never ſo much as once lamented the loſſe of Haman, nor ſaid, ſe properantiùs quàm prudentiùs egiſſe, that he had been more haſty then wiſe in doing him to death; but was very well pleaſed with what he had done; his wrath rested, ſaith the text,Ira eſt libido puniendi eju[illegible: 1 letter] qui videtur laeſi[illegible: 1 letter]le injuriâ [illegible: 1 letter]icero. as the ſea doth in a calme: it lay and ſlept, as the word ſignifieth; for anger is an eager deſire of revenge, and rendreth a man reſtleſſe, till that be done.