John Trapp on Esther 7:6

Verſe 6. And Eſther ſaid] Now ſhe found her time to ſtrike whiles the iron was hot: ſhe therefore layeth hold upon the opportunity that God had even thruſt into her hand, and, laying aſide all baſe feare, pointeth out the enemy preſent, and painteth him out in his proper colours. A well-choſen ſeaſon, ſaith one, is the greateſt advantage of any action; which as it is ſeldome found in haſte, ſo it is too often loſt in delay.Aug. It is not for Queen Eſther now to drive off any longer. The negligent ſpirit cries, Cras Domine, To morrow thou ſhalt pray for me, ſaid Pharaoh to Moſes, Fooles are ever futuring, ſemper victuri, as Seneca hath it, but a wiſe mans heart diſcerneth both time and judgement, Eccleſ. 8.5. The men of Iſſachar in Davids dayes were in great account, becauſe they had underſtanding of the times to know what Iſrael ought to do, and when to do it, 1 Chron. 12.32.

The adverſary] Heb. The man adverſary, the Lycanthropos, the man of might that diſtreſſeth us, anguſtiator, that is, our calamity; as the people of Rome once by an elegant ſoleciſme, cried out, Calamitas noſtra Magnus eſt: meaning it of Pompey ſir-named Magnus.

And enemy] That is, the utter enemy, that ſworn Swordman of Satan, the old manſlayer, from whom Haman hath drawn this ancient enmity, Geneſis 3.15.

Is this wicked Haman] Peſſimus iſte, this homo hominum quantum eſt, peſſimus, homo poſt homines natos nequiſſimus, as wicked a man as goes on two legges, a Merum ſcelus, a man made up of miſchief,Bipedum n[illegible: 1 letter] quiſſimus. a very breathing devil. Cicero telleth of one Tubulus, who was Praetor a little before his time, ſo wicked a wretch, Ʋt ejus nomen non hominis ſed vitü eſſe vider[illegible: 1 letter]tur, that his name ſeemed to be not the name of a man, but of vice it ſelf. And Joſephus ſaith of Antipater, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. that his life was a very myſtery of iniquity. Think the ſame of Haman ſo portentouſly, ſo peerleſly wicked and malicious, that Eſther can finde no word bad enough for him, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. unleſſe it be Harang, that naughtieſt of all naughts, as Saint Paul could call ſin no worſe then by its own name ſinful ſin, exceeding ſinful, Rom. 7.13. Tiberius was rightly characterized by his Tutour Theodorus Gadareus, dirt kned with blood; Haman was ſuch another, if not worſe, and now he heares of it: for never till now did the man adverſary heare his true title. Before, ſome had ſtiled him Noble, others Great; ſome magnificent, and ſome perhaps vertuous: only Eſther gives him his own, wicked Haman. Ill-deſerving greatneſſe doth in vain promiſe to it ſelf a perpetuity of applauſe. There will be thoſe that will deal plainly, and call a ſpade, a ſpade. Thus Jeremy dealt with Jehoiakim, and Ezekiel with Zedekiah, whom he calleth naught and polluted. Go tell that fox, ſaith our Saviour, concerning Herod; and God ſhall ſmite thee, thou whited wall, ſaith Paul to Ananias. But what a courage had Eſther to ſpeak thus to the King, and of his Favourite, and before his face? This was the work of her faith, and the fruit of her prayer.

The Haman was afraid before the King and the Queen] He was amazed and amated, troubled and terrified. Obſtupuit, ſteterúntque comae, & vox faucibus haeſit.Virg. In the fulneſſe of his ſufficiency he fell into ſtraits, Job. 29.22. So that being convinced in his own conſcience that the Queens accuſation was very true, and that the King knew it to be ſo, he had nothing to ſay for himſelf, he was even gagg'd, as it were, or muzled, as Mat 22.12. according to that of David, Pſal. 63.11. the mouth of them that ſpeak lies ſhall be ſtopped. And again, Pſal. 12.3. The Lord ſhall cut off lying lips, and the tongue that ſpeaketh proud things. Here we ſee how ſuddenly wicked ones may be caſt down upon the diſcovery of their wickedneſſe, in the height of their pride, in the ruffe of their jollity, as was Nebuchadnezzar, Belſhazzar, Herod, Haman. Surely as thunder commonly is heard when the skie ſeemeth moſt clear: ſo this man ſaw himſelf enveloped in a ſtorme, in one of the faireſt dayes that ever befell him.