John Trapp on Jeremiah 1:17-18

Ver. 17. Thou therefore gird up thy loynes] q. d. Thou haſt, I muſt needs ſay,Perquam difficile eſt, ſed ita lex jubet. a hard task of it. But hard or not hard, it muſt be done, or thou art undone. About it therefore, and play the man, plucking up thy beſt heart, as we ſay, and acting vigorouſly. Stir up the gifts of God that are in thee, and exerciſe thy talents committed unto thee. Verbs miniſter es: hoc age.

Be not diſmaid at their faces, leaſt] Ne conteritor, nete conteram. Be not afraid of them leaſt I fright thee worſe, to thy ruth and utter ruine. Excellently Bernard, Anranaclaſis. If I deal not faithfully with you, you will be damnified, but I ſhall be damned: Let me ſuffer any thing rather than be guilty of a ſinful ſilence, ſaid that heroical Luther. But Melancthon (his Colleague) was ſo timorous, that Luther was fain to chide him many times: And Calvin (in an Epiſtle of his to John Sleidan) prayeth God to furniſh him with a more noble ſpirit, ne gravem ex ejus timiditate jacturam ſentiat poſteritas, leſt poſterity ſhould rue for his timidity. Calvin himſelf in his laſt ſpeech to his fellow-Miniſters on his death-bed, ſpeaketh thus: When I firſt came to this City (Geneva) the Goſpel indeed was here preached, but things were very far out of order, as if Chriſtianity conſiſted wholly in the caſting down of images, &c. There were alſo not a few wicked fellows who put me hard to't,Melch. Ad. in vic. Calvin. p. 106. ſetting themſelves againſt me to their utmoſt. But the Lord our good God did ſo ſteel me and ſtrengthen me, who am naturally fearful and daſtardly, that I ſtoutly withſtood them, and went on with the work of Reformation; to his glory alone be it ſpoken. Melacthon alſo admired that courage in Luther, that he could not find in himſelf: for beſides many paſſages of his in his Epiſtles that way tending, one time when he ſaw Luthers picture, he uttered this verſe immediately, Fulmnia erant linguae ſingula verba tuae.

[non-Latin text not transcribed].Ver. 18. For behold I have made thee this day a defenced City] i. e. Inpregnable, inexpugnable, the bulwark of truth (as one ſaid of Baſil) ſuch as could not be battered. And of Ambroſe Stilico the Earle ſaid, that he was the walls of Italy. Peter and John are called Pillars, Gal. 2.9. Athanaſius, the Churches Champion, Virg.Ille velut pelagi rupes immota reſiſtit.

Againſt the Kings of Judah, againſt the Princes, &c.] There was a general defection of all ſorts; and Jeremy was to declaim againſt them all, and proclaim their utter deſtruction, in caſe they repented not. Well might Luther ſay, for he had the ſad experience of it, Praedicare nihil aliud eſt quàm totius mundi furorem in ſe derivare. To preach is nothing elſe, but to derive upon a mans ſelf the rage of all the world. Ʋt jam quatuor clementa ferre nequeant. He met with ſome even at Wittenberg where he lived, who were ſo wicked and uncounſelable, that the four Elements could not endure them: So did good Jeremy, &c.