John Trapp on Jeremiah 20:8-9

Ver. 8. For ſince I spake, I cryed out] i. e. Ever ſince I took upon me the office of a Prophet, I executed it vigorouſly, I cryed with full mouth, as chap. 4.5. Iſa. 58.1.

I cryed violence and ſpoile] Sc. will ſurely befall you by the Chaldees, or I cryed out of my miſuſages.

Becauſe the Word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me and a deriſion dayly] This was all the recompence I reaped of my good-will to this perverſe people, and of my paines taken amongſt them. Few ſins are more dangerous then thoſe of caſting reproaches upon Gods Word, as here: of ſnuffing at it, Mal. 1.13. of enviouſly ſwelling at it, Act. 13.45. of chatting at it, Rom. 9.19, 20. of ſtumbling at it, 1 Pet. 2.8. of gathering odious conſequences from it, Rom. 3.8.

Ex humano motu & metu hoc in mentem incidit A Lap. Piſc. Quoque magis tegitur, tanto magis aeſtuat ignis. Ovid. Chryſoſt. de Lazaro, Hanc legem ex hoc loco dat concionatori ne defatigetur nec ullo tempore ſileat, ſive ſit qui auſcultet, ſive non.Ver. 9. Then I ſaid, I will not make mention of him, nor ſpeak any more in his Name] i. e. I will give over preaching: This, ſaid Latimer in a like caſe, was a naughty a very naughty reſolution.

But his Word was in my heart as a burning fire] Ex ſenſu malae conſcientiae propter illud propoſitum. And here was the work of the Spirit againſt that carnal reſolution of his. Gods people cannot do the things that they would, ſaith the Apoſtle, Gal. 5.17. As they cannot do the good they would, becauſe of the fleſh; ſo neither the evil that they would, becauſe of the Spirit: there is a continual conflict, and as it were the company of two oppoſite armies, Cant. 6.13. True grace will as little be hid as fire: — quis enim celaverit ignem?

And I was weary with forbearing, and could not ſtay] Jeremies ſervice among the Jews was ſomething like that of Manlius Torquatus among the Romans, who gave it over ſaying, Neither can I bear their manners, nor they my government. He began to think, with that painful Patriarch, that reſt was good, Gen. 49.15. and with the Olive, Vine, and Fig-tree in Jothams parable, that it was beſt to enjoy a beloved privacy. He was ready to ſay, Bene qui latuit bene vixit: And Bene qui tacuit bene dixit, &c. But this could not hold with him, he ſaw well: for as the motion of the heart and lungs is ever beating, and tis a pain to reſtrain it, to hold the breath; ſo here, Strangulat incluſus dolor atque exaeſtuat intus:Ovid. Triſt. Cogitur & vires multiplicare ſuas.