John Trapp on Joel 2:30

Verſe 30. And I will ſhew wonders in the heavens] Prodigia beneficia credentibus, a Lapid. malefica & horrifica incredulis, ſaith Cornelius a Lapide, who interpreteth the text, of thoſe ſignes and wonders that ſhall precede the day of judgment: and for confirmation here of alleageth chap. 3.2. together with Mat. 24.29. Luk. 21.25. And had he looked a little higher into thoſe chapters, and taken in all the troubles that befell the Church from our Saviours aſcenſion to his ſecond comming, together with thoſe horrible calamities and confuſions that ſhall befall the wicked, for contempt of the Goſpell, and perſecution of the profeſſors thereof, he had done right, in mine opinion. It is ordinary with the Prophets to ſet forth horrible commotions by ſuch figurative expreſſions, See Ier. 4.23. &c. Iſay. 13.10. Rev. 6.12. Thoſe that have received the Spirit of Adoption, muſt not dream of a delicacy, but expect perſecution. Chriſt came to ſend fire on the earth Luk. 12.49. Neither may Perſecutors hope to eſcape unpuniſhed, but look to be purſued by divine juſtice. See the Note on Rev, 6.15. How heavie was the hand of God upon Jeruſalem that ſlaughter-houſe of the Saints; and afterwards upon the Ten Perſecutors of Rome? 1 Nero (whom Tertullian rightly calleth Dedicatorem damnationis Chriſtianorum, quippe qui orientem fidem primus Rema cruentavit, the firſt bloody Perſecutor of the Chriſtian religion) loſt thirty thouſand of his ſubjects by the peſtilence, had his army utterly routed and cut off in Britanny: both the Armenia's revolted from him: the Senators roſe up againſt him, and compelled him to be his own deaths-man. 2 Demitian was butchered by his ſouldiers. 3 Trajan dyed of a dropſie. 4 Severus dyed miſerably here at York. 5. Maximinus, with his ſonn, was cut in peeces. 6. Decius dyed in a farr country. 7. Valerian was flea'd, by Sapores king of Perſia, who took him priſoner. 8. Aurelian was ſlain by his own men. 9. Diocleſian poiſoned himſelf. 10 Maximian hang'd himſelf. What ſhould I ſpeak of Julian, Anaſtaſius, Heraclius &c. The French perſecutors, Francis the ſecond, Charles the ninth, Henry the third, the Guiſes &c. Philip the ſecond of Spain, who returning out of the Low countries, fell into a ſtorm, and ſuffered ſhipwrack to the great danger of his life?Hiſt. of Gennc. of Trent. 417. He ſaid he was delivered by the ſingular providence of God to root out Lutheraniſme, which he preſently began to do, with all his might. He afterwards died miſerably of the louſie diſeaſe. Q. Mary died of a tympany, or elſe of grief of heart for K. Philip's unkind departure,Speed. forraine loſſes, Callice ſurrendred, hurt done by thunders from heaven, and by fire in the royal navie, extream dearths raging, her conceptions fayling &c. What heavy judgments befell divers particular perſecutors of thoſe times, Poole, Gardiner, Bonner, Morgan, Story, Burton, ſee Acts and Mon. 1902. 1904. &c. 1915. George Eagles (alias Trudge-over the world) having hid himſelf in a cornfeild, was, Mr. Leigh his Saints Encouragement Ep. to Read. for mony deſcried by one Ralph Lurdain, and burnt at Chelmsford: where afterwards the ſame Lurdain was hang'd for ſtealing an horſe.

blood and fire &c.] Signes terrifying, and teſtifying the wrath and diſpleaſure of God for the ſinns of men, and ſuch a face of the whole Fabrick of the Vniverſe: as that all the parts thereof may ſeem to have conſpired for the deſtruction of mankind. Before the wart betwixt Pompey and Caeſar, the ſea ſeemed to be bloody, —Superique minaces Prodiglis terras implerant, ethera,Lucan: lib. 1. monſtra enumerans quae bellum civila praeceſſerunt. pontum Ignota obſcurae viderunt ſydera noctes, Ardentem que polum flammis, coelo que volantes Obliquas per inane faces— Fulgura fallaci micuerunt crebra ſereno, Et varias ignis denſo dedit aere formas. Before Caeſars death not only drops of blood fell from heaven, but alſo pits and pooles flowed with blood. —puteique cruore Mutati In the year of grace 874.Claudian. lib. 1. in Eutrop. Funcc. chron. at Brixia, in the enterance of Italy, rained blood for three dayes and three nights together. In the yeare 1505. there appeared in Germany upon peoples garments, and womens rocks as they were ſpinning, diverſe prints and tokens of the nailes, of the ſpunge, of the ſpear, of the Lords coate, and of bloody croſſes &c. Maximilian the Emperour had and ſhewed the ſame to Francis Mirandula; who wrot thereupon his book called Stauroſtichon, wherein are theſe verſes, Nonignota cano,Act. & Mon. fol. 769. Caeſar monſtravit: & ipſi Videmus: innumeros prompſit Germania teſtes. It is not many yeares ſince a ſhowre of blood fell about Gloceſter, if our intelligence deceived us not. Such prodigies are uſually ſad preſages, nec inania terriculamenta haec eſſe, In lsc. res ipſa teſtatur, ſaith Gualther here: and event proveth that theſe are no vaine fray-bugs. By fire here, underſtand thoſe terrible flaming apparitions in the ayre, lightenings, comets &c. portending lamentable calamities. Such there were to be ſeen (as I have heard from eye-witneſſes) on that very night wherein the Powder-plot was detected and defeated, in a very terrible manner. And ſuch were thoſe Meteors in the likeneſſe of fiery ſerpents, that fell here Anno 788. before the Invaſion of the Danes: whereunto we may adde the new-ſtarre that appeared in Caſſiopeja in November 1572.Camd. Eliſah. and continued ſixteen moneths: ſoon after which Charles the 9 of France (Author of the Pariſian Maſſacre) died of exceeding bleeding at ſeverall parts of his body, inter horribilium blaſphemiarum diras. ſaith the Hiſtorian, curſing and ſwearing. And laſtly that prodigious Comet Anno. 1618. forerunner of the German warres, and our late troubles; whatever is yet behind to be ſuffered by us. Certainly if the ſorcerors of Egypt were amongſt us, they would wonder at mens ſtupendious ſtupidity, and tell them that theſe extraordinary occurrents in heaven and earth were the very finger of God, for their warning.

and pillars of ſmoke] Heb. palmes of ſmoke (ſo Cant. 3.6.) by ſimilitude, becauſe tall, and ſtraight as palme-trees; which alſo lift up themſelves under their burthen, and will not be held down. Smoaky vapours mounting upright are fitly compared thereunto, Elationes fumi, ſo Tremellius,