John Trapp on Lamentations 4

CHAP. IV.

Pet. à Figueir.Ver. 1. HOw is the gold become dim?] How? by way of wonderment again, as chap. 1.2. q. d. Quo tanto ſcelere hominum, & qua tanta indignatione Dei? What have men done? and how hath God been provoked, that there are ſuch ſtrange alterations here all on the ſudden? By gold and fine gold here underſtand the Temple overlaid by Solomon with choice gold: or Gods people (his ſpiritual Temple) who had now loſt their luſtre, and dignity.

The ſtones of the Sanctuary are poured out] Come tumbling down, from the demoliſhed Temple.

Ver. 2. The precious ſons of Zion] Thoſe Porphyrogeniti, as the Greek Emperours children were called,Sept. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. becauſe born and bred up in a room made up of precious ſtones. Underſtand it of the Jews in general (Gods peculiar people, precious in his ſight and therefore honourable, Iſa. 43.4.) of Zedekiahs ſons in particular who (as did alſo the reſt of the Jewiſh Nobility, if Joſephus may be beleeved) poudered their hair with gold duſt,Antiq. l. 8. c. 7. to the end that they might gliſter and ſparkle againſt the beams of the Sun. The precious children of the Church are all glorious within, by means of the graces of the Spirit, that golden oyle, Zach. 4.12. and the bleſſings of God out of Zion, Pſal. 134.3. which are far beyond all other the bleſſings of heaven and of earth.

As earthen pitchers] Weak and worthleſſe.

Ver. 3. Even the ſea-monſters] Heb. Whales or Seales: which, being Amphibii, have both a willingneſſe,Vulg. Lamiae. and a place convenient to ſuckle their whelps.

The daughter of my people is become cruel] She is ſo perforce, being deſtitute of milk for want of food, but much more by feeding upon them, ver. 10. and chap. 2.20. Oh what a mercy is it to have meat! and how inexcuſable are thoſe unnatural mothers that neglect to nurſe their children, not out of want but wantonneſſe! Surely as there is a bleſſing of the womb to bring forth, ſo of the breſts to give ſuck, Gen. 49.25. and the dry breaſts and barren womb have been taken for a curſe, Hoſ. 9.14. as ſome interpret that text.

Ver. 4. The tongue of the ſucking child cleaveth] For want of ſuck. That was a miracle which is recorded of the old woman of Bolton in Lancaſhire, who took up a poor child that lay crying at the breaſts of her dead mother (ſlain, among many others, by Prince Ruperts party) and laying it to her own dry breaſts that had not yeelded ſuck for above twenty years before, on purpoſe to ſtill it, had milk came to nouriſh it, to the admiration and aſtoniſhment of all beholders. This and another like example of Gods good providence for the releif of little ones whom their mothers could not relieve, may be read of in Mr. Clarks Mirror for Saints and Sinners, Edit. 3. fol. 495, 507.

And no man breaketh it unto them] The parents either not having it for them, or not having an heart to part with it to them.

Ver. 5. They that did feed delicately] Such uncertainty there is of outward affluence. Our Richad the ſecond was famiſhed to death.Speed. Lib. 3. c. 4. Henry Holland Duke of Exceſter, grand-child to John of Gaunt was ſeen to run on foot bare-legged after the Duke of Burgundy's train begging his bread for Gods ſake: This I ſaw, ſaith Philip de Comines. This Henry was brother in law to King Edward the fourth, from whom he fled.

They that were brought up in ſcarlet] Qui nutriebantur in croceis ſen cocceis, In fimetis victum quaeritant prae inopia. Jun. that were gorgeouſly arrayed, or, that rolling on their rich beds, wrapped themſelves in coſtly coverlets.

Embrace dunghils] There take up their lodgings, and there alſo are glad to find any thing to feed on, though never ſo courſe and homely, The Lapwing is made an Hieroglyphick of infelicity, becauſe he hath as a coronet upon the head, and yet feedeth upon the worſt of excrements. It is pitty that any child of God, waſht in Chriſt's blood, ſhould bedabble his ſcarlet robe in the ſtinking guzzle of the worlds dunghill: that any one who hath heretofore ſoared as an Eagle, ſhould now creep on the ground as a bettle, or wallow as a ſwine in the mire of ſenſuality.

Ver. 6. For the puniſhment of the iniquity of Zion is greater] For Sodom was deſtroyed by Angels, Zion by malicious men: The enemies were not enriched by Sodom, as they were by Zion. Sodom was deſtroyed in an inſtant; not ſo Zion, for ſhe had her puniſhment piecemeal; firſt a long ſeige, and then the loſs of all, after a world of miſeries ſuſtained in the ſeige. Julius Caeſar was wont to ſay, It is better once to fall then alwaies to hang in ſuſpence. Auguſtus wiſhed that he might dye ſuddenly: His life he called a Comedy, and ſaid that he thought he had acted his part therein pretty handſomly; Now if he might ſoon paſſe through death, he would hold it an happineſſe. Souldiers wiſh is thus ſet forth by the Poet; —quid enim? concurritur, horae Momento aut cita mors venit aut victoria laeta. It is the ancient and manful faſhion of the Engliſh (who are naturally moſt impatient of lingering miſchiefs) to put their quarrels to the trial of the ſword,Speed. 963. as the Chronicler obſerveth.

Ver. 7. Her Nazarites] Who ſerved God in a ſingular way of abſtinence above other men. Theſe had their rules given them, Num. 6. which whiles they obſerved,

They were purer then ſnow, whiter then milk] Temperance is the mother of beauty, as luxury is of deformity. This is nothing to the Popiſh Votaryes thoſe Epicures and Abby-lubbers, Quorum luxuriae totus non ſufficit orbis. Some by Nazarites here underſtand their Nobles and ſuch as wore coronets on their heads: Nezar is a crown, 2 Sam. 1.10. 2 Kings 11.12. thus Joſeph was a Nazarite, Gen. 49.26. So Daniel and his three Aſſociates, in whom that was verified, Gratior eſt pulchro veniens in corpore virtus.

Ver. 8. Their viſage is blacker then a coal] Heb. their viſage is more darkned then blackneſſe. ſc. With famine, fear, grief, and car: thoſe vultures have ſo fed upon them, that all ſightlineſſe and lovelineſſe is loſt. Think the ſame of Apoſtates: God may complain of ſuch, as Mic. 2.8.

Ver. 9. They that be ſlain with the ſword are better] They ſuffer leſſe pain in dying, they are ſoon diſpatcht. See on ver. 6. But Famine is an hard weapon.

Triſte genus mortis miſeris mortalibus omne: Eſt tamen imprimis triſte perire fame.

For theſe pine away] By a lingering death, as Druſus the Roman: to whom meat being denied,Speed. 766. he had eaten the ſtuffings of his bed, ſaith Suetonius: and our Richard the ſecond who was Tantalized and ſtarved to death at Pomfret Caſtle, where his diet being ſerved in and ſet before him in the wonted Princely manner, he was not ſuffered either to taſte, or touch thereof.

Jam. 5. Stricken through for want of the fruits of the field] Thoſe precious fruits of the earth, as James the Apoſtle calleth them. Theſe as a ſword defend us from death: and the want of them, as a ſword, runneth us thorough. In the time of Otho the Emperour there was ſo great a ſcarcity of bread corn in Germany for three years together, that many thouſands dyed of hunger.Melancth. In remembrance of which great dearth, there is yearly baked at Erphord a little loaf, ſuch as was then ſold for much money.

Ver. 10. The hands of the pittiful women have ſodden] Sodden them rather then roaſted them, leſt they ſhould be diſcovered by the ſmell, and ſo in danger to be deſpoiled of them, as it ſell out at the laſt ſeige by the Romans. Lege & Luge.

They were their meat] In eadem viſcera, ex quibus exierant, retruſi ſunt: they returned into the ſame bowels, whence they came forth.

Ver. 11. The Lord hath accompliſhed his fury] Which he had long deferred; but now hath paid it home. Cave ne ira delata fiat duplicata.

He hath poured out his fierce anger] As it were by whole buckets, or paile-fulls. Gods anger may be ſet out in minums, as there may be much poiſon in little drops: But woe be thoſe on whom it is poured.

He hath kindled a fire in Zion] His wrath is like fire that furious Element, which at firſt burneth a little upon a few bords, but when it prevaileth, it burſteth forth into a terrible flame.

Ver. 12. The Kings of the earth, &c.] Theſe knowing how impregnable a piece Jeruſalem was: how the Jebuſites of old held out the Tower of Zion againſt David, how long it had kept out Nebuchadnezzar, viz. for two years ſpace almoſt; how it had been preſerved by God againſt Sennacherib, &c. looked upon it as in a ſort inſuperable, and could not but ſee a divine vengeance in the deſtruction of it.

Ver. 13. For the ſins of her Prophets] Theſe, theſe were the right cauſe of her ruine. Not that the People were not faulty (for they loved to have it ſo, Jer. 5. ult.) but thoſe were the ring-leaders in that general defection.

Ver. 14. They have wandred as blind men in the ſtreets] Well might a certain Expoſitour ſay, Hic verſus cum ſequentibus varie exponitur. The ſenſe in ſhort is this, ſaith One, that the Jewes miſled by their Prophets and Prieſts, were ſo blind in knowledge, that every example of ſin led to evil: which, for want of grace, they could not refrain from.

Ver. 15. They cryed unto them] The enemies in a mockery ſaid aloud unto the Jewes.

Depart ye, it is unclean, depart, depart] Mimeſis: q. d. You that are ſo pure, and (as people ſay profanely amongſt us) ſo Pope-holy, that none muſt come anear you, but get away as far and as faſt as they can, as if they were Lepers, &c.

They ſaid among the Heathen] The blind Ethnikes beholding the Jews wickedneſſe, have judged that it was impoſſible God ſhould ſuffer them any longer to live in his good land, ſith they would not live by his good Laws.

Ver. 16. The anger of the Lord hath divided them] Say the Heathen ſtill, concerning the wicked Jews: continuatur enim hic inſtituta Mimeſis.

He will no more regard them] Heb. look after them, ſc. facie blandâ ac benevolâ, in mercy;Sacerdotes apud omnes gentes ſunt venerabiles ob miniſterium. he hath utterly rejected them: For why?

They reſpected not the perſons of the Prieſts] But vilely intreated them: See Chron. 36.16.

Ver. 17. As for us, our eyes as yet failed] With long and vain looking: as Pſal. 119.82, 123. For, As for us, ſome render Cum adhuc eſſemus, while as yet we were, ſc. a Nation: for now we are none. Fuimus Troes.

In our watching we have watched for a Nation] ſc. for the Egyptians, Jer. 2.18, 36. & 37.7, 8.

Ver. 18. They hunt our ſteps] There is an elegancy in the Original, as if we ſhould ſay, They hunt our haunts.

That we cannot go in our ſtreets] Becauſe of their forts, from whence they ſhoot at us. Satan doth ſo much more: — cui nomina mille, Mille nocendi artes.—

Our end is come] We are an undone people.

Ver. 19. Our perſecutours are ſwifter then the Eagles] Thoſe ſwifteſt of al foul: whom Pindarus therefore calleth the Queen of Birds, as the Dolphin is of fiſhes for like ſwiftneſſe. The Egyptians, their pretended helpers, were ſlow as ſnailes; the Chaldees ſwifter then Eagles.

They purſued us] Or they chaſed us, or traced us, like blood-hounds.

They laid wait for us in the Wilderneſſe] They met us at every turn: and left us no means of eſcape.

Ver. 20. The breath of our noſtriles] King Zedekiah, in whoſe downfal we drew as it were our laſt breath. The Chaldee Paraphraſt underſtandeth it of Joſiah, with whom indeed dyed all the proſperity of the Jews, as with Epaminondas did that of the Thebans; and with Theodoſius, that of the Weſtern Empire.

The Annointed of the Lord] Who yet for his perfidy was vilely caſt away like Saul, as though he had not been annointed with oyle, 2 Sam. 1.21.

Was taken in their pits] A term taken from hunters, Ezek. 12.13. See ver. 20. Jer. 52.8.

Ʋnder his ſhadow] As the chickens do under the hens.

Ver. 21. Rejoyce and be glad] This is ſpoken to Edom by a certain Ironical and bitter conceſſion: q. d. Do ſo if thou haſt any mind to it: but thou ſhalt ſoon be made to change thy chear. Thy flearing at us ſhall be ſoon turned into fearing for thy ſelf: thy mirth into mourning.

That dwelleſt in the land of Ʋz] Job's country, called alſo Siria, ſaith R. Solomon, and haply from Seir. Evil is at next door by to thoſe who rejoyce at the evils of others.

The cup ſhall paſſe through unto thee] The quaſſing cup of Gods Wrath, Jer. 25.18, 29.

And ſhalt make thy ſelf naked] To the ſcorn of all: Ʋt ebria & omotae mentis. as drunkards who are void of ſhame and common honeſty, baring thoſe parts that nature would have covered, See Jer. 49.10.

Ver. 22. The puniſhment of thine iniquity is accompliſhed O daughter of Zion] A word of comfort in the cloſe of this doleful ditty. The Sun of Righteouſneſſe loveth not to ſet in a cloud. See Iſa. 40.1. Profane Elegies have no comfort in them, as this hath.

He will no more carry thee away into Captivity] i. e. No more in haſte; after thy return from Babylon. Caried away they were again,Accommodant huc Iſa. 21.11. legentes prô Dumah Rom[illegible: 1 letter]. many ages after by the Romans, whom to this day they therefore call Edomites, and the Popes hierarchy the wicked kingdom of Edom, which they ſay ſhall be certainly deſtroyed, as is here alſo foretold: and then ſhall they be brought back again to Jeruſalem, and there reſetled by their Meſſiah. See the Chaldee Paraphraſt upon this text.

He will diſcover thy ſins] i. e. Puniſh thee ſoundly for them, in the ſight of all men. See on Pſal. 32.1, 2. Job 20.17.