John Trapp on Micah 4:3

Verſe 3. And he ſhall judge among many people,] We had before, Chriſts Propheticall Office: here we have his Princely, and elſewhere his Prieſtly,This ſeems to have been the effect of that old prophecy among the Eaſterlings, that Judaea profecti rerum potirentur, ſome that came out of[illegible: 1 letter] Jury ſhould conquer all. Vide Sueto. in Veſpaſ. & Tacit. lib. 21. (wherein both the former are founded) for he is the true Triſmegiſt, and Melchiſedech was a right type of him. He is the onely judge, and needs no Vicar upon earth, ſuch as the Pope claims to bee, Eſay 33.22, no ſuch Officers to ſee his lawes executed, as the Ephori were among the Greeks, and the Cenſores among the Romans. The Lord that ſent the rod of his ſtrength out of Zion, as verſe 2. doth alſo give him to rule in the middeſt of his enemies, whiles his people are willing in the day of his power, in the beauties of holineſſe, Pſal. 110.3. willing that Chriſt ſhould ſend forth judgement to victory, Mat. 12.20. that is, perfect his own work of grace begun in their hearts. To which end, as it here followeth,

He ſhall rebuke (or convince) ſtrong nations] Convince them, I ſay, (by his Spirit) of ſinne, of righteouſneſſe, and of judgement, [illegible: 1 letter]oh. 16.8. Of the lotheſomneſſe of ſin, of the neceſſity of getting righteouſneſſe by Chriſt, and repentance from dead works; that men may ſerve the living God, and as much as in them is, Acts 17.30. live peaceably with all.

And they ſhall beat their ſwords into plowſhares] i. e. their fierce and fell natures ſhall be manſuefied, as Eſay 11.6, 7, 8, 9. and if they wage warre, it ſhall be non niſi coacti, either for the juſt puniſhment of Delinquents, whom they cannot otherwiſe come at: or for their own neceſſary defence, and that they may eſtabliſh peace with truth. But if men would live by the lawes of the Goſpel, they need not wage warre, or want peace, either of countrey or of conſcience: but they might take for their Motto, that of David, Ani ſhallom, I am peace: and have for their portion that peace, peace, Eſay 26.3. even a perfect, ſheer, pure-peace, a multiplied peace with God, with themſelves, and with others: this is a main piece of Chriſts kingdom upon earth,Florus. who is the Prince of peace, and came in a time of peace: viz. in the raigne of Auguſtus, when as there was Totius orbis aut pax aut pactio, ſaith Florus, a generall peace, or truce thorowout the whole world.

neither ſhall they learn warre any more] To make a trade or a gain of it, and ſo to earn a curſe Deut. 27.25. to delight in it, Pſal. 68.30. and make a ſport of it (as Abner did, 2 Sam. 2.14. and Pyrrhus king of Epirots) to wage it without weighty reaſon raſhly. If we Princes (ſaid our Hen. 7.) ſhould take every occaſion that's offered, the world ſhould never be quiet, but wearied by continuall warres. We may alſo here take warring (as St. Iames doth, chap. 4.1.) for jarring, and jangling, for private diſcords, and diſſentions. Now theſe the people or God are ſo farre from learning, that they utterly lay them aſide, and are kinde one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Chriſts ſake forgave them, Epheſ. 4.32.