John Trapp on Philippians 3

CHAP. III. Verſe 1. Rejoyce]

OR farewell in the Lord. Salutem in Sospita[illegible: 1 letter]ore.

To [illegible: 1 letter]rite the ſame things to you] So 1 Cor. 5.9. Joh 15.1, 5. Some gather out of Mat. 5.1. with Luke 6.20. that our Saviour preached the ſame Sermon twice over, Men are dull to conceive, hard to believe, apt to forget, and ſlow to practiſe heavenly truths, and had therefore great need to have them much preſſed, and often inculcated. Neither let any cry out, Occidit miſ[illegible: 1 letter] ros crambe repetita magiſtros. Surfet not of Gods Manna, ſay not it is a light meat, becauſe lightly come by, or the ſame again. Aug de [illegible: 2 letters]ct; Chriſt. & in. [illegible: 1 word] 10. Auſtin perſwades the Preacher ſo long to purſue and ſtand upon the beating and repeating of one and the ſame point, till by the geſture and countenance of the hearers he perceives that they underſtand and relliſh it.

Verſe 2. [non-Latin text not transcribed] Hom. 11 Beware of dogs] That is, Seducers and Sectaries, who though dead dogs, yet will be barking at godly Miniſters. And though the dogs of Aegypt would not move their tongues againſt Gods Iſrael, Exod. 11.7. yet theſe greedy dogs, Iſa. 56. can both bark and bite better men then themſelves, being ſet on by the devil, Homines perfrictae frontis, impudent as dogs.

Beware of evil workers] Deceitfull workers. 2 Cor. 11.13. that ſeem to build stair-caſes for heaven, when indeed they dig deſcents down to hell, taking great pains to very evil purpoſe.

Beware of the conciſion] For Circumciſion: as Diogenes called Zeno's [non-Latin text not transcribed] and Euclides [non-Latin text not transcribed].La[illegible: 1 letter]rt. The holy Scriptures have many ſuch elegant, and pleaſant paſſages, as Pro. 25.27 Hoſ. 4.15. Galat. 5.12. Iſa. 5.7, &c. There is one that ſenſeth it thus.D Baſtw. Beware of the conciſion, that is, of thoſe that make diviſions, and cut the Church into little pieces, and ſucking Congregations making ſeparation. So Piſcator, Qui conantur vos ab Eccleſia Deireſcindere, who ſeek to ſunder you from the Church. The Donatiſts affirmed, That there were no true Churches, but theirs, and were alſo divided among themſelves, In minutula fruſtula, as Austin ſaith.

Verſe 3. For we are the circumciſion] Such as have our luxuriancies lopped off, our unruly paſſions mortified, Col. 2.11. caſting them away as a wretched foreskin.

Verſe 4. Confidence in the fl[illegible: 1 letter]ſh] That is in externall priviledges, which yet profit not thoſe that reſt in them. An empty title yeelds but an empty comfort at laſt. God cares for no retainers, that only wear his livery, but ſerve themſelves. A man may go to hell with baptiſmall water on his face: yea the ſooner for his abuſed priviledges.

Verſe 5. An Hebrew of the Hebrews] That is, by both fathers and mothers ſide.

Verſe 6. Concerning zeal] A blinde miſguided zeal. See the Note on Rom. 10.2. If zeal be not qualified with knowledge, all will be on fire, as the Primum mobile they ſay would be with it's ſwift turning about, but for the countermotion of the lower ſphears.

Verſe 7. Loſſe for Chriſt.] Chriſt is to be ſought and bought at any hand, at any rate. This is to play the wiſe merchant, Mat. 13.44.46. See the Notes there. Eſteem we Chriſt, as the people did David, 2 Sam. 18.3. more worth then ten thouſand, as Naomi did Ruth, better then ſeven ſons, Ruth 4.15. As Pharaoh did I[illegible: 1 letter]ſeph. There is none ſo wiſe and worthy as thou, ſaid he, Gen. 41.39. Let burning, hanging, all the torments of hell befall me, Tantummodò [illegible: 1 letter]t I[illegible: 1 letter]ſum nanciſ[illegible: 1 letter]ar, So that I may get my Jeſus,Act. and Mon. aid Ignatius. None but Chriſt, none but Chriſt, ſaid Lambert, liſting up ſuch hands as he had, and his fingers ends flaming. We cannot buy this gold too dear.

Verſe 8. And do count them but dung] Dogs-dung (as ſome interpret the word) or Dogs-meat, courſe and contemptible. [non-Latin text not transcribed] quaſi [non-Latin text not transcribed] Pauls ſublime ſpirit counts all dung, yet is content for Chriſt to be counted the off-ſcouring of all things.

Verſe 9. And be found in him] Out of whom all are loſt in the wilderneſſe of worldly luſts, and wofully wander; yet not ſo wide, as to miſſe of hell.

Verſe 10. And may know him] Not notionally only (for ſo a man may do out of every Catechiſme) but practically, not apprehenſively only, but affectively, not with that knowledge that is [illegible: 1 letter]ognoſcitiva only ſtanding in ſpeculation, but that is directiva vitae, as the Apoſtle here expounds himſelf. A naturall man may have a diſciplinary knowledge of Chriſt, that is, by hear-ſay, as a blinde man hath of colours, not an intuitive, i.e. per ſpeciem propriam, &c.

Verſe 11. I might attain to the reſurrection] That is (by a metonymy of the ſubject for the adjunct) that perfection of holineſſe that accompanieth the eſtate of the reſurrection. True grace never aims at a pitch, but aſpireth to perfection. It is a low and unworthy ſtrain in ſome, to labour after no more grace then will keep life and ſoul together, that is, ſoul and hell aſunder (as one ſpeaketh.) But that man for heaven, and heaven for him, that [illegible: 1 letter]ets up for his mark, the reſurrection of the dead.

Verſe 12. But I follow after] Gr. I perſecute, I follow hotfoot with utmoſt eagerneſſe, [non-Latin text not transcribed] By this then he ſignifieth how greedily and unceſſantly he purſued after the perfect knowledge of Chriſt, having it as it were in chaſe,D. Airy. and reſolved not to reſt till he had attained unto it. Well might Chryſostome call S. Paul an inſatiable greedy devouring worſhipper of God.

Verſe 13. I count not my ſelf] Si dixiſti ſati[illegible: 1 letter] eſt, periiſti. Satiety is a dangerous diſeaſe, and the next ſtep to a declenſion, The Eagles embleme is ſublimiùs, the Suns celeriùs, Pſal. 19.3. the wheats perfectiùs, Mar 4.28. Ezekiels profundiùs, Chap 47. 4. Chriſts ſuperiùs Luk. 14 10. and Pauls ulteriùs.

Reaching forth] [non-Latin text not transcribed] Pro[illegible: 1 letter]o & quaſi prae[illegible: 1 letter]i[illegible: 2 letters]ti corpore [illegible: 1 letter]erri ad ſcopum B[illegible: 1 letter]z[illegible: 1 letter]. Straining and ſtretching out head and hands, and whole body to lay hold on the mark or price propoſed. A manifeſt metaphor from runners in a race.

Verſe 14. I preſſe toward, &c.] The Ark of the Covenant was but a cubit and a half high [illegible: 2 letters] ſo were likewiſe the wheels of the caldron. Now we know that a cubit and a half is but an unperfect meaſure: which ſhews (ſaith one) that no man in this life is perfectly perfect. Lee us ſtrive to perfection, as Paul did; and then,Columel. Summum culmen affectantes, ſatis honesti vel in ſecundo fastigio conspiciemur.

Verſe 15. As many as be perfect] Comparatively or conceitedly ſo.

God ſhall reveal] Severall meaſures of knowledge and holineſſe are given to the Saints at ſeverall times. We are narrow-mouthed veſſels, and cannot receive all at once. Whether I go thou canſt not follow me now : but thou ſhalt follow me afterwards, Joh. 13.36. See the Notes there.

Verſe 16. Let us walk by the ſame rule] To wit of the Word: and then you may ſay, Lord, if I be deceived, thou haſt deceived me.

Verſe 17. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Be followers together of me] Longum iter per pracepta, brevius per exempla. Every thing in a Miniſter ſhould be exemplary. We muſt propound to our ſelves the higheſt pitch, and the beſt paterns of perfection.

Verſe 18.Lor[illegible: 2 letters] in Act, 22.19. And now tell you weeping] Non tam atramento quàm lachrymis chartas infici[illegible: 1 letter]bat Paulus. Paul was a man of many tears.

Verſe 19. Whoſe God is their belly] A ſcavenger whoſe living is to empty, is to be preferred befor him that liveth, but to fill privies; as they do that make their gut their God, that dung-hill Deity. Such an one was that Pamphagus, Nabal, Dives, and others that digeſted in hell, [non-Latin text not transcribed] Ʋt m[illegible: 1 letter]n[illegible: 1 letter]cipes [illegible: 1 span], Si[illegible: 1 letter] redd[illegible: 1 letter]t Piſcator. what they are on earth.

Verſe 20. For our converſation] Our civil converſation, or Our Burgeſſeſhip, whiles we live by heavens laws, and go about our earthly buſin[illegible: 1 letter]ſſes with heavenly mindes: This a carnall man cannot skill of. A Fly cannot make that of a flower that a Bee can do. There is a generation whoſe names are written in the earth: theſe make earth their throne, heaven their foot[illegible: 2 letters]ool,Jer. 17.13. and are loth to die, becauſe they have treaſur[illegible: 1 letter]s in the field.Jer. 41.8. But the Saints, though their commoration be on earth, yet their converſation is in heaven; as the pearl grows in the ſea, but ſhines as the sky.

Verſe 21. Like unto his glorious body] Which is the Standard. See the Notes on 1 Cor. 15.