John Trapp on Psalms 140

PSAL. CXL.

VErſ. 1 Deliver mee, O Lord, from the evill man] Made of malice, in which is ſteeped the venom of all vices.

Preſerve mee from the violent man] Man of violences, who vulture-like, (Levit. 11.10.) liveth by rapine. Such were Saul and his Sycophants.

Verſ. 2 Which imagine miſchiefs in their heart] Where the Devil worketh night and day as a mintman; as a Smith in his forge; or an Artificer in his ſhop. A godly man is ſaid to have right thoughts, Prov. 12.5. and that his deſires are only good, chap. 11.23. An evill man is called a man of wicked devices, Prov. 12.2. & 14, 17. being ingenioſe nequam, wittily wicked, as it was once ſaid of C. Curio the Roman Lawyer.

They are gathered together for war] Heb. They gather wars, as Serpents gather poiſon to vomit out at others. Coaceruant praelia. q. d. ſunt tanquam tube belli.

Verſ. 3 They have ſharpened their tongues like a Serpent] Which by reaſon of his ſharp tongue, ſtriketh more deeply.

Adders poiſon] Venenum Payados. R. Solomon readeth Spiders poiſon; others, Aſpes, Vipers. Malice turneth men into Serpents, ſaith Chryſoſtom.

Verſ. 4 Keep mee] Who am thus ſought and ſet for; but thou canſt reſcue mee.

To over-throw my goings] Pracipitare, to hurl mee down head-long.

Verſ. 5 The proud have hid a ſnare, &c.] They are reſtleſs to ruine mee, adding all kind of craft to their cruelty.

Verſ. 6 I ſaid unto the Lord] Danger drove David home to God; as bug bears do little Children, to their Parents.

Verſ. 7 In the day of battel] Heb. Of armour; for battel David never had any with Saul, but declined it.

Verſ. 8 Grant not O Lord, &c.] For if they ſhould bee [illegible: 1 word] competes, Maſters of their deſires, they would bee intolerably inſolent, ſo as to ſay, Our high hand, and not the Lord hath done all this, Deut. 32.27.

Verſ. 9 As for the head] The chieftain, the ring-leader, D[illegible: 2 letters]g or Saul himſelf. Or thus, Let miſchief cover the heads of my beſieger[illegible: 1 letter] Let it fall upon their pates, as Pſal. 7. Similitude eſt a ſacreficiis, [illegible: 1 span] execrabantur.

Verſ. 10. Let burning coals fall upon them] Conflagrant [illegible: 1 span]. Haec [illegible: 1 word] v[illegible: 1 letter]ta quam vaticinia.

Verſ. 11 Let not an evil-ſpeaker] Heb. A man of tongue, whereof Peraldus reckoneth up four and twenty ſeverall [illegible: 1 word]: A world of wickedneſs, St. James calleth it, chap. 3.

Evil ſhall [illegible: 1 word] the [illegible: 1 word] man] The Angel of death ſhall hunt him into Hell, ſaith the Chald[illegible: 2 letters]. Of the black-birds [illegible: 1 word], is made bird-lime to catch him. [illegible: 1 letter]. Mar[illegible: 2 letters]s was ſlain with the ſword hee made, when [illegible: 1 word] was a Cutler. [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 3 letters] [illegible: 2 letters] pe[illegible: 1 letter]ire [illegible: 1 word] eſt, was Juli[illegible: 2 letters]s M[illegible: 4 letters] Gods Judgements againſt ſinners are [illegible: 2 letters] thered from themſelves, as a foul [illegible: 1 word] with an arrow feathered from her own body.

Verſ. 12 I know] For I have a promiſe for it, and that's infallible.

Verſ. 13 Shall [illegible: 1 word] ] Hee ſhall have no other cauſe.

[illegible: 1 span] When the [illegible: 1 span] ſhall [illegible: 1 span] Job 23.16.