John Trapp on Psalms 3:1

PSAL. III.

A Pſalm of David] Tremellius addeth, Quem cecinit, which he ſang when hee fled, &c. As Birds in the Spring, tune moſt ſweetly, when it rains moſt ſadly. This was better yet, than that black Sanctis (as they call it) ſung by our Henry 2. in like caſe, and for like cauſe. For when, as ſome few hours before he dyed, he ſaw a Liſt of their names who conſpired with the King of France, D[illegible: 1 letter]n. Hiſt. 112 and Earl Richard, (his Son and Succeſſor) againſt him, and found therein his Son John (whom he had made Earl of Cornwell, Dorſet, Summerſet, Nottingham, Darby, and Lancaſter, &c.) to be the firſt: he fell into a grievous paſſion, both curſing his Sons, and the day wherein himſelf was born; and in that diſtemperature departed the world, which ſo often himſelf had diſtempered.

When he fled from] Heb. from the face of Abſolom, which he had too much admired,Midraſh Tillin. and was now afraid of. Then when he went up Mount Olivet weeping, 2 Sam. 15.30. made he this Pſalm ſay the Rabbins. So in the Sack of Ziglag, he comforted himſelf in the Lord his God, 1 Sam. 30.6. A Chriſtian is never without his Cordial.

Abſalom his Son] his Darling, his Tidling, his one Eye. Such another good Son was Barabbas, whcih ſignifies His Fathers Son, his white Boy, as we ſay, like as Abſalom ſignifieth his Fathers peace, but it proved otherwiſe: as it likewiſe befell Eve, when ſhe called her firſt-born Cain, and thought ſhe had got a great boon from the Lord. But Fallitur augurie ſpes bona ſaepe ſuò.

David was diſappointed: for Abſalom proved like the Sea Pacifick, or calm,Heyl Geog ſo it is called; but Captain Drake found it rough and troubleous above meaſure. Abſalom would have done by David, if he could have come at him,Turk Hiſt as afterwards Amidas did with his Father Muleaſſes King of Tunes in Africk, whom he firſt dethroned, and afterwards put out his eyes. In Abſalom was nothing good but his name; that may have a good name, the nature whereof is ſo ill, that it is not to be named: like as Levit. 20.17. abominable. Inceſt between Brother and Siſter is called Ch[illegible: 1 letter]ſed, or Kindneſs, per Antiphraſin.

Verſ. 1. Lord, how are they increaſed that trouble me?] He worthily wondreth at ſo ſudden a change: Omnia ſunt hominum tenui pendentia filo: Et ſubito caſu, quaevaluere, ruunt.

David was deſerted by all almoſt, and had now as many enemies as till now he had ſubjects, excepting a few that ſtuck to him. Our Hen. 6. who had been the moſt Potent Monarch for Dominions that ever England had, was, when depoſed, not the maſter of a Mole-hil: and ſerved to ſhew that mortality was but the ſtage of mutability.

Many are they that riſe up againſt me] Many, and many; by the Figure Anaphora: here is alſo in the Original an [non-Latin text not transcribed] in the words, Tſarai in the former clauſe, and Gnalai in the latter: not unlike that doleful ditty of the Church, Lam. 5.16. Oi na lanu, chei chattanu, Wo to us that we have ſinned: which is ſo elegant in the Original, that Mr. Will. Whately of Banbury (who uſed to bee very plain in his preaching,Mr. Leig Saints encou. Ep. dedic. and not to name a Greek, Latine, or Hebrew word) quoted it once in the Hebrew, as an Hearer of his relateth.