John Trapp on Psalms 4:4

Verſ. 4. Stand in awe and ſin not] Be ſtirred, or commoved, or troubled. Tremble and ſin not. But now adays the Word and the World too is altered; for men ſin and tremble not; being arrived at that dead and dedolent diſpoſition of thoſe Heathens who were paſt feeling, Epheſ. 4.18, 19. St. Paul rather alludeth to this text, Eph. 4.6. than citeth it as ſome think.

Commune with your own heart upon your bed] Adviſe with your Pillow what you have to do in a buſineſs ſo important, as the practice of Repentance, whereunto I am now exhorting you. Here then examine your ſelves, prove your own ſelves, as 2 Cor. 13.5. Sift you, ſift you, Zeph. 2.1. Recoil, turn ſhort again upon your ſelves, thruſt your hands into your boſoms, as Moſes did, and took it out again Leprous, white as ſnow. Take a review of your hearts and lives, converſe with your ſelves; a wiſe man can never want with whom to diſcourſe, though he be alone. But as it is a ſign that there are great diſtempers in that Family where Huſband and Wife go divers days together, and ſpeak not the one to the other: ſo in that Soul that flyeth from it ſelf, and can go long without Self-examination. A good mans buſineſs lieth moſt within doors, and he taketh the fitteſt time (night or day) for the better diſpatch of it, though thereby he abridge himſelf of his Natural reſt. Mr. Bradford, the young Lord Harrington, and ſundry others, kept Journals, or Day-books, and oft read them over, for an help to Humiliation.

And be ſtill. Selah] Or, make a pauſe, dwell upon the work of ſelf-examination till you have made ſomewhat of it, till you have driven it up to a Reformation; as Lam. 3.39, 40. Let us try, and turn. The word ſignifieth Be dumb; and hereupon all our Silentiaries have founded their ſuperſtitious opinions and practices; ſuch as were thoſe old Monks of Egypt, who ſaith Caſſian, were umbrarum morè ſilentes & [non-Latin text not transcribed] as ſpeechleſs as Ghoſts. So the Carthuſian Monks at this day, who ſpeak together but once a week. Some kind of Anabaptiſts alſo will not ſpeak a word to any, but thoſe of their own Sect.