A commentary or exposition upon the four Evangelists, and the Acts of the Apostles: wherein the text is explained, some controversies are discussed, divers common places are handled, and many remarkable matters hinted, that had by former interpreters been pretermitted. Besides, divers other texts of Scripture which occasionally occur are fully opened, and the whole so intermixed with pertinent histories, as will yeeld both pleasure and profit to the judicious reader. / By John Trapp M. A. Pastour of Weston upon Avon in Gloucestershire.

Verse 24. And behold there arose a great tempest]

Stirred up, likely, by the devil, to drown Christ (that male-childe of the Church, Rev. 12. 5.) and his Disciples; as he brained Iobs chil∣dren with the fall of the house. This is still the indeavour of Satan and his instruments: but to such we may, as Pope Pius 2. wrote to the great Turk.

Niteris incassùm Christi submergere navem: Fluctuat, at nunquam mergitur, illaratis.

And as the Poet said of Troy, so may we of the Church,

Victa tamen vinces, eversa{que} Troiare surges: Obruit hostiles illa ruina domos.

* 1.1 Ambrose hath a remarkeable speech to this purpose: The devil* 1.2 stirs up a tempest against the Saints, but himself is sure to suffer shipwrack. The Church, as a bottle, may be dipt, not 〈◊〉〈◊〉: as the Diamond, it may be cast into the fire, not burnt by it: as the Chrystall, it may be fouled, but not stained by the venome of a toad: as the Palm-tree in the Embleme which though it have many weights at top, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 at the root, yet it saith still Nec premor, nec perimor. Lastly, as the North-Pole, semper versatur, 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉, as S^t 〈◊〉〈◊〉 observeth.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ovid. Fast.
• * 1.2

  Diabolus 〈◊◊◊〉〈◊◊◊〉 mo∣vet: sed ipse 〈◊〉〈◊〉 fragium fa∣cit. Ambr.