Commentary on Habakkuk, Commentary · Chapter 2 · Verse 5
Verſ. 5. Yea alſo becauſe he tranſgreſſeth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home: who enlargeth his deſire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be ſatisfied, but gathereth unto him all Nations, and heapeth unto him all People.
NOw that God hath declared what reſt and comfort his Church hath in the manifold oppreſſions of the enemies thereof, they ſhall live by their faith;
In all the reſt of this chapter, he declareth his own juſt Providence in the Government of the world, and in the ſevere execution of his judgments upon impenitent offenders, that the Prophet may inform himſelf and others, that God hath not forgotten to be juſt.
The laſt verſe of the chapter is the total of the chapter.
The Lord is in his holy Temple, let all the earth keep ſilence before him.
That he ſitteth not there idle, but is awake, that his eyes do ſee, and his eye-lids do try the ſonnes of men, that we ſhall hear from his own mouth.
Concerning the words of this fifth verſe,
Yea alſo, becauſe he tranſgreſſeth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home.
Theſe words are read diverſly both by Tranſlators and by Expoſitors.
Our firſt Engliſh Church-bibles read thus.
Like as the wine deceiveth the drunkard, even ſo the proud ſhall faile and not endure.
The Geneva followeth the ſame ſenſe.
Yea indeed the proud man is as he that tranſgreſſeth by wine, therefore ſhall he not endure.
Arias Montanus: Et quo modo vinum potantem decipit, ſic erit ſuperbus, & non decorabitur.
In his Interlineary he followeth the text in the original, but in his Commentary he followeth the vulgar Latin authorized for the Canon by the Councel of Trent.
Pagnine. Quanto magis patator vini qui praevaricatr, qui est vir ſuperbus, non permanebit? So Mr. Calvin, Etiam certè vino tranſgrediens, vir ſuperbus non habitabit.
The 70 have no mention of wine.
foreign.
Here be three words to expreſſe pride fully:
1. To think too well of our ſelves.
2. To think contemptibly of others.
3. To boaſt and glory in vain oſtentation.
It ſeemeth to me that the purpoſe of this place, is to expreſſe the inſolency and pride of the king of Babel, proud Nebuchadnezzar, and generally of the enemy of the Jew, the Chaldaean; and that the ſcope of the place is to reſemble them big ſwoln in their own ſelf-opinion, to a man that is drunk with wine.
This hath good coherence with the former words, for ſhewing how the juſt man and the proud man do ſtand in oppoſition.
His ſoule which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the juſt ſhall live by faith; faith ſhall eſtabliſh the juſt man.
But the proud man who is drunk with the vain over-weening of himſelf, he ſhall not continue, non habitabit, he ſhall not be eſtabliſhed.
And here I forſake the Kings Bible, for I cannot find either ſenſe or coherence in it.
The words following are plain enough; for God therein doth expreſſe that he taketh notice of the inſatiable deſire of the Chaldaean, who incouraged by his victories, doth covet to be Monarch of all the world.
And this is now the partition of the reſt of this chapter.
1. Faults.
2. Puniſhments.
The firſt fault here named, infatiableneſſe
The puniſhment, v. 6, 7, 8.
1. The ground and note of this diſeaſe of infatiableneſſe, is pride of heart.
2. The diſeaſe it ſelf, is infatiableneſſe.
1. Of the ground: it is pride.
This is reſembled to drunkenneſſe, it is a ſpiritual giddineſſe, wherein men loſe themſelves, and as the drunkard doth both think and ſpeak, and do thoſe things which betoken madneſſe, his reaſon, and underſtanding, and judgment, and memory failing, and is wholly governed by his fancy: ſo the proud man made drunk with the wine of his over weening, as a man beſide himſelf, is tranſported with his own ſelf-opinion,Iſa. 28.1. to do things unſeemly as the drunkard doth.
The Prophet reproving the pride of Ephraim, doth uſe this reſemblance,
Wo to the Crowne of Pride, the drunkards of Ephraim. And again,
Ver. 3. The Crown of Pride, the drunkards of Ephraim ſhall be troden underfoot. And after,
They are drunken, Iſa. 29.9.but not with wine; they ſtagger, but not with ſtrong drink.
Thus doth pride rob us of our wits, and we ſay of the proud man; that he doth not know himſelf.
Wine and ſtrong drink moderately taken do comfort the heart of man, but when we over-drink, we ceaſe to be our ſelves; ſo is it with ſelf love: for every man by the law of charity is bound to love himſelf, and to love himſelf firſt; when this love doth not ooverflow the banks, it is charity; when it exuberateth, it is pride.
All ſober men do eſteem drunkards vile, and account drunkenneſſe a loathſome ſin; let the proud man ſee himſelf in that glaſſe, for the drunkard is the picture of the proud man.
1. Drunkenneſſe makes men think themſelves very wiſe, and ſuch as flie the conference of their betters when they are ſober, in their drink care not with whom they do conteſt, and regard no mans preſence.
So the proud man is wiſe in his own opinion; Salomon ſaith, There is more hope of a foole then of him
2. Drunkenneſſe maketh many apt to quarrel.
Who hath contentions? the anſwer next verſe.
They that tarry long at the wine.Pro. 23.29
And ſo is it with the proud man: for he that is of a proud heart ſtirreth up ſtrife.Verſ. 30. Pro. 28.25
3. The drunkard whilſt he is in his Cups, is not to be admoniſhed. Abigail durſt ſay nothing to Nabal, whilſt the wine was in his head.
And the proud man is too full of himſelf to hear any good counſel.
4. David hath two complaints.
The drunkards made ſongs of me.
The proud have had me exceedingly in deriſion, ſo both of them ſit in the chair of the ſcornful.Pſ. 1…9.51.
5. They are alike in their puniſhment in this world; for,
The drunkard and the proud man are both rewarded with contempt; all that walk in good ways are aſhamed of them, and avoid their company.
A mans pride ſhall bring him low.Pro. 29.23 Pro. 21.17. Pro. 15.25. 1 Cor. 8.10
He that loveth wine and oyle ſhall not be rich.
6 They are alike in the laſt judgment; for
The Lord will deſtroy the houſe of the proud.
And the Apoſtle faith of drunkards, that none ſuch ſhall inherit the Kingdome of God. You ſee how like they be both in culpa, & in poena, fault and puniſhment.
Therefore humility is our leſſon, and we ſhall find it an hard leſſon to take out now in the over-grown pride of our times, wherein contrary examples do grow ſo thick.
It is a great part of the ſtudy of many to out-ſhine their neighbours in glorious buildings, gay apparel, rich furnitures of their houſes: this kind of pride hath done much hurt, eſpecially in the ruine of
1. Charity, which had wont to cloath the naked, feed the hungry, refreſh the thirſty, and miniſter to the neceſſities of the poor brother.
2. The ruine of Juſtice which gives every one his own: I fear if many proud and gay perſons that ſlant it in bravery of rich ſhew ſhould do ſo, their feathers reſtored, they would be found naked.
3. The ruine of Temperance which prays, give me not poverty, give me not riches, give me things convenient for me for they be fools in the judgment of the wife men, that die of proſperity.
4. The ruine of Religion, for godlineſſe is not it ſelf without contentedneſſe.
You have heard how deceitful a vanity pride is.
The pride of thy heart hath deceived thee.
I haſten to the ſecond point, the diſeaſe: Infatiableneſſe.
It is ſet forth in two reſemblances.
1. The proud man is reſembled to hell.
2. He is reſembled to death.
Theſe are two things that cry Give, Give, and are never ſatisfied.
Obſerve wherein ſoever any man or woman is proud, if they do know any bounds;
Is it pride in apparel; who was ever fine enough? do we not ſee the richeſt ſtuffe laid and overlaid, almoſt hidden, with rich adornment of triming; and when the ſtuffe may call the wearer proud, the trimme and faſhion may reſemble them to the grave and hell, and ſhall teſtifie againſt them that nothing can ſatisfie them; and yet to this they adde often change.
I do not ſay much change of rich apparel, but changing often in the wearing; I have heard of two or three-ſhifts in a day.
Theſe be they that entertain every forrain faſhion, and naturalize out-landiſh formes amongſt us: Chriſt will one day tell ſome body, I was ſtark naked, and you clothed not me.
The ambition, that all ſorts and degrees of men and women are ſick of, is; a deſire to exceed their own rank in ſhew.
The Country ſtriveth with the City, as farre as their markets will bear it out, the City with the Court; theſe encroachments put pride to ſhifts; for when Mechanicals come ſo faſt upon the ancient Gentry of the Land, uſurping both their ſhew and title, almoſt aſhamed of the name of their trades and occupations that have made them ſo fine,
The Gentry are put to it to ſtreine their tenant one note higher to enable them to the ſtart; and their rif…ing and growth muſt put on the Nobility; and make them mend their pace.
Thus unſatiably do we ſtrive to out-go our ſelves, that goodly inheritances are worne out, and vanity doth end in miſery in many, in them it continueth with ſcorn and diſdain.
And when you have made your ſelfe as fine as you can, you will come a great many degrees behind Solomon in his royalty; yet Solomon was not clothed like one of the Lilies of the field.
Thus inſatiable is the pride in buildings, a vanity which ladeth the earth here and there with ſpecious, ſpacious piles of brick and ſtone, wherof the owners have ſcarce the pleaſure of beholding the ſame with their eyes, being afraid of the hoſpitality that ſhould correſpond that great ſhew of room.
The proud in beauty, declare themſelves inſatiable in ſtriving to mend Gods work by art.
In pretio quondam ruga ſenilis erat, the aged wrinkles were wont to be held in honour.
But if there be any help for it now, time ſhall be ſpent in ſtudy how to hide and conceale the ruines of time.
The pride mentioned in my text is of power, which every one deſireth, and few do know how to manage. The Chaldaeans having obtained ſome victories, are now ambitious to be lords of all the earth,
It is ſaid of Pyrrhus King of the Epirotes, he ſits ſtudying how he may get the next Kingdom to him, to make himſelf ſtrong enough to bid the next King battel, and to get the conqueſt of him, that the fear of his power may make the next King yeeld himſelf.
And Alexander when he had conquered the world, ſate down and wept, that there were no more worlds left for him to conquer.
The Biſhop of Rome from a Dioceſan Juriſdiction, hath ſwelled by degrees, partly by his own ambition, partly by the connivence of Princes, to an univerſal Hierarchy, and his Paraſites make him the man to whom belongs
Omnia ſubjeciſti pedibus ejus, thou haſt put all things under his feet.
His eldeſt ſon hath fairly dilated his empire; we know that in 88. he had not enough, he would have faine been dividing of Shechem, and meating out the valley of Succoth.
In inferiour places, how are men tranſported with deſire of power and command, and how unſatiable in that deſire? witneſſe the many offices, the various employments, which ſome have deſired and obtained to be congeſted on them.
I ſay no more of this unſatiable gulf of deſire, then my text ſaith, it is like two things that they love not, Hell and Death.
Death is not ſatisfied but with all; it is named laſt in my text, as the greedieſt of the two; hell deſires all the ungodly of the earth, it is a pit digged for the ungodly.
But death ſwalloweth all; Statutum est omnibus ſemel mori, what man liveth and ſhall not ſee death? So inſatiable is the deſire of power.
This reſemblance doth ſhake the ſtrength of that deſire much, if we think upon it well, I labour and ſtrive to get many under my command, and death is labouring together with me to bring me to the grave; and if I do not uſe my power to the glory of God, and the good of my brethren, hell is as buſie and as greedy to devour me.
This is one of the crying ſins of our Land, inſatiable pride; this makes dear rents, and great fines, this takes away the whole cloathing of many poore; to adde one Lace more in the ſuits of the rich; this ſhortens the labourers wages, and addes much to the burthen of his labour. This greedineſſe makes the market of ſpiritual and temporal offices and dignities, and puts well-deſerving vertue out of countenance.
This corrupts Religion with opinions, juſtice with bribes, charity with cruelty; it turns peace into ſchiſme and contention, love into complement, friendſhip into treaſon, and ſets the mouth of hell yet more open, and gives it a new appetite for more ſouls.
The uſe of all, is the doctrine of contentation, as we profeſſe, that we have our being, not of our ſelves, but of God; In him we live, move, and have our being; He made us, and not we our ſelves; ſo let us be content with his proviſion for us.
It was Satans firſt ſuggeſtion to Adam; for ſo he had formerly corrupted himſelf, and loſt his firſt eſtate; to ſuggeſt pride he would ſhew man a way how to be like God, and then all the fruits in the garden would not content him, he muſt taſte alſo of the forbidden fruit.
Haman was as high as the favour of the King could advance him,Heſt. 5.13. and yet he confeſt,
All this doth me no good.
Pope Julius the third, was forbidden to eat Pork by his Phyſitian, and no other diſh would pleaſe him, he commanded it to be ſet before him in deſpight of God.
Therefore hear the Apoſtle
Is is good to have the heart ſtayed or eſtabliſhed with grace, Heb. 13.9.and not with meats which have not profited them &c.
The grace of contentment is like the ballaſt of the ſhip, which gives herher trimme, and makes her ſtrong and jocund upon the great waters.
Faith doth bring us to God, it ſtoopeth us to him, it faſtneth us upon him.
Pride maketh us ſhift for our ſelves, and divideth us from God: he offereth his wings to ſuch, and they will not be gathered together.
Let us know that we are never paſt the wings of Gods protection here, and therefore let us reſort humbly to them; for there is ſafety, and reſt, and ſufficiency of all good things.
Let us remember we call him our Father, and therefore we may caſt our care upon him.
Let us know and remember that nothing but God can fil us; we are like broken veſſels that can hold nothing without he faſhion us behind and before: we are like fuſty veſſels that corrupt all things we receive, without he purify our hearts by Faith: we are leaking veſſels that let go all things, without he calce us and make us teight.
We are bottomleſſe bagges, wide-mouthed to take in, but unbottomed to retain any thing, except he do give us contentment to ſtay our ſtomaks and to remove from us
1. An inordinate love of that which we have:
2. An inordinate deſire of more:
3. An inordinate uſe of all.
The puniſhment will be terror domini, the terrour of the Lord.