Commentary on Habakkuk, Commentary · Chapter 3 · Verse 15
Verſe 15. Thou didſt walk through the ſea,Hab. 3.17. with thine horſes through the heap of great waters.
THeſe words do end the ſection, which conteineth a thankfull commemoration of Gods former mercies to his people.
De Verborum interpretatione.
It ſeemeth to me cleer againſt all queſtion, that this text hath reference to the wonderfull paſſage of Iſrael through the red ſea, of which mention is made before, Verſe 8.
Was thy wrath againſt the ſea, that thou didſt ride upon thy horſes, and chariots of thy ſalvation.
The words expreſſe that miracle very fully and fitly, for where it is ſaid. Thou didſt walk through the ſea: this hath reference to that which we read concerning this paſſage over the red ſea: Exodus 14. In which this is memorable, that God went before the people of Iſrael, on the ſhoare, but it is ſaid, when God gave Moſes direction to lift up his rod, and ſtretch forth his hand over the ſea to divide it, Moſes having ſo done. The Angel of God which went before the camp of Iſrael, removed, and went behind it, and the pillar of cloud went from before their face, and ſtood behind them.
And it came between the camp of the Egyptians, and the camp of Iſrael, and it was a cloud of darkneſſe to them: i.e to the Egyptians, and it gave light by night to theſe, that is, to Iſrael, ſo that the one came not neer the other all night.
This ſtory ſheweth how God did walk through the ſea, even between the two camps.
The power of Gods word went before them, the preſence of his Angel went behind them, God himſelf carried the dark lanthorn, which kept all light from the Egyptians, and ſhewed a cleer light to Iſrael.
The horſes of God here mentioned are the emblems of ſtrength, courage and ſpeed. For thus was Iſrael relieved through the heap of the great waters, that is, on the way made through the ſea, which was gathered in heaps on both ſides.
So the words are plain and eaſie.
The ſumme of them is a repetition of that great wonder of the conduct of Iſrael, per mare, through the ſea, of which I have formerly ſpoken at large, and now remaineth that we ſearch the reaſon why, this one ſpeciall miracle is here again repeated. That is,
Becauſe this was the greateſt miracle of power and mercy, Reaſ. 1 which made the name of God glorious amongſt all nations, and the fame whereof was furtheſt ſpread abroad in the world, for never was the like heard of before or ſince.
Yet I will not conceal from you, that Joſephus writing this ſtory of the diviſion of the ſea for the paſſage of Iſrael, to give it the more credite. Ne quis diſcredat verbo miraculi: doth report a like wonder,Antiquit 2 cap. 14. that God intending by Alexander the Great, to deſtroy the Perſian Kingdom, did open the like paſſage through the Pamphilian ſea to Alexander and his army, he addeth, Id quod omnes teſtantur, that which all do witneſs, who wrote the ſtory of Alexanders conqueſts.
Quintus Curtius, who writeth of purpoſe the life and acts, and death of Alexander, ſaith no more of it but this, Mare novum itur in Pamphiliam aperuerat: which being aſcribed to Alexander himſelf, doth declare it no miraculous paſſage.
But Strabo cleereth it thus, that this ſea was no other, then ſuch as we have within our own land, which we call Waſhes, wherein the ſea forſaketh the ſands at an ebbe, and leaveth them bare and paſſable, on foot or horſe-back, and he ſaith, that Alexander paſſed his army through theſe waſhes, but being belated, the waters returned upon them before they could recover the ſhoare of Pamphilia, ut to…o die itur faceret in mare umbilico tenus.
Therefore Joſephus was ill adviſed to parallel this paſſage with the Iſrael paſſage through the red ſea, ſeeing there were ſo many diſpariſons, and whereas he ſeemed to labour to give credit to Moſes his hiſtory, by this unlike example, he rather blemiſhed the glory of this ſuperadmirable miracle.
There is not any of the great wonders that God wrought for Iſrael, ſo often remembred in Scripture as this is, and where the Spirit of God ſo often fixeth our eyes and thoughts: wee ſhall do evill to take them of.
Moſes biddeth Iſrael remember this miracle of their paſſage,Deut. 11.4. What God did to the army of Aegypt, unto their horſes, and their chariots, how hee made the water of the Rea Sea to over-flow them.
Rahab could tell the Spies,Joſh. …. 11.12. We have heard how the Lord dryed up the water of the Red Sea for you. Aſſoon as we heard, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any courage in any man becauſe of you.
Thy way is in the Sea, and thy path in the great waters, Pſ. 77.19.and thy footſteps are not ſeen.
Thou leddeſt thy people like a flock, by the hand of Moſes and Aaron.Verſe 20.
Therefore, it is a fabulous relation of Paulus Oroſius, who reporteth it as an addition to this wonder, that the trace of the Chariot wheels, was in his days to be ſeen on the ſands of the Red Sea at every ebbe: and that if they were defaced, yet they renewed again. But David ſaith, that the footſteps of this paſſage were not ſeen: and we need not add any thing to the miracles of God to make them more miraculous.
David, again, remembreth it, ſaying;
He divided the Sea, and cauſed them to paſſe thorough: Pſal. 78.13 53.and hee made the waters to ſtand on an heap. The Sea over-whelmed their enemies.
He rebuked the Red Sea alſo, and it was dryed up, Pſ. 106.9.ſo he led them thorough the depths, as through a Wilderneſs.
The waters covered their enemies, ſo that there was not one of them left.
When Iſrael came out of Aegypt,Pſ. 114.1.3.5. &c.
The Sea ſaw that and fled.
What ailed thee, ô Sea, that thou fleddeſt!
He divided the Red Sea into parts.Pſ. 136.13, Verſe 15.….
He overthrew Pharach and his hoaſt in the Red Sea.
Art not thou it, that hath dryed up the Sea, Iſai. 51.10.the waters of the great deep, that hath made the depths of the Sea a way for the ranſomed to paſs over?
Many more are the mentions of this miracle in the book of God, and here we finde it in this Pſalme doubly repeated.
Which teacheth us that Gods extraordinary mercies muſt be often remembred. Doct.
For we muſt conſider our God two wayes.
1 Quà Deus, as God, and ſo he is to be worſhipped, cultu latriae propter Deum, for his own ſake, though we could live without him. Though he do hide his face from us, and heap up his judgments on us, as Job ſaith,Job 7.20. though he maketh us, as his mark to ſh…ot at, though all his arrows do ſtick faſt in us.
2 Quà benefactor, as a benefactor, and that alſo two ways.
1 Propter opus providentiae, for his work of providence, whereby he is to us a gratious God and merciful father, taking his Church to himſelf, and gathering it under his wings, ſhielding it againſt the Sun by day, and againſt the Moon by night.
2 Propter opera privilegiata, for his priviledged works, eſpecially favours of merciemercy, quando non facit taliter. For the firſt, all our life, eſpecially the Sabbath, is deſigned to the worſhip and ſervice of God for the ſame: the ſecond of his extraordinary works, doth exact of us ſingular commemoration by themſelves, and therefore Abulenſis ſaith;
Omnia feſta quae Deus inſtituit obſervanda à Judaeis fiebant, ad recordationem beneficiorum ejus.
Now the ſchool ſaith well, that latria is not totaliter determinata, to theſe or theſe times or ceremonies, or occaſions, but that we may worſhip God alwayes quà Deus, as God; upon ſpeciall occaſions quà Benefactor, as Benefactor.
And ſo the Jews kept the memoriall of their deliverance from Egypt in their anniverſary celebration of the Paſſeover, and of their dwelling in tents, in the feaſt of Tabernacles.
And of their deliverance from Haman in their feaſt of Purim.
And the Germane Proteſtants do keep a Chriſtian Jubilee every 50 year, for their deliverance from the darkneſſe of Popery, and their ejection of the Pope.
Wherein our Church as much beholding to God for the ſame benefit as they, doth come ſhort of them in matter of thankfulneſſe to God for the expulſion of that man of ſin from us.
We have three Commemorations enjoyned us by high authority, the one is ortus auſpicia, ſo of all, it was called the initium regni, the beginning of the reigne of our Sovereign, whom God ſent to ſettle the religion and peace with his glorious predeceſſour Queen Elizabeth had ſo happily and ſo valiantly brought in and mainteined, during her whole reign, and by the providence of God, we enjoy it to this day.
Another is the remembrance of his Majeſties deliverance from the treaſon of the Gowries in Scotland, before his reign here, as it were his reſerving of him for us.
The third is the commemoration of the admirable goodneſſe of God to our land, in the bloudy treaſon of the Papiſts, the mortall enemies of our religion and peace in their powderplot.
But this often remembrance of the mercy of God to Iſrael, in the red ſea upbraids our forgetfulneſſe of that 88 ſea mercy, which God ſhewed to our land in our deliverance from the Spaniſh intended invaſion, in the times of hoſtility between Spain and England, and though the eſtabliſhed peace between theſe two Kingdomes have laid aſide open wars, yet let God be no loſer in the glory due to his name for that deliverance.
I will adde another reaſon, Reaſ. 2 why this paſſage of Iſrael through the red ſea, is ſo oft remembred in Scripture, twice in this Pſalme of Habakkuk, which I gather from the Apoſtle St. Paul.
Moreover, Brethren, I would not have you ignorant, 1 Cor. 1….….how that all our Fathers were under the cloud, and all paſſed through the ſea.
And were all baptized unto Moſes in the ſea, Ver. 2.and in the cloud.
For this was memorable not onelyonly in the hiſtory of the thing done, but in the myſtery alſo of the ſignification thereof.
You ſee by this Apoſtle, that this is a memorable thing, and he would not have us ignorant of it, & if we know it, he would not have us forget it, there is continual uſe of it in the Church; even ſo long as baptiſme continueth therein.
For that is the ſcope of the Apoſtle in the beginning of that Chapter, to ſhew that the Church of the Jews, as they had Sacraments of their own Circumciſion, and the Lords Paſſeover, ſo had they types and figures of our two Sacraments alſo.
The type and repreſentation of our Baptiſme was their paſſage through the red ſea.
The type of our Lords Supper was the water out of the rock and Manna.
But they and we do all receive the ſame ſpirituall meat and drink, that is Chriſt.
So that this paſſage over the red ſea doth figure our Baptiſme, here is Moſes, the Miniſter of the Sacrament, here are Iſraelites, the receivers of it, and here is water the element, and the cloud, the ſign of Gods preſence: here is Iſrael, that is, the perſons baptized, preſerved in theſe waters, and here is King Pharoah and his hoaſts, that is, Satan and our hereditary corruptions drowned and deſtroyed in the ſame waters.
And the Apoſtle ſaith, I would not that ye ſhould be ignorant of this thing which admoniſheth both you and us that are your miniſters.
1 You, not to be ignorant in thoſe great myſteries of ſalvation.
2 Us, not to leave you untaught or unremembred thereof.
We that preach to a mixt auditory conſiſting, incipientes, Abcedaries in religion, who are not yet out of their firſt elements, which the Apoſtle calleth the doctrine of beginnings.
And ſome few proficients, who alſo have their meaſures, not all of equall growth, but ſome few, as much better grown then others, as Saul was higher, then all the reſt of the people, muſt as well give milk with the ſpoon as break bread, and divide ſtrong meat, and, me thinks, there be two places that direct us well in the diſpenſation of the Word of God.
1 That of the Prophet Iſaiah.
The Word of the Lord was unto them, precept upon precept precept upon precept, Iſa 2.…3.line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little, in which words.
The matter of our preaching is expreſt in two words,
1 precept which teacheth us what to do.
2 line, which exemplifieth doctrine, and ſerveth as a copy to write by.
And again, the manner of our preaching is declared profitable, if the ſame things be well taught, till they be well learned.
And this is modicum ibi, modicum ibi, here modicum not too much at once, for oppreſſing the ſpirituall ſtomack: and here is ibi and ibi, ibi amongſt the proficients, and ibi amongſt the incipients.
2 That of St. Peter. Wherefore, 2 Pe…. 1.12I will not be negligent to put you in mind of thoſe things though ye know them.
Yea, I think it meet, ſo long as I am in this tabernacle, to ſtirre you up by putting you in remembrance.
This ſheweth the uſe of often repetitions of ſuch things as we ought not to forget, for it is not enough to have light in our underſtanding, there muſt be alſo zeal in our affections, Religion in the head is ſpeculation, in the heart affection, in the hand action.
If we do our duty thus, as we are directed, it muſt be your great fault if either you be ignorant or forgetfull, of theſe things.
The ſpirit of God is our example, for he remembreth this paſſage of Iſrael often, and modicum ibi, a little here in the old Teſtament, modicum ibi, a little there, in the new Teſtament, for this is alſo profitable for us.
This ſheweth that the often preaching and learning and remembring the doctrine of our Baptiſme, is a moſt neceſſary leſſon in the ſchool of Chriſt, that we do not enter into a new peace with the Egyptians, whom God hath drowned in the red ſea, that we do not revive and quicken in us thoſe things which the laver of new byrth hath purged, by ſuffering ſin to reign in our mortall bodies, and by obeying it in the luſts thereof.
That we do not ſo much as in heart return again into Egypt, out of which God hath ſo gratiouſly delivered us.
Profitable is the remembrance of our Baptiſme, for it is the ſacrament and ſeal of our deliverance from the curſe of the … from the ſpirituall bondage of Satan, from the dominion of ſin, i… …heweth us the old Adam, dead in the death, and buried in the grave of Chriſt.
It alſo ſerveth being often remembred to ſtirre us up to a practiſe of Chriſtian converſation, and to an holy imitation of Chriſt in godly life: that we may not receive the grace of God in vain, that wee be not again defiled with the world, for the Apoſtle will tell us.
That if Chriſt hath opened us a new and living way through the vail, Heb. 20.22 23.that is his fleſh, we muſt draw neer with a true heart in full aſſurance of faith, having our hearts ſprinkled from an evill conſcience, and our bodies waſhed with pure water.
Holding faſt the profeſſion of our faith without wavering.
For if we ſin wilfully after we have received the knowledg of the truth, Ve…ſe 26.there remaineth no more ſacrifice for ſins.
But a certain fearfull looking for of judgment, Verſe 27.and fiery indignation, which ſhall devour the adverſaries.
I conclude, in the Apoſtles words: therefore, brethren, I would not have you ignorant concerning this paſſage of the Lords Iſrael through the red ſea.