Commentary on Habakkuk, Commentary · Chapter 3 · Verse 7 – Verse 8
Ver. 7. I ſaw the Tents of Cuſhan in affliction, and the curtains of the Land of Midian did tremble.
3 HEre followeth further inſtance of the Majeſtie and glory of God, and goodneſs to his Church, declared,
1 In the power of his fear, which was upon the Nations, When he brought his Iſrael to Canaan, for that put them into affliction and trembling.
2 In the wonders that he ſhewed in the work.
I ſaw the tents of Cuſhan in affliction.
Who ſaw this? no the Prophet onelyonly, but the Church of God, to whom God hath made himſelf known by this judgement.
The viſion was, that God did caſt the fear of his people upon the Nations: he nameth Cuſhan, or the people of Ethiopia bordering upon Egypt and Midian, which took name of Midian the ſon of Abraham by Keturah.Gen. 25.2.
The terrour of God fell upon many Nations, when God put Iſrael into the way to the promiſed Land, and long after; and theſe two Nations are hereby a figure Poetically and Rhethorically named, for many Nations,
The reaſon whereof I conceive to be this;Gen. 10.6.
Cuſhan or Ethiopia took name from Cuſh the eldeſt ſon of Cham them youngeſt ſon of Noah, to ſhew, that though Canaan the ſon of Cham be onelyonly named in Noahs curſe, yet the ſmart thereof ſhould alſo light upon Cuſh alſo, and he ſhould taſte alſo of affliction.
Again, herein the extent of this terrour is well expreſſed, that Cuſhan or Ethiopia ſhould be made to tremble, which was remote from Canaan, for the whole land of Egypt lay between.
Midian lay neer to that land, ſo that I underſtand the Text thus; That God caſt his fear upon people remote, and near hand, and ſhook them with trembling at his mighty power, when he brought his Iſrael into the promiſed Land; and this was ſo palpable and manifeſt, that the Church of God could not but take notice of it.
By tents and curtains, he expreſſed this people diſmayed not in their Cities and Towns, and places of habitation, but in the fields, and amidſt their military preparations, when their tents were pitcht, as it were in readineſſe to give battail: which is a Rhethoricall amplification of the greatneſſe of their terrour.
My obſervation from this place in this;
The power of God ſhewed in the terror of the wicked, doth prove that there is a God, Doctr. and therefore no people on earth can be altogether ignorant of the God-head.
Why ſhould the tents of Cuſhan be in affliction? Why ſhould the curtains of Midian tremble? but that the fear of the Lord is upon them, God daunteth and diſmayeth them.
It was one of Gods promiſes to his people; Ye are to paſs through the coaſts of your brethren the children of Eſau, which dwell in Sen, and they ſhall be afraid of you.Deu. 2.4.
This deliverance of Iſrael from Egypt was a moſt memorable act of Gods power, and made his name great in all the earth; it followeth,
He, (i.e.) Eſau) knoweth thy walkings through the great wilderneſs: theſe forty years, V…r. 7.the Lord thy God hath been with thee, thou haſt lacked nothing.
Rahab that entertained the Spies whom Joſhua, ſent to view the Land of Canaan, ſaved them from the dangerous purſuite of the meſſengers of the King of Jericho: and ſhe ſaid to them:
I know the Lord hath given you the Land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, Joſh. 2.9.and that all the Inhabitants of the Land melt becauſe of it.
For we heard how the Lord dried up the waters of the Red Sea for you, when he came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two Kings of the Amorites on the other ſide Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye deſtroyed utterly.
And aſſoon as we heard theſe things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man becauſe of you, for the Lord your God, he is God above in Heaven, and in Earth beneath.
And this is the right way to make God known to the wicked and ungodly of the earth.
From thence came that prayer of David, Put them in fear, O Lord, that they may know, themſelves to be but men. Pſa. 9.20.The fear of God vvill ſmite them vvith ſuch terrour, that they ſhall not have hear to ſtirre againſt him.
So it is ſaid that God is known by executing his judgments. Reaſon.Rom. 2.5.
For as the Apoſtle ſaith, the very naturall man hath the work of the law written in his heart.
The lavv vvritten in the heart of every man is a generall principle both of truth in the underſtanding, vvhichwhich affirmeth, a divine nature, and of avve in the affections to make him feared. And this lavv is not idle, but it vvorketh, for there is, foreign, the vvork of the lavv. And this is the true cauſe vvhy there is no peace at all to the vvicked man, becauſe he hath the lavv of nature vvorking vvithin him, vvhichwhich is againſt him, and he hath not the lavv of grace to lay the ſtorms vvhichwhich the law of nature raiſeth.
From hence it commeth, that the wicked flyeth when no man purſueth, as Solomon ſaith, and he feareth where no fear is: and Tully could ſay, that all the poeticall fictions of the furies which diſquieted men ſo much, were but the pinchings and convulſions of mens guilty conſciences, who when they had done evill, knew that they had broken the law written in their hearts, and then feared the power which they ſaw above them, armed with vengeance againſt evill doers.
St. Paul teacheth us the uſe of this point.
Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Ʋſe. Rom. 31.3.do that which is good, and thou ſhalt have praiſe of the ſame.
Where doing that which is good hath a double reward, for it quiteth fear, and it crowneth us with praiſe. Me thinks, that this conſideration of the reward ſhould ſtirre us up to ſay:
What ſhall we do that we may work the works of God? John 6.28, 29.Then will Chriſt tell us: This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath ſent.
Faith in Chriſt taketh away this terrour of the Lord, as the Aooſtle ſaith, we knowing the terrour of the Lord do perſwade men, and what is the thing to which the Apoſtles doe perſwade, but to reconciliation with God through Chriſt: ſo that when we preach faith to you, wee preach peace, even as the Apoſtle ſaith, peace to them that are neer, & peace to them are far off, and the God of peace ſendeth his Son, the peace of his Church with the Goſpell of peace.
Wee are taught here that the welfare of the Church is the grief and vexation of her enemies:2 Doct. Cuſhan and Midian are afflicted, and in a cold fit, when they hear what God doth for Iſrael.
So did the Aegyptians repine at the proſperity of Iſrael, in Aegypt they ſaid: Behold, the children of Iſrael are more and mightier then we:Exod. 1.10 Come let us deal wiſely with them, leſt they multiply, &c.
You ſee vvhat the vvorld thinks of their plots againſt the Church of God, they think they do vviſely, vvhen they vex the Church, this is that wiſedome which the Apoſtle doth call, carnall, ſenſuall, and diveliſh.
And theſe be the wifemen, of which it is ſaid; ubi ſapiens, where is the wiſeman, and God hath made the wiſedome of the world fooliſhneſſe.
The reaſon of this oppoſition is given by our Saviour, the world hateth you becauſe you are not of the world, Reaſ. 1 and I have choſen you out of the world, and for this they weep at the joy of the Church, they joy at their weeping, the Prophets complaint.
Truth faileth, and he that departeth from evill, maketh himſelf a prey. Iſa. 59.15.So David.
But mine enemies they are lively, they are ſtrong, Pſal. 38.19.and they that hate wrong fully are multiplyed.
They alſo that render evill for good are mine adverſaries, Verſe 20.becauſe I follow the thing that good is.
They began betimes, for Cain ſlue his brother:1 Joh. 3.12 Ratio rationis. and wherefore ſlue he him? becauſe his own works were evil, & his brothers righteous.
I can eaſily bring you to the head of theſe bitter waters, ſo ſoon as Adam had fallen from grace when God kept his firſt aſſiſe upon earth, and convented and arraigned the tranſgreſſours, the man, the woman, and the ſerpent, he revealed his eternall counſell of election and reprobation, and put a difference between the ſeed and ſeed, the ſeed of the woman, and the ſeed of the ſerpent.
Which is not onelyonly to be underſtood of the unreconciliable enmity that is between Chriſt and the Devill. For Chriſt was the ſeed of the woman, quia ſolus ita ſemen mulieris, & non etiam v…ri ſemen ſit.
But hee meant therein that enmity vvhichwhich ſhould be betvvixt the elect, vvho are the ſeed of the vvoman by naturall generation, and the holy ſeed by ſpirituall regeneration, ſo called, Semen ſanctum, and the ſeed of the ſerpent, for Chriſt calleth the vvicked genimina viperarum, generation of vipers; and to ſuch he ſaith, Vos eſtis ex patre veſtro Diabolo, you are of your father the Devill.John 8.44.
For this Rupertus ſaith, that the Bible is called the Book of the battails of the Lord,Num. 21.14. becauſe it conteineth the ſtory of the vvars betvveen theſe tvvo; the Church and the vvorld.
From this enmity vvhichwhich God put betvveen the Church, and the vvorld ariſeth this hatred and oppoſition, ſo that the proſperity of the vvicked is Davids grief, the miſeries of David be the vvorlds joy, the joy of the Church is the affliction of the vvorld.
God left the Devill in his fall, and took him not up again, thereby forſaking him, he put enmity into him, and he for the hatred that he beareth to God, hath ever ſince perſecuted him in his Church, becauſe his malice cannot extend to hurt him.
And herein he is the more cruel, becauſe he knovvs his time is but ſhort.
Satan is but Gods inſtrument in the afflicting of the Church, ſo it is ſaid to the Angell of the Church of Smyrna. Reaſ. 2 Behold, the Devil ſhall caſt ſome of you into priſon, Revel. 2.10that ye may be tryed, and ye ſhall have tribulation ten days.
He goes about like a roaring lion, ſeeking whom he may devour: If he be kept from devouring, he biteth and rendeth, and doth vvhat hurt he can, for he is a murtherer, but if God ſhevv the light of his countenance to them vvhom he purſueth, he is ſick of that merciemercy, and ſo are all the tents of Cuſhan, the vvhole brood of vipers have this venome from the old ſerpent, to be afflicted at the proſperity of the Church.
For inſtance, I vvill prevent the time, David ſaith; one day telleth another, and one night certifieth another.
To morrovvs memoriall teacheth this day, this vvas the vigill of that popiſh holy day, vvhichwhich the ſame Papiſts here at home, and many beyond the ſeas, hoped to have made feſtivall to all poſterity.
The children of darkneſs had provided to put out our light, to quench the light of our Iſrael: it was an affliction to the Papiſts to behold religion and peace ſetled under the government of a learned King, who knew what he believed, and why, and who had diſcovered himſelf an enemy to their Antichriſtian and hereticall ſynagogue.
They ſaw a fair iſſue ready for timely ſucceſſion, ſo gratiouſly ſeaſoned with the ſalt of heavenly wiſedom from the firſt of their capacity and apprehenſion; that there remained no hope for their politique religion to finde footing in theſe Churches.
Their flouriſhing ſtate of Church and Common-welth was ſuch an affliction to them, that ſome Zealots of their Religion, the ſons of thunder could no longer contein themſelves, but their ſtudy was how to put their grief upon us, and to transfer our joy upon themſelves.
They ſhewed us the vvay of their rejoycing, their mercies vvere cruel, nothing could remove their grief at our vvelfare, but the deſtruction of the head and body, root and tree, and all in a day. And they that vvould have deſtroyed us thought, and the Jeſuites and Prieſts of the Roman Faith taught them to believe, that they ſhould do God good ſervice.
We ſee the mercies of that religion ſo clearly in this horrible Treaſon, that all that knovv and ſerve the God of peace; have juſt cauſe to eſteem Papiſts diſloyall ſubjects, ſecret enemies to the State; bloudy perſecutors of the Goſpell of peace.
Our ſtories are full of their malice, vvrackings, impriſonments, ſtarvings, burnings, hangings, and many exquiſite torments executed upon innocent and holy Martyrs.
But vvhen vve remember the Povvder-Treaſon, that calleth all the tormentors of the Church before them mercifull: the Devill did never roar ſo loud before, the Buls of Rome never bellovv'd ſuch terrour to the Church, as in that damnable and deſperate attempt.
The provocation vvas their affliction at our proſperity, and griefe at our vvelfare, again, this venome of the generation of vipers boiled over, and they that bore evill vvill to our Sion, ſayd, one unto another. Catosby to his confederates.
I have bethought me of a way at one inſtant to deliver us from all our bonds, and without any forriegn help to replant the Catholique Religion, which is to blow asp the Parliament houſe with Gunpowder, for in that place have they dohe us all the miſchief, and perchance God hath deſigned that place for their puniſhment: for this ſtriketh at the root, and will breed a confuſion, fit to beget new alterations.
What alterations could be here meant but thoſe that Job felt, that our Land and Church might complain: Thou haſt turned my Harp into mourning, and my Organs into the voice of them that weep.
How did they ſwallow up the joy of this change, in hopeful expectation of ſucceſſe: but the children came to the birth, and there was no ſtrength to bring forth.
Their own fear came upon them, For it was Catesbyes own Lenvoy, to his revealed Treaſon; But, ſaith he, If this take not effect (as moſt of this nature miſcarry) the ſcandal will be ſo great to the Catholick Religion, as not onelyonly our enemies, but our friends will with good reaſon condemn us. Thus did their minds miſ-give, and abodements of evil did ſecretly call upon them, to fly from the anger to come,
This diverted them a while from this execution, and put them into a new project; Thomas Winter was ſent (as his confeſſion under his own hand reporteth) to inform the Conſtable of Spaine then coming in Ambaſſy from the King of Spain to our Sovereigne, of the ſtate of the Catholicks in England, and to entreat his mediation to ſolicite our King for the revocation of ſome penall laws, and the admittance of the Engliſh Catholicks into the ranke of his other Subjects. Winter met with him at Bergen neer Dunkirk, and by the meanes of Owen, an apoſtate Traitor, he had acceſſe to him, mooved him in his ſuite, and had a fair promiſe from him to do all good offices in that errand.
But Owen diſcouraged that hope, ſaying, that he believed nothing leſſe, and that they ſought onelyonly their own ends: meaning the ſtate of Spaine, holding ſmall accompt of Catholiques.
Owen animated the Treaſon, and promiſed to ſend Faux over to help to ſet it forward.
From thence Winter went to another of our fugitives, Sir William Stanley, to Oſtend, where he asked his opinion, whether, if the Catholiques of England ſhould do any thing in England to help themſelves, the Arch-Duke would ſecond them? he anſwered, no: for all thoſe parts deſired peace with England.
After all theſe deſpairs, they had no remedy to cure their diſeaſe of envy at the gratious peace of this State, but their powder-plot, in which none but profeſt. Papiſts within the land had any hand.
None that we can diſcover, but Prieſts and Jeſuites, here or abroad did blow the fire.
No forreign Prince hath the diſhonorable name of privacy with it, or abetment of it, onelyonly the Church of Rome lent her help to this nefarious Treaſon, for there was here,
1 The ſeal of Catholique Confeſſion;
2 The bond of a Catholique Oath;
3 The Vow by a Catholique Sacrament;
4 The indiction of Catholique prayers, to be uſed for the proſperous ſucceſs of the Catholique cauſe in England.
But, I may be ſhort in the Cataſtrophe of this whole danger, as God was ſudden in his exceeding great mercies to us.
The nets were broken, and we eſcaped as a whole neaſt of Birds from the hands of the fowler. Never was there day wherein God did ſo great things for this Land as on that day, never did the Sun ſhine in more perfect ſtrength upon this Church then on that day, which God crowned with our deliverance.
1 It was and is a good uſe of this mercy, to fil our mouthes with laughter, and our tongues with joy; but that muſt not be all.
2 We muſt tell the people what things he hath done, and once a year, at leaſt we muſt ſay, this is the day, that the Lord hath made, exultemus & laetemur, and his praiſe muſt be in our mouthes, we muſt give unto the Lord the glory due to his name, and praiſe him according to his excellent greatneſſe.
3 But that is not all, wee muſt being delivered from the hands of our enemies, ſerve him in holineſſe and righteouſneſſe before him all the days of our life, and remember that if we do wickedly, we ſhall periſh, we and our King.
4 But that is not all, we muſt pray alſo for the peace of our Jeruſalem, for we ſhall proſper if we love it: for our brethren and companions ſake in the common faith, we muſt wiſh it now proſperity, for the houſe of Gods ſake, we muſt ſeek to do it good.
6 But this is not all, we muſt caſt out the bond-woman, and her ſon, that is, the ſuperſtition of the blondy Church of Rome, I may ſafely perſwade, thus far, every one of us out of his own heart, and thus farre we may go without our ſelves to let our light ſhine before men, that in our light they may ſee light.
The Miniſter may go further, for he hath the warrant of a lawfull calling, to reprove the works of darkneſſe openly, and to convince hereſies, and to warne men to take heed of the leaven of the Scribes and Phariſees.
The Magiſtrate may go further, to execute the juſt laws of our land upon ſuch, and let him ſee to it, that he bear not the ſword of God in vain.
The ſovereign Defender of the Faith amongſt us beareth that high title, which is proper to all godly Kings, to this end, accomptable to none but God for his vice-gerency herein.
Verſe 8. Was the Lord diſpleaſed againſt the rivers? was thine anger againſt the rivers? was thy wrath againſt the ſea? that thou didſt ride upon thy horſes, or thy chariot of Salvation.
NOvv he procedeth to commemorate the vvonderfull things that declared God a friend to his people, in their ſafe conduct to the land of promiſe.
1 The power of God ſhewed in the waters: 1 he made a paſſage for his Iſrael, through the red ſea, as on dry land, to bring them out of Aegypt,
2 He made a paſſage through Jordan, the river turned back, and gave them way to paſſe over into the land of promiſe.
The words of my text are eaſie.
Doth any man conceive that God did take any ſpleen at the river of Jordan, that he drove it back: or that he was angry with the ſea, that he made dry land to appear: ſurely, God was not moved thereto from any fury againſt the creatures, which keep their courſe according to his appointments.
And he ſaith, that God did ride upon his horſes, poetically, and figuratively, expreſſing God in ſtate, riding on, as the Pſalmiſt ſaith, proſperouſly.
And he calleth the protection of God the char…o…s of ſalvation, becauſe God took them up to him to preſerve them
Verſe 9. And this is well expounded in the next words; in a new figure.