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the invasion of other countries; and makes him as insatiable as hell itself, and as death, which can never be satisfied; whereupon he gathers unto him all the kingdoms round about, and heaps up crowns and sceptres to himself, over all the regions of the earth:

II. 6. Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay!

But, when his turn comes, shall not all these nations, whom he hath subdued, seeing his overthrow and utter ruin, insult upon him; and take up a taunting proverb against him, and say, What is now become of the man, that raked up those kingdoms whereto he had no right? How long hath he enjoyed these ill-gotten crowns? Where now is he, that ladeth himself with extent of earth, and with the unprofitable weight of this base earthly trash?

II. 7. Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them?

Shall not the Medes and Persians rise up suddenly against thee, and set upon thee, and spoil thee; and thou shalt be for

booties unto them?

II. 9. Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!

Woe be to thee, O insolent Babylonian, that, out of a covetous and ambitious desire, scrapest together the wealth of the world; that thou mayest make thy nest on high in this Babylon, and that thou mayest be freed from all the fear or power of an enemy!

II. 10. Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul.

Thou vainly devisest thus to advance thy house; but thou shalt find this to be the way to bring shame and ruin upon it: even in this bloody violence which thou hast used, in the cutting off many people, thou hast brought confusion upon thy house, and hast sinned against thy soul.

II. 11. For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.

For, if men should hold their peace, the very stones out of the wall, which thou hast raised by this cruelty, shall cry out against thee; and the beam out of the timber-work shall second this clamour, against thine injustice and violence.

II. 12. Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and establisheth a city by iniquity!

Woe to him, that buildeth and enlargeth his city Babylon, with those bloody spoils and rapines of other innocent nations.

II. 13. Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?

Behold, shall it not be just with the Lord of Hosts, to cross and defeat all thy projects? and to cause this people, whom thou settest on work in these buildings, to lose their labour; in that, they shall find they have wearied themselves vainly in raising up that pile, which shall soon be consumed with fire? II. 14. For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

The notice of which just revenge from God shall so fill the world, as that it shall be overspread with the acknowledgment of God's just proceedings herein; even as the sea is covered with waters; and shall give glory to his infinite justice.

II. 15. Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!

Woe to thee, O Nebuchadnezzar, that forcest thy neighbour princes to drink deep of the cup of thy cruel affliction; and, when thou hast brought them down into extreme misery, makest thyself merry by insulting upon their calamity!

II. 16. Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the LORD'S right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory.

Thou art requited accordingly; for, instead of that glory, which thou promisedst thyself, thou art filled with shame: now shalt thou also drink deep of the cup of God's anger, and thy shame and miserable impotency shall be discovered to the world: thou shalt be made drunk with this bitter draught, from the hand of God, and thy shame and disgrace shall bewray itself palpably, in a loathsome fashion, to the eyes of

men.

II. 17. For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of beasts, which made them afraid, because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.

For it shall be with thee, as with the wild beasts in the forest of Lebanon, which are violently chased by the hunter, and terrified in their pursuit; even so shalt thou be hunted by the Persian, because of the blood of men, which thou hast shed, and the violence that thou hast done to the lands and cities of thy neighbours.

II. 18. What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?

Whan then shall the Chaldean find himself benefited, by his

graven images, which he hath made? And what stay and safety, worthy of his reliance, shall he meet with in his molten image, which is no other than a teacher of lies? To what purpose hath he made these dumb idols of either kind?

II. 19. That saith to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach. That saith to the senseless stone, Arise; and shall add, This image shall teach us future things; this oracle shall instruct us.

II. 20. Let all the earth keep silence before him.

Let all the inhabitants of the earth be awfully affected before his Majesty.

The TITLE.—III. 1. A prophetical and supplicatory song of Habakkuk, set to mixed tunes.

III. 2. O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.

O Lord, I have heard the words spoken by thee, concerning the future captivity of thy people, and was much troubled with them: and now, O Lord, since they must lie under this grievous affliction for a time, make good upon them the work of thy gracious preservation of them; uphold them, while those years of their misery continue; let thy merciful protection be made known to the world.

III. 3. God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.

God hath given abundant proof of his power, and care over his Church: if we look to his ancient mercies, and dreadful manifestations of himself, when the Lord God came before his people from the south, even from Egypt through the wilderness, heaven and earth were full of the Majesty of his glory.

III. 4. And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power.

His brightness was as the light of the sun: he had radiant beams, that came streaming out from him; and under those glorious rays, his power was rather hid than manifested.

III. 5. Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet.

Before him, he sent the pestilence; and other consuming judgments were ordained and executed by him, upon his enemies and rebels.

III. 6. He stood, and measured the earth; he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting.

When he fixed his station in Canaan, and gave order by Joshua for the dividing of the Land of Promise, he, by his very

look, drove out the nations before Israel: those mountains, which, from their first creation, had been fixed to their places, were now so shaken at the awful presence of God, as if they had been scattered and removed from their foundations: those hills, which had ever stood upright, now bowed: so dreadful and glorious is God for ever, in the manifestation of himself to his creatures.

III. 7. I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction: and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.

I saw the neighbouring nations of the Arabians and Ethiopians in great distress; and the Midianites trembling under the expectation of his judgments, which he was ready to bring upon them, in the behalf of his people.

III. 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 and thy chariots of salvation?

O God, when thou dividedst the Red Sea, and driedst up the river of Jordan, was it upon any displeasure, that thou conceivedst against those waters? or was it out of a desire to triumph over the sea, that thou didst, as it were, pass, in state, upon the horses and chariots of salvation and deliverance, before thy people, through the channel thereof? or was it not for the confusion of those proud Egyptians, which pursued thine Israel?

III. 9. Thy bow was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers.

Thou didst draw forth and bend the bow of thy mighty power among thine enemies, according to the oaths which thou swarest to the tribes of Israel; even the word of promise, which thou gavest them to settle them in that good land. Selah. Thou didst cleave in sunder the rivers which run upon the earth, to give way to thy people.

III. 10. The mountains saw thee, and they trembled: the overflowing of the water passed by: the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high.

up his

The very mountains felt the terribleness of thy presence, and shook withal: the overflowing stream of the Red Sea and Jordan passed backward in their channels: the deep made a noise, in his running together on heaps; and did lift waves, as so many hands, to praise and magnify thy power. III. 11. The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear.

The sun and the moon stood still, upon the command of Joshua, for the time, in the orbs of their heaven; in which extraordinary light of those standing planets, thy thunder and

lightning and hailstones flew abroad, as so many arrows, or glittering spears, to wound thine enemies.

III. 12. Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in anger.

In despight of which enemies, thou didst march through the land of Canaan, before thy people, in great indignation at their resistance; and didst subdue the heathen before them, in thine anger.

III. 13. With thine anointed, thou woundedst the head out of the houses of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah.

With Moses thy servant thou didst cut off the kings and princes, which were the heads of those seven wicked nations, and leftest them destitute; even as when the head is cut off by the sword, the junctures thereof unto the neck and shoulders are fully discovered.

III. 14. Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages: they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me : their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly.

Thou didst, with thine immediate judgments, and by the weapons of thy people, overthrow those, which were the princes and leaders of those hostile forces: they came out furiously as a whirlwind, to scatter and defeat Israel; and, they rejoiced to think, how easily their power and subtlety should be able to consume this poor handful of thy people.

III. 15. Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses, through the heap of great waters.

When thou leddest thy people through the sea, thou didst, as it were, pass triumphantly with thine horses of war, through the heaps of the great waters.

III. 16. When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops.

I heard thy speeches, O Lord, as I before said, concerning those grievous afflictions, which thou hast threatened to bring upon thy people; and when I heard thereof, I was moved with much fear and compassion: my heart trembled; my lips shook; and I was even consumed with inward grief and heaviness and all this sorrow and consternation should I think well bestowed, on condition, that I might rest in the day of the common calamity, when the Chaldees come up against my nation, and invade Judah with their troops.

III. 17. Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:

Although God should so cross us, as that none of these

VOL. IV.

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