A COMMENTARY, OR EXPOSITION UPON HABAKKUK. HABAK. 3. I. A Prayer of Habakkuk, the Prophet upon Sigionoth. Hefe wordes are the title of this Chapter, fhewing the contents thereof. It is called a prayer, and it is a Pfalme or Hymne,fuch as Davids Pfalms;the Heathen Poets call them Odes, or Songs. It is called the prayer or fong of Habakkuk, both as compofed by him,and ufed by himself; and addressed to the use of the people of God in their captivity in Babylon. It is a fong upon Sigionoth. The Hebrews affirm this fong to be one of the hardest places to interpret in all the old Teftament, because it is full of dark Parables, fuch as could not be well understood till he came, Who hath the key of David, who openeth and no man shutteth. Aaa Our Our former Translation readeth a Prayer of Habakkuk the Prophet for the ignorances,and it is expounded diversly. Some understanding it a prayer to God for the pardon of all thofe fins which the people of God have committed ignorantly. Others conceive thus, that feeing the Prophet in the behalf of the Church in the firft Chapter had taxed God, of too much remifness toward his people,in bearing with their fins,and forbearing to punish them and then again, fore-feeing how God in time would awake and punish them by the furious Chaldaans, hee doth as much tax the feverity of God towards his Church. Now, that God in the fecond Chapter hath declared his juftice in punishing his people, and reveiled the decree of his vengeance againft his and their enemies; now the Prophet maketh this recantation and prayer for the ignorances, because they not knowing the fecret purposes of God, have been fo forward to judg his ways. But we must admit this confirmation, and the learned tranflators of the Kings Bible, finding this to have been an errour in the former tranflations, have followed the Originall more faithfully, and call it, The Prayer of Habakkuk the Prophet upon Sigionoth. Some fay, this Sigionoth was fome fpeciall inftrument of Mufick, upon which this fong was fung in the Church of God, and the last verse of this Chapter faith. To the chief finger on my ftringed inftruments. For as Titleman faith in this Pfal. the Prophet, Canendo orat, orando canit.. By finging prayed, and by praying fung. So the 7o read προσευχὴ Αβακεμ τα προφητε μετ' ώδης. But Tremelius and Junius read, Oratio Habac. Propheta fecundum odas mixtas. That is not accommodated to any set kind of verse, but mixt of fundry kinds, And fo they do not understand the word Sigionoth to be the the name of the inftrument, upon which it was fung; but the name of the verfe into which their prayer is digefted... As A COMMENTARY, OR EXPOSITION UPON HABAKKUK. HABAK. 3. I. A Prayer of Habakkuk the Prophet upon Sigionoth. Hefe wordes are the title of this Chapter, fhewing the contents thereof. It is called a prayer, and it is a Pfalme or Hymne,fuch as Davids Pfalms;the Heathen Poets call them Odes, or Songs. It is called the prayer or fong of Habakkuk, both as compofed by him,and used by himself; and addreffed to the use of the people of God in their captivity in Babylon. It is a fong upon Sigionoth. The Hebrews affirm this fong to be one of the hardest places to interpret in all the old Teftament, because it is full of dark Parables, fuch as could not be well understood till he came, Who hath the key of David, who openeth and no man shutteth. Aaa Our Our former Tranflation readeth a Prayer of Habakkuk the Prophet for the ignorances,and it is expounded diversly. Some understanding it a prayer to God for the pardon of all thofe fins which the people of God have committed ignorantly. Others conceive thus, that feeing the Prophet in the behalf of the Church in the firft Chapter had taxed God,of too much remifnefs toward his people,in bearing with their fins,and forbearing to punish them and then again, fore-feeing how God in time would awake and punish them by the furious Chaldeans, hee doth as much tax the feverity of God towards his Church. Now, that God in the fecond Chapter hath declared his juftice in punishing his people, and reveiled the decree of his vengeance against his and their enemies; now the Prophet maketh this recantation and prayer for the ignorances, because they not knowing the fecret purposes of God, have been for forward to judg his ways. But we must admit this confirmation,and the learned tranflators of the Kings Bible, finding this to have been an errour in the former tranflations, have followed the Originall more faithfully, and call it, The Prayer of Habakkuk the Prophet upon Sigionoth. Some fay, this Sigionoth was fome fpeciall inftrument of Mufick, upon which this fong was fung in the Church of God, and the laft verfe of this Chapter faith. To the chief finger on my stringed instruments. For as Titleman faith in this Pfal. the Prophet, Canendo orat, orando canit.. By singing prayed, and by praying fung. So the 7o read προσευχὴ Αβακεμ τα προφητε μετ' ώδης. But Tremelius and Junius read, Oratio Habac. Propheta fecundum odas mixtas. That is not accommodated to any fet kind of verse, but mixt of fundry kinds, And fo they do not understand the word Sigionoth to be the the name of the inftrument, upon which it was fung; but the name of the verfe into which their prayer is digefted. As As the Greeks and Latines had their feverall kinds of verfes. ·Heroick, Iambick, Afclepediake, Phaluciake, and fuch like. I cannot better expreffe this to the understanding of the weakeft judgment, then by referring you to the varieties of verfe in our English Pfalmes, that we fing in the Church, for if they were all compofed in one kind of verfe, they might all be fung to one tune. Some have their fet tunes and admit no other, because they are of a feverall kind of verfe. So I take it that this Sigionoth was the name of that kind of verse, in which this Pfalme was written. Thus much of the words of the title. 1. That the Prophet compofeth a prayer for his own use, 2 That he putteth this prayer into a fong or pfalme. Concerning the first. The contemplation of the Juftice of God in punishing the Doct. fins of his Church; of the vengeance of God revenging the quarrels of his Church, and of the mercy of God in healing the wounds of his Church, and reftoring it again to health; doth give the Faithfull occafion to refort to God by prayer. The reafon is, because these things well confidered that God is juft and mercifull, do breed in us Fear and Faith, which being well mingled in us, cannot chufe but break forth into prayer. Fear difcerning the danger of his power wifely, and Faith laying hold on the hand of his mercy ftrongly. For howfoever Fear be an effect of weakneffe, yet doth it 'ferve to good ufe in the fitting of us to prayer; because, 1 Fear breedeth humility, which is neceffary in prayer, as St. James adreffeth. Caft down your felves before the Lord: and St. Peter, Humble Jam.4.10. your felves under the mighty hand of God. 1 Pet.5.6. Aaa 2 And |
