Habakkuk 2

Quest. Why faith is the instrument of adoption, more than any other grace? Resp. 1. Faith is a quickening grace, it is the vital artery of the soul (Habakkuk 2:4). The just shall live by faith.

Ahithophel made himself guilty of the fact, by giving counsel to Absalom to go in and defile his father's concubines (2 Samuel 16:21). He who shall tempt and solicit another to be drunk, though he himself be sober, yet being the occasion of another's sin, he is accessory to it (…

One of the Popish councils affirmed that we might learn more by an image, than by long study of the Scriptures. Response. (Habakkuk 2:18) What profits the graven image, the molten image, and a teacher of lies? Is an image a layman's book?

Second, inanimate creatures: the wind and the sea obey him (Mark 4:41). The very stones, if God give them a commission, will cry out against the sins of men (Habakkuk 2:11). The stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.

In former times, and more lately in the Marian days, England was over-spread with idolatry; we worshipped God after a false manner: that is idolatry, not only to worship a false God, but the true God in a false manner. This was our case formerly, we had Purgatory, Indulgences, t…

He is a drunkard (says Solomon) that tarries long at the wine (Proverbs 23:30). He who sits at it from morning to night, that drinks away his precious time, though he does not drink away his reason, he is a drunkard that drinks more than does him good, and that though he be not…

Idolatry is to worship a false God, or the true God in a false manner; this they are guilty of. 1. They dishonor God by their idolatry in making graven images, and giving the same honor to them as is due to God, [illegible]: Images are teachers of lies (Habakkuk 2:18), they repr…

Faith is the vital artery of the soul, it animates it. The just shall live by his faith (Habakkuk 2:4). Unbelievers, though they breathe, yet want life.

Many have lost heaven for want of watchfulness. Our hearts are ready to decoy us into sin, and the Devil lies in ambush by his temptations; we must every day set a spy, and keep sentinel in our souls (Habakkuk 2:1). I will stand upon my watch.

Many pray Agur's first prayer, Give me not poverty, but few pray his last prayer, Give me not riches (Proverbs 30:8); they are not content with daily bread, but have the dry dropsy of covetousness — they are still craving for more. Habakkuk 2:5: Who enlarges his desire as hell,…

Third, as fire is a consuming thing (Hebrews 12, last verse) and leaves nothing but ashes, so are people's lusts (James 4:4). They ask in order to consume everything on their lusts. All the pleasures they have leave nothing behind; nothing of the strength they gain by them remai…

If therefore God doth not to ourselves, nor in our times accomplish his promises, or prophecies, we must not be impatient, but wait in patience. For, as the holy Prophet saith, The vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the last it shall speak and not lie: though it tarry,…

When we think of God, or pray unto him, we must conceive of him in our minds, as he has revealed himself in scripture; that is, by his works, and by his properties: we must think in our minds of an eternal essence, most holy, wise, et cetera, who made all things, and governs the…

Christian, methinks you should know so much about yourself that it is impossible anyone could lay you lower, or have baser thoughts of you, than you have of yourself. Some render the original of Habakkuk 2:5 thus: the proud man is as one who transgresses by wine — and drunkards,…

Three days (Hosea 6:1). A short time, and the vision will speak, and will not tarry (Habakkuk 2:3; Hebrews 10:37). It is but tribulation ten days (Revelation 2:10).

1. Because God dwells in this humbled soul, then he must be justified and converted (Ephesians 3:17): that Christ may dwell in your heart by faith. 2. This is a liver by faith, and so justified; the just shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:…

Christ's fame spread abroad through all the country, and now he is shamed and a reproached man; now the whole people cry out away with him, away with him, crucify him; the ground of man's glory is his goodliness or graciousness, his [in non-Latin alphabet], all his endowments an…

He that believes makes no haste (Isaiah 28:16). Habakkuk must wait because the vision is for a time appointed (Habakkuk 2:1). David's eyes and strength failed in waiting on God (Psalm 69:3).

As for the painted and carved images of the Papists, we utterly detest them, as idols. They allege, that they are laymen's books: but Habakkuk says, they are doctors of lies (Habakkuk 2:18). And where the lively preaching of the word is, there is no need of them.

Seventhly, he expected the Canaanites, and Amorites, for the space of four hundred years, yea he suffered all Gentiles to wander in their own ways, and in the vanity of their mind almost for three thousand years together (Acts 14:16). Now if God be so patient in expecting our am…

Some refer this to the person of Isaiah, as if he satisfied himself, by depending upon that which God had revealed to him: that is to say, as if he had now quieted and settled his mind; which indeed we ought to do after we have heard the voice of God, waiting assuredly for the a…

But because the wicked take no warning by any threatenings, it was needful that this prophecy should be repeated, and confirmed by some sign: First, that he might awaken the people, God commands this prophecy to be published and written, to the end all might take knowledge of it…

They that are destitute of this, have no true Religion, whatever Profession they may make, and how high soever their religious Affections may be. Habakkuk 2:4. Behold, his Soul which is lifted up, is not upright in him; but the Just shall live by his Faith: that is, He shall liv…

He that so accounts, doubtless understands that prayer engages providence (Isaiah 45:11), and providence so engaged is the surest protection (Job 1:10). Many great men enclose their dwellings with a high wall, but the foundation (as the wisest of men observes) is laid in their o…

Why, this you may often see, if you will duly observe the works of Providence towards you. We hope and pray for such and such mercies to the Church, or to our selves; but God delayes the accomplishment of our hopes, suspends the answer of our prayers, and seems to speak to us, a…

But his thoughts are not our thoughts, Isaiah 55:8 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as men count slackness, 2 Peter 3:9 It is slackness if you reckon by our own rule and measure, but it is not so, if you reckon and count it by God's. The Lord does not compute and rec…

Such a conceit (I say) the Apostle seems to meet with, for in (1 Timothy 6:7), having said, We brought nothing with us into this world, he adds in the next words, and it is certain we can carry nothing out; he does not say, we brought nothing into the world, and we can carry not…

Now this silence and quietness which accompanis waiting, yea which is an essential part of it, is opposed first to Haste; and Haste is the souls undue lifting up its self, proceeding from a weariness of its condition, to press after an end of its troubles, not according to the c…

Lastly, it is added, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of leopards, not designing any new place, but showing that lions and leopards often used to dwell upon hills, and it is likely upon these, notwithstanding all their beauty: therefore mountains are called mountains of…

4. Gold and all external riches, are empty things to a spiritual discerner of Christ's worth; as it were, a new sort of gold must be invented, or imagined, to shadow forth the excellencies of Christ, gold itself is but an insufficient and dark shadow to represent him; whoever lo…

Many times God raises up such against them, who shall deal with them as they have dealt with others; and when these sponges are full of what they have unjustly sucked up, shall squeeze them, and make them refund their ill-gotten treasure. Thus God threatens the Chaldeans (Habakk…

When the Pharisees spoke to our Saviour to rebuke his disciples for their loud praises of the Lord with Hosannas, he tells them, if they should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out (Luke 19:39-40). And we read in Habakkuk (Habakkuk 2:11) of the stone crying out…

If you would be violent, be vigilant. The Prophet stood upon his watch-tower (Habakkuk 2:1). Why are Christians so listless in their work, but because they are so careless in their watch.

All saving grace is humble grace (1 Corinthians 15:10). But the soul which is lifted up, is not upright (Habakkuk 2:4). Lastly, Can you (my soul) rejoice and bless God for the grace imparted to others?

I answer, our wound is grievous but not incurable, many things there are to encourage us to keep silence, and wait upon God, till he ordain better things for us, let me speak a word or two in this matter, consider then, errors usually are not long-lived; the next age declares th…

In the conjugal relation, it is taken for granted (1 Corinthians 7:33-34) that the care of the husband is to please his wife; and the care of the wife is to please her husband; and where there is that mutual care, comfort cannot be wanting. Some people love to be cross-grained,…

The efficacy of this consideration will be found only in the practice. 2. Raise up your heart by faith to an expectation of relief from Christ; relief in this case from Christ is like the prophet's vision (Habakkuk 2:3): It is for an appointed time; but at the end it shall speak…

Therefore they bent their thoughts this way, praying, and searching, and waiting for answers, studying to keep the passage open, as it were, for the beams of those divine revelations to come in at — not to have their spirits clogged and stopped with earthly and sinful affections…

It is a mighty argument in prayer, when we can plead, that we ask no more than God has promised. 2. That there is usually some time of delay between making the promise, and fulfilling the promise: For therefore God promises, because he means to do us good, but not presently: And…

Sorrow works death, but joy is the life of the soul. Now when dead in all sense and feeling, the just shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4), and the hope wrought in us by the Scriptures is a lively hope (1 Peter 1:3). Other things skin the wound, but our sore breaks out again, and…

As if God owed them more than others, and were a kind of debtor to them. (Habakkuk 2:4) Behold, his soul which is lifted up, is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith. The lofty and unsound are distinguished from the just, who can tarry God's leisure; those men…

See what dreadful woes God denounces against such, by the prophet: "Woe to him that gives his neighbor drink; that puts your bottle to him, and makes him drunken also, that you may look upon his nakedness; his shame and dishonor. You are filled with shame, for glory: drink you a…

2 We may not do evil that good may come to others: God has indeed commanded us to do good to all, but has forbidden us to do evil, that we may do good to any, or to all: He that provides not for his family, is worse than an infidel; and so is he that provides for it by a sinful…

4. Consider that sins cry to God against us; and the devil to be sure is a constant solicitor against us. The cry of Cain's sin went up (Genesis 4:10), the cry of Sodom's sin was great (Genesis 18:20-21; Genesis 19:13), the detaining of laborers' wages cries (James 5:4), and ind…

Answer 2: Faith makes us children as it is the vital principle. Habakkuk 2:4: The just shall live by faith. All God's children are living — none of them are stillborn.

The rich sinner seals up money in his bag, and God seals up a curse with it. Habakkuk 2:6: Woe to him that loads himself with thick clay. Austin says, that Judas for money sold his salvation, and the Pharisees bought their damnation; so that happiness is not to be fetched out of…

The tradesman is busy buying and selling, but neglects to trade for the pearl of price. Those who so fix their minds on the world as to neglect Christ — their work is but spider-work (Habakkuk 2:13): is it not of the Lord that the people shall labor in the fire and weary themsel…

Inanimate creatures obey God; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera (Judges 5); the wind and the sea obey him (Mark 4:41). The very stones, if God give them a commission, will cry out against the sins of men (Habakkuk 2:11): the stone shall cry out of the wall, and th…

Now keep your heart as a tower or castle. Keep close sentinel in your heart (Habakkuk 2:1): I will stand upon my watch and set me upon the tower. Discover where Satan labors to make a breach, what grace he most shoots at, and there set a double guard and fortify.

By the late faithful and worthy Minister of IESVS CHRIST, IOHN PRESTON, Doctor in Divinity, Chaplaine in ordinary to His Maiestie; Master of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge; and sometime Preacher of Lincolnes-Inne. The just shall line by faith.(Hab. 2:4) Who through faith subdued…