Verse 15. Thou didst walk through the fea, with thine horses Hab.3.17. through the heap of great waters. T Hese words do end the section, which conteineth a De Verborum interpretatione. It seemeth to me cleer against all question, that this text hath reference to the wonderfull paffage of Ifrael through the red fea, of which mention is made before, Verse 8. Was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thy horfes, and chariots of thy salvation. The words expreffe that miracle very fully and fitly, for where it is faid. Thou didst walk through the fea: 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 Ifrael, on the shoare, but it is said, when God gave Moses direction to lift up his rod, and stretch forth his hand over the fea to divide it, Moses having fo done. The Angel of God which went before the camp of Ifrael, re- 19. moved, 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 20. Ifrael, and it was a cloud of darkneffe to them: i.e to the Egyptians, and it gave light by night to these, that is, to Ifrael, so that the one came not neer the other all night. This story sheweth how God did walk through the fea, even between the two camps. The power of Gods word went before them, the prefence 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 Ifrael. The horses of God here mentioned are the emblems of strength, courage and speed. For thus was Ifrael relieved through the heap of the great waters, that is, on the way made through the sea, which was gathered in heaps on both fides. Xxx 2 So 1 Reaf.1. So the words are plain and easie. The summe of them is a repetition of that great wonder of the conduct of Ifrael, 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, 4 Because this was the greatest miracle of power and mercy, 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 fince... Yet I will not conceal from you, that Jofephus writing this story of the division of the fea for the pafssage of Ifrael, to give it the more credite. Ne quis discredat verbo miraculi: doth reAntiquit. 2 port alike wonder, that God intending by Alexander the Grear, to deftroy the Persian Kingdom, did open the like pafsage 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. cap.14. 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 fea was no other, then fuch 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 horfe-back, and he faith, 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 toto die itur faceret in mare umbilico tenus. Therefore Jofephus was ill advised to parallel this passage with the Ifrael passage through the red fea, feeing there were so many difparisons, and whereas he seemed to labour to give credit to Moses his history, by this unlike example, he rather blemished the glory of this fuperadmirable miracle... There is not any of the great wonders that God wrought for Ifrael, so often remembred in Scripture as this is, and where the the Spirit of God so often fixeth our eyes and thoughts: wee shall do evill to take them of. Moses biddeth Ifrael remember this miracle of their paf- Daur.11.4 sage, vhat God did to the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and their chariots, how hee made the water of the Rea Sea to over-flow them. : Rahab could tell the Spies, We have heard how the Lord dryed Josh.a.11. up the water of the Red Sea for you. Afsoon as we heard, our hearts 12. 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, and thy Pf.77.19. footsteps are not feen...... 1 Thou leddest thy people like a flock, by the hand of Mofes and Verse20. Aaron.. Therefore, it is a fabulous relation of Paulus Orofius, 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 faith, that the footsteps of this pafsage 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: and hee Pfal.78.13 made the waters to stand on an heap. The Sea over-whelmed their e- 53. nemies, He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dryed up, so he led them Pl.106.9. thorough the depths, as through a Wilderness. left. The waters covered their enemies, so that there was not one of them 11. When Ifrael came out of Ægypt, &c. The Sea Saw that and fled. what ailed thee, ô Sea, that thou fleddeft ! He divided the Red Sea into parts. He overthrew Pharaoh and bis hoast in the Red Sea. Art not thou it, that hath dryed up the Sea, the waters of the great deep, that hath made the depths of the Sea a way for the ranfomed to pass over? Pf.114.1. 3. 5. Pl.136.13, Verse 15-14 Ifai.51.10. Xxx 3 Many Doct. Many more are the mentions of this miracle in the book of God, and here we finde it in this Pfalme doubly repeated. Which teacheth us that Gods extraordinary mercies must be often remembred. For we must consider our God two wayes. I Quà Deus, as God, and so he is to be worshipped, cultu Aatria propter Deum, for his own fake, though we could live without him. Though he do hide his face from us, and heap Job 7.20. up his judgments on us, as fob saith, though he maketh us, as his mark to shoot at, though all his arrows do stick fast in us. 2 Quà benefactor, as a benefactor, and that also two ways. I Propter opus providentia, 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, shiel ding it against the Sun by day, and against the Moon by night. 2 Propter opera privilegiata, for his priviledged works, especially favours of mercie, quando non facit taliter. For the first, all our life, especially the Sabbath, is defigned to the worship and service of God for the fame: the fecond of his extraordinary works, doth exact of us fingular commemoration by themselves, and therefore Abulenfis faith; Omnia festa que Deus inftituit obfervanda à fudais fiebant, ad recordationem beneficiorum ejus. Now the school faith well, that latria is not totaliter determi nata, to these or the se times or ceremonies, or occasions, but that we may worship God alwayes quà Dens, as God; upon speciall occasions quà Benefactor, as Benefactor. And fo the Jews kept the memoriall of their deliverance from Egypt in their anniversary celebration of the Paffeover, 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 Chriftian 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 fame benefit as they, doth come short of them in matter of thankfulnesse to God for the expulfion of that man of fin from us. We We have three Commemorations enjoyned us by high authority, the one is ortus aufpicia, so of all, it was called the initium regni, the beginning of the reigne of our Sovereign, whom God fent to fettle the religion and peace with his glorious predeceffour 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 goodneffe of God to our land, in the bloudy treason of the Papifts, the mortall enemies of our religion and peace in their powderplot. But this often remembrance of the mercy of God to Ifrael, in the red fea 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 hoftility between Spain and England, and though the established peace between these two Kingdomes have laid aside open wars, yet let God be no lofer in the glory due to his name for that deli verance. I will adde another reason, why this passage of Ifrael Reaf.2. through the red fea, is so oft remembred in Scripture, twice in this Pfalme of Habakkuk, which I gather from the Apoftle St. Paul. Moreover, Brethren, I would not have you ignorant, how that 1Cor.1.1 all our Fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea. And were all baptized unto Moses in the sea, and in the cloud. Ver.2. For this was memorable not onely in the history of the thing done, but in the mystery also of the fignification 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 baptifme continueth therein. For that is the scope of the Apostle in the beginning of that |