John Trapp on Habakkuk 2:15

Verſe 15. Wo unto him that giveth his neighbour drink] The Babylonians (among other their flagitious practiſes afore-mentioned) were much addicted to drunkenneſſe, as is recorded by Herodotus, Cteſias, and others. Their land was ſick of drink, and would therefore ſpew them out: Themſelves were men of wine, verſe 5. (See the Note) and ſhould therefore drink deep of the wine of Gods fierce wrath. They drank to their neighbours, or companions, not in a way, either of curteſie, or charity, but purpoſely to intoxicate them, to make them drunk, that they might either deride them, or abuſe them to filthy pleaſure, or both: they buckt them with drink, and then laid them out to be ſunn'd, and ſcorned, as Noah was by his grace[illegible: 1 letter]eſſe ſonne. Therefore as he curſed Ham (though Scaliger excuſe him) and it ſtuck to his poſterity for ever: ſo doth God here denounce a woe to drunkards, and ſo ſets it on, as no creature ſhall ever bee able to take it off.

that putteſt thy bottle to him] Not thy bowle onely, but thy bottle, that he may drink, and be drunk, and ſpew, and fall, &c. Jer. 25.27. This is ordinarily practiſed by our Roaring-boyes, (as they will needs be called by a wofull prolepſis, Here for hereafter) in their Cyclopicall, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Either by perſwaſions, or threats, the bottle is ſet to the mouth, and muſt be emptied, ere it come thence. The civil, ſober, and temperate man is urged, and it may be forced to ſwallow down long and needleſſe draughts (as a horſe doth a drench) by domineering drunkards, that they may ſee his nakedneſſe, triumph over him, as laid up, or (as the new terme is) ſatisfied. Their courſes are here graphically, and in lively colours deſcribed by the holy Ghoſt; to ſet forth the hatefulneſſe thereof, and how wofull will be the iſſue. There are that read the words thus. That putteſt thine anger to him, thy fervour, and thy fury, viz. if he pledge thee not whole-ones, and drink not all the Outs, as they call them. Domitius, the father of Nero, ſlew Liberius, Sueton. an honeſt Roman, becauſe he refuſed to drink ſo much as he commanded him. Others read it, That putteſt thy poyſon to him: and indeed, Ebrietas eſt blandus daemon, dulce venenum, ſuave peccatum, &c. Drunkenneſſe is a fair-ſpoken devil, a pleaſant poiſon, a ſweet ſinne, which he that hath in him, hath not himſelf, and which he that runs into, runs not into a ſingle ſinne, but is wholly turned into ſinne. How often, (ſaith a grave Divine) have I ſeen vermine ſucking the drunkards blood, as faſt as he, that of the grape, or mault, yet would he not leave his hold, or loſe his draught? Gualther reads it, Conjungens fervorem tuum, Joyning thine heat, inflaming thy ſelf, that thou mayeſt drink him under the board.De ſua bobacitate librum conſcripſit ſeu potius evomuit. [illegible: 1 letter]erod. This was great Alexanders ſinne, and ruine: ſo it was M. Anthonies, (who wrote a book of his abilities to drink down others) and before them both Darius's, as Athenaeus hath left recorded. How much better his ſucceſſour Ahaſhueroſh,, who made a law at his great feaſt, that every man ſhould drink according to his pleaſure, Eſth. 1.8. So Minos, king of Creet ordered, that his ſubjects ſhould not drink one to another, [non-Latin text not transcribed], unto drunkenneſſe. Quinetiam Spartae mos eſt laudabilis ille, Ʋt bibat arbitrio pocula quiſque ſuo. Among the old Germans, diem noctemque continuare potando, nulli probrum, ſaith Tacitus, It was no diſgrace to drink night and day together. It is ſtill the ſinne of that nation, as Gualther upon this text heavily complaineth; and it is grown to a proverb, the Drunken Dutch-man. Of them, the Engliſh, much commended for their ſobriety, learned in the Netherland-warres, to drown themſelves by immoderate drinking:Cam[illegible: 1 letter]d. Eliſ.231. and by drinking to others healths, to impair their own: ſo that in our dayes came forth the firſt reſtraint thereof by ſeverity of lawes, ſaith Camden: who yet, being ſo great an Antiquary, could not but know, that in the year 959. Edgar king of this land, made an Ordinance for putting pinnes in cups, that none ſhould quaſſe whole ones.

And makeſt him drunk alſo] Robbeſt him of himſelfe, and layeſt a beaſt in his roome. The ſame Hebrew word Zolel ſignifieth a drunkard and a vile perſon: filthy venemous creatures breed in thoſe fenniſh grounds Ich 40.21. Behemoth lieth in them; which Gulielmus Pariſienſis applyeth to the Devil in drunken hearts: whereas in dry places, ſober ſouls, he walketh about ſeeking reſt but ſindeth none Mat. 12.43.Natal. Comes E[illegible: 2 letters]iſt. 84. daemon meridianus The very Heathen in hatred of this ſinne fained that Cobali (an hurtfull and pernicious kind of Devils) accompanyed Bacchus: and that Acratus, or the intemperate Devil was their Captain. Seneca calleth it a voluntary madneſſe, another a noon-day Devill, no more a night-walker, as once, 1 Theſ. 5.7. The Lacedemonians puniſhed it ſeverely; ſo do the Turks at this day, powring ladle-fuls of boyling lead down their throats ſometimes: and at leaſt baſtinadoing of them on the bare feet, till they are diſabled for walking in haſte again to their conventicles of good-fellowſhip.Heyl. Geog. 793. Morat Baſſa commanded a pipe to be thruſt thorow the noſe of a Turk, which was found taking Tobacco: and ſo in deriſion to be led about Constantinople. Let men ſhun this ſhamefull ſinne; and be farre from drawing others to it: for have they not ſins enough of their own to anſwer for? Muſt they needs go to hell in company? Dives deſired that his brethren and companions in ſinne, might not come to that place of torment. Luke 16. This he did, not out of any good will to them, but becauſe he knew, if they were ever damned, he ſhould be double-damned.

That thou maist look on their nakedneſſe] Thoſe parts that nature would have covered are called nakedneſſe per Antiphraſin. To look on them with delight, is by ſome held a ſinne againſt Nature: the ground of their opinion is Gen. 3.7. To make men drunk for that purpoſe, is worſe. But if for further abuſe of their bodies to uncleanneſſe, (as Attalus the Macedonian dealt by Pauſanias a young Courtier, who afterwards ſlew King Philip, Panſudam ſo [illegible: 2 letters]um mero Al [illegible: 2 letters]lus non [illegible: 1 letter]uae tantuin verim & convivarum libi[illegible: 3 letters] velut ſcor[illegible: 2 letters]m. vrle ſubject, ludi [illegible: 5 letters] [illegible: 1 span] theat. [illegible: 1 span] vi[illegible: 2 letters]uti ſun[illegible: 1 letter]limus & rigidae inn [illegible: 2 letters] tiae. Vell. lib. 2. becauſe he would not puniſh Attalus, for ſo doing) that's worſt of all: and hath a woe, woe, woe, hanging at the heeles of it.