John Trapp on Hosea 1:2

Verſe 2. The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hoſea] Heb. In Hoſea: to note, that the Lord was both in his mind and mouth, in his ſpirit and ſpeech. God ſpake in him, before he ſpake out to the people. His propheſie muſt therefore needs be divine and deep. That's the beſt diſcourſe that's digged out of a mans own breaſt, that comes a corde ad cor, from the heart to the heart: And bleſſed are the pleople (ſaith one) that have ſuch Miniſters, that ſhall ſpeak nothing to them but what hath been firſt ſpoken by God in them: ſaying with David and Paul, We believe, therefore have we ſpoken: we alſo believe, 2 Cor. 4.13. and therefore ſpeak: we have experimented what we deliver: we believe and are ſure, that God is in us of a truth, and that we preach cum gratia & privilegio. The beginning] Hence ſome gather, that Hoſea was the firſt Prophet: Hoſeas videtur tempore & majeſtate aliis prior, ſaith O Ecolampadius. Certain it is he began before Eſay (becauſe he propheſied in the dayes of Jeroboam, who was before Ʋzziah) whether before Amos or no, is not ſo certain.Di praep. Evang. l. 20. [illegible: 1 letter] ulut. Euſebius tels us there was no Greek Hiſtory extant before Hoſea's time. Well therefore might that ancient prieſt of Egypt ſay to Solon, You Grecians are all boyes and babies in matters of Antiquity: neither is there one old man amongst you. Samuel is counted the firſt Prophet, Acts 3.24.Plato in Tim[illegible: 1 letter]o but Hoſea was the firſt of thoſe that lived in theſe Kings dayes, and likely held out longeſt (ſee the Note on Verſe 1.) as did father Latimer, preaching twice every ſabbath day,Act. & Mon. though of a very great age: and riſing to his ſtudy winter and ſummer at two of the clock in the morning. Others read the words thus, At the beginning when the Lord ſpake by Hoſea, he ſaid to Hoſea himſelf, Go take unto thee, &c. An uncouth precept, and a rough beginning for a young preacher, whoſe youth might be deſpiſed, and whoſe ſharpneſſe might be diſguſted. But truth muſt be ſpoken, however it be taken: and a preacher ſhould take the ſame liberty to cry down ſin, that men take to commit ſin, Eſay 58.1. Hierom was called fulmen Eccleſiaſticum, the Church thunderbolt: And our Mr Perkins applied the word ſo cloſe to the conſciences of his hearers, that he was able to make their hearts fall down,Mr Fullers Holy State. and their hairs almoſt to ſtand upright. But in old age he was more milde, and delighted much to preach mercy; as did alſo our Prophet Hoſea, whoſe propheſie is comminatory in the fore-part, conſolatory in the latter part. And the Lord ſaid to Hoſea] This is now the third time inculcated for more authority ſake, which the people ſo rubb'd and menaced would be apt enough to queſtion. He therefore ſhews them his commiſſion, and that he hath good ground for what he ſaith; that they may have no cauſe to cavil,Melch. Ad. but reply as that good Dutch Divine did (if God would give them a heart ſo to do) Veniat, veniat, verbum Domini, & ſubmittemus ei, ſexcenta ſi nobis eſſent colla: Let the word of the Lord come, yea, let it come, and we will ſubmit there unto, though we had ſix hundred lives to loſe for ſo doing.

Go take unto thee a wife of whoredoms] An arrant whore, a ſtinking ſtrumpet,Calvin. ſcortum obſoletum, a known and trite harlot; ſuch as were Thais, Lais, Phryne, &c. yea, and ſuch a one as, after marriage with a former husband at leaſt, went aſtray after other ſweet-hearts; for ſo the application of the figure to the ſubject, Chap. 2. requireth it to be underſtood: Whereby it appears (ſaith Diodate) that all this was done in a viſion. Others infer as much from that phraſe in this verſe, The beginning of the word of the Lord in Hoſea, that is, (ſaith Polanus) appearing and ſpeaking to him by an inward viſion, as it were in an extaſie. Beſides, in the third chapter, and three firſt verſes, the Prophet is bidden to marry another harlot. to buy her for his own uſe, and to keep her at his houſe for a time. Now ſcimus hoc non fuiſſe completum, ſaith Calvin; we know that this was never really done. It follows therefore that this figure was only propoſed to the people, that they might perpceive in the looking-glaſſe of this allegory; firſt, their duty toward God, ſecond, their diſloyalty, thirdly, their penalty for the ſame. It is not an hiſtorical narration, but a Prophetical viſion. Children of fornication, a baſtardly brood: ſuch as this evil and adulterous generation is; ſons of the rebellious whoriſh woman, children of tranſgr[illegible: 1 letter]ſſion, a ſeed of falſhood, Eſay 57.4. The Hebrews call ſuch children brambles, ſuch as Abimelech was, who grew in the hedge-row of an harlot: they call them alſo Mamzer, as ye would ſay, a ſtrange blot: And Shatuki, or ſilent, becauſe when others are praiſing their parents, ſuch muſt hold their peace, and hold down their heads with ſhame enough, becauſe by-blows.

for the land hath committed great whoredoms] Fornicando fornicata eſt, i. e. frequentiſſimè & faediſſimè, moſt frequently and moſt filthily: See Eezek 23. thoroughout. Aholah, (that is, Iſrael) plaied the harlot when ſhe was mine, verſe 5. In her youth they lay with her, verſe 8. ſo that ſhe might ſay with that impudent ſtrumpet Quartilla in Petronius, [illegible: 1 letter]etron. Satyr. that ſhe could never remember her ſelfa virgin: Yea, ſhe grew old in her adulteries, verſe 43. opened her feet to every paſſenger, and multiplied her whoredoms, Ezek. 16.25. Meretrices ſcilicet hoc eſt meretriciſſimae. Such a common proſtibulum is the whore of Rome. whom her followers call piam matrem, quae gremium claudat nemini. Joan of Naples was a ſaint to her. Idolatry is ſpiritual whoredome in many reſpects. It defiles the ſoul, Gods bridal-bed. It breaks the marriage-knot, and diſcovenants. It enrageth God, who in this caſe will take no ranſome. It ſubjecteth men to Gods deepeſt diſpleaſure: It beſots them and unmans them: they that make idols are like unto them, ſo are all they that truſt in them. Pſal. 115.

Laſtly, [illegible: 1 letter]dolatry is ſeldome without adultery, in a proper ſenſe; as appears in the old Heathens, at their feaſts of Priapus, Lupercalia, &c. the Canaanites had filled the Land from one end to another with their uncleanneſſe, Ezra 9.11. and in the Papiſts at this day, who reckon fornication a venial ſin, have their Stews allowed them; yea, among the very Indians, who abhor their moſt loathſome living: And for Rome it ſelf — tota eſt jam Roma lupanar, it is become a great brothelhouſe, and her ſtench is come up to heaven, as Matthew Paris (one of her ſons) long ſince ſaid. Departing from the Lord] In whom all amiables and admirables are concentred. This did exceedingly aggravate the unkindneſſe.