John Trapp on Hosea 1:4

Verſe 4. Call his name Jezreel] For the honourable name of Iſrael is too good for this people; call them therefore Jezreel, a people devoted to diſperſion, [non-Latin text not transcribed] ſpargere. and ſuch as I will ſcatter into the four windes of heaven, as the ſeeds[illegible: 1 letter]man ſcattereth his ſeed. Thus Jeconiah is called Coniah, (for a judgement upon him) Bethel, Beth-aven, Har, Hammiſcha, the mount Olivet, or of Unction, Har hammaſchith, the mount of corruption, 2 King. 23.13. And this is not unuſuall amongſt men; ſo when they would diſgrace a man, to clip or play upon his name: as when they ſpitefully called Athanaſius Sathanaſius, Cyprian Coprian, (as if all his excellent works were but dung) Calvine, Cain, &c. This people, ſaith God hére, are more like Ahab then Jacob. Call them therefore Jezreel (Ahabs Court) that is, a den of theeves and murtherers, where innocent Naboth cannot be maſter of the vineyard that he was born to. Micah (who propheſied alſo much about theſe times) hath a ſaying much to the ſame purpoſe, Chap. 2. ver. 7. O thou that art named, the houſe of Jacob, is the ſpirit of the Lord ſtraitned? are theſe his doings? q. d. Ye that boaſt of Jacob to be your father, do you tread in his ſteps? are ye of his ſpirit, of his practiſe? was there ſuch vile prophaneneſſe found in him, as is openly found in you? David deſcribeth the generation of ſuch as ſeek God, Pſal. 24.6. as ſeek his face, and then ſubjoyneth, This is Jacob, theſe are Iſraelites indeed, theſe are Jews inwardly: and all others are degenerate plants, and are the worſe for their outward priviledges: ſith tribulation and anguiſh ſhall be upon every ſoul of man that doth evil, but of the Jew firſt, and then alſo of the Gentile, Rom. 2.9.

for yet a little while] And yet this little was a long while, through Gods gracious forbearance. As bad as this people were, they ſhould not periſh without warning; yea, though the Lord foreknew they would make no good uſe of it. [non-Latin text not transcribed], ſaith the Heathen Hiſtorian: God loves to foreſignifie,Herodot. and premoniſh. But there is nothing more dangerous and diſinall, then theſe ſtill revenges; as when God ſuddenly brake out in wrath upon Nadab and Abihu, upon Nebuchadnezzar, Herod, Pharaoh at the Red-Sea, when he would not beware. It is a juſt both deſert and preſage of ruine, not to be warned. See this in Nineveh, ſpared at firſt, but after a little while revolting, ſoundly paid for the new and old faults, Nahum. 3.19. Non conſurget iterùm afflictio, ſaith the ſame Prophet,Nahum. 3.19. chap. 1.9. Affliction ſhall not riſe up the ſecond time: God will not make two doings of it: but when he begins, he will alſo make an end, 1 Sam. 3.12. that is, as ſure as he begins, ſo ſure will he make an end: and though it may be ſome time ere he begin, yet a little while (for he is ſlow to wrath, and of great kindneſſe) yet aſſuredly he will avenge the blood of Jezreel,] i. e. the executions done by Iehu upon the houſe of Ahab, as ſo many murders: ſee 1 King. 16.7.2 King. 9.24, 31. & 10.11.17. This God did not preſently, but that's nothing. Nullum tempus occurrit Regi, nedum D[illegible: 2 letters]. He is ſlow, but ſure, Et tarditatem ſupplicij gravitate compenſat, Val. Max. as the Heathen could ſay, the longer he holds, the harder he ſtrikes: and viſits Iehu's houſe for by-paſt ſins, that they made little reckoning of. Sin may ſleep a long time, like a ſleeping debt, not called for of many yeers: As Sauls ſin in ſlaying the Gibeonites, not puniſhed till fourty yeers after: as Ioabs killing of Abner, ſlept all Davids dayes: as Amalec periſhed, for their ill uſage of Iſrael, many hundred yeers after. It is ill angring the Ancient of dayes. He that ſaith, Vengeance is mine, I will repay it, takes his own time for the doing of it: and who ſhall preſcribe to him? It is dangerous offending him whoſe diſpleaſure is everlaſting. Vapours, that aſcend inviſibly, come down again in ſtormes and ſhowers. A ſinner of an hundred yeers ſhall be accurſed, and made to poſſeſſe the ſins of his youth. It is not the laſt ſand that exhauſts the hour-glaſſe, nor the laſt ſtroak that fells the Oak. Iehu's houſe is viſited, and his progeny extinguiſhed in the fourth generation, for Iehu's offences. Gods work muſt be done truly, that there be no halting, and totally, that there be no halving. But Iehu, as he had not that true heart ſpoken of by the Apoſtle, Hebr. 10.22. but was double minded, Iames 1.8. & 4.8. (like that mad Neapolitan that ſaid, he had two hearts, one for God, and another for him that would:) So he fulfilled not after God, or he followed not God fully, as Caleb did, Numb. Implevit post mi. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. 14.24. he did not all Gods wills as David, Acts 13. he ſerved him not with a perfect heart, as Aſa, 2 Chron. 15.17. He reformed the State, but not the Church; or if he did ſomething toward it, yet he was not thorow in it. He had a diſpenſatory conſcience: for though he rooted out Baals-worſhip, yet the golden Calves muſt continue; piety muſt give place to policy. It was a juſt complaint of Chemnitius, Principes regionem potiùs quam religionem quaerunt: pauperes panem potiùs quam Chriſtum. All men ſeek their own, but not the things of Jeſus Chriſt, Phil. 2.21. And yet piety hath ever proved to be the beſt policie: and the very Philoſopher in his Politicks gives this golden Rule.Arist. pol. l. 7. c. 8. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Firſt take care of Divine things. Iehu ſeemed at firſt to be as zealous a Reformer, as Iehoſaphat: but though his fleece was fair, his liver was rotten. In parabola ovis capras ſuas quaerebat; he was like the Eagle which ſoareth aloft, not for any love of heaven: her eye is, all the while, upon the prey; which by this means ſhe ſpies ſooner, and ſeizeth upon better. He ſeems to have been of Machiavels minde, viz. that vertue it ſelf ſhould not be ſought after, but onely the appearance: becauſe the credit is a help, the u[illegible: 1 letter]e a cumber.Am. Marcel. Confuſo quodam temperamento mi[illegible: 1 letter]ta.Camd. Finally, of Iehu it may he ſaid, as Marcellinus ſaith of Iulian, that by his hypocriſie and double-dealing, Obnubilabat gloriae multiplices curſus, he ſtained his many praiſe-worthy practiſes. Or as Camden ſaith of King Henry the eight; Fuerunt quidem in eo rege, &c. There were in that King great vertues, and no leſſe vices mingled, or rather jumbled together. Or laſtly, as Folieta Galeazo reporteth of Sfortia Duke of Millain, that he was a very monſter, made up, and compact of vertue and vice. See more verſe 5. And I will cauſe to ceaſe the Kingdom.] This fell out after 76 yeers; which God counts and calls here, but a little while: A thouſand yeers with him are but as one day. What is our life but a ſpot of time betwixt two eternities?Jam. 4.14. It is even a vapour, ſaith S. Iames, that appeareth for a little time, Heb. 4.1. and then vaniſheth away. Let us therefore fear, leſt a promiſe being left us, (and a door now opened) of entring into Gods reſt, any of us ſhould ſeem to come ſhort, or to come lag, andlate, as did Eſau, the fooliſh virgins, thoſe that come a day after the fair, an hour after the feaſt; Agree with your adverſary quickly, prepare to meet thy God,Chryſol. O Iſrael, Currat poenitentia, ne praecurrat ſententiae: Repent a day before death, (and that may be this day, before the next) make Gods judgements preſent in conceit, ere they come in the event, previſion is the likelieſt way of prevention, the ſureſt means of mitigation: whereas coming on the ſudden, they finde weak mindes ſecure, make them miſerable, leave them deſperate.