John Trapp on Hosea 1:5

Verſe 5. I will break the bowe of Iſrael] though it may ſeem to have a back of ſteel, and though it be drawn by Ieh[illegible: 1 letter] himſelf, with his full ſtrength, as once againſt Iehoram, to the piercing of his heart, 2 King. 9.24. He means, God will blaſt all the power of their Ammunition, defeat their likelieſt projects, and practiſes, and make the ſtrongeſt ſinew in the arm of fleſh to crack. He breaketh the bowe, and cutteth the ſpear in ſunder, &c. Pſal. 46.9. He rendreth the weapons vain, or ſucceſſefull, Iſai. 54.17. Ierem. 50.9. as he did when the Rats and Mice were ſent into Sennacheribs Army in great abundance, to gnaw and devour their quivers,Herod. l. 2. bowe-ſtrings, belts, bridles, ſhields, (as Herodotus relates) to ſhew that the ſhields of the earth belong to the Lord, that the Militia of the World is his, that he orders the Ammunition, Ier. 50.25. And the like was done by this Lord of Hoſts, or Armies, when the winde and weather fought for Theodoſius, in that famous battle againſt the tyrant Maximus, Aug. de civ. Dei. l. 5. celebrated by Claudian: As alſo when the Spaniſh Armado was defeated and diſcomfited by the Engliſh in 88. That was very remarkable and for our purpoſe appoſite, which fell out in the battle between Edward the third of England, and Philip of France. Philip enraged with a defeat, reſolves preſently to revenge it; and hardly had patience to ſtay in Abbeville one day, while the Bridge to paſſe over his Army was repayring. And with this precipitation and fury, into the field he marcheth, elevated with an aſſured hope of triumphant Victory.Daniels Works. 237. But it fell out otherwiſe; for there fell at the inſtant of the Battle a piercing ſhower of rain, which diſſolved their ſtrings, and made their bowes unuſefull. In the valley of Iezreel] A city neer to Maximinianopolis, ſaith Hierom. Of the valley wherein this City was ſcituate, ſee Ioſh. 17.16. Iudg. 6.33. It was in the tribe of Manaſſeh, and bordered upon Iſſachar, Joſh. 19.18. It was ten miles long, and two miles over; being called alſo, the plain of Galilee, and was fit for a fight, for a pitcht battle. Here i[illegible: 1 letter] was, ſaith Adrichomius, that Gideon fought the Midianites Iudg. 6.7. Saul the Philiſtines. 1 Sam. 31. Ahab the Syrians 1 King 20. And here Zachary (the laſt of Jehu's line) was ſlain, and with him the kingdom of Iſrael received ſuch a wound, that it could never riſe again. Mona[illegible: 1 letter]chies have their times and their turns, their riſe and their ruine. Junius renders it Propter Vallem Jericho, I will break the bow of Iſrael, becauſe of the wall of Jezreel: that is, ſaith he, becauſe of the ſlaughter of Ahabs houſe there made by Jehu 2 King. 10 Jehu's Tent in that execution was rewarded as an Act of Juſtice quoad ſubſtantiam operis, and yet puniſhed as an Act of policy quoad modum for the perverſe end. Finibus non officijs a vitijs diſcernuntur virtutes ſaith Auguſtine. By the ends and not by the works done, are vertues diſtinguiſhed from vices. Two things make a good Chriſtian, and declare him ſo, good Actions and good Aimes. And although a good aime doth not make a bad Action good (as in Ʋzza) yet a bad aime makes a good action bad, as here in Jebu. There may be then, we ſee, malum opus in bona materia, a work materially good, which yet may never prove ſo formally and eventually: ſc. when there is a fail either quoad fontem, or quoad finem. A thing which I ſee in the night may ſhine: and that ſhining proceed from nothing but rottenneſs. Blazing comets (though but comets) as long as they keep aloft, ſhine bright. But when they begin to decline from their pitch, they fall to the earth, and infect the Air. So when Illuminates forſake the Lord, and minde onely earthly things, being all for ſelf, they loſe their light, and go out in a ſnuffe. Jehu's golden calves made an end of him and his, though he made an end of Ahabs houſe and Baals worſhip. His rooting out of Ahabs race was but to ſettle the crown better upon his own head. Like unto him was our Richard the third, who well knowing (ſaith the Hiſtorian) it was no pollicy to play the villaine by halfdeal is reſolved to leave never a rub to lie in the way,Daniels hiſt. 218. that might hinder the true running of his bowle. Like unto him alſo (ſaith Maſter Calvin upon this text) was our king Henry the eighth, who caſt off ſome degree of Popery, ſo farre as would ſerve his own turn: but there were the ſix Articles in force (that whip with ſix cords, as that Martyr called it) for which many ſuffered at that time.Acts & Mor. And whereas (like Sylla) he commanded others, under great penalties, to be no Papiſts, himſelf was either Papiſt or Athieſt, jearing at ſome for their old Mumpſimus, and at others for their new Sumpſimus, as he profanely called the Reformation: hanging Papiſts on the one ſide of the hedge, for denying his Supremacy, and burning Proteſtants on the other ſide thereof, for denying Tranſubſtantiation, &c. And hence it may be thought, is that dreadfull and diſmall ruine that is now (in theſe our dayes, and in the fourth generation or ſucceſſion) befaln the royall family. The houſe of Jehu fareth the worſe for Jehu. Offa king of Eaſt-Saxons lived in the time of Charles the great, and was a potent Prince. But the many injuries he did, and the murther he committed in his houſe upon Ethelbert king of Eaſt-Angles, coming to him under a publike faith, and a ſuitor to his daughter, were juſtly revenged upon his poſterity, which, after him, declining, in the end loſt all. But to return to Jehu: we ſhall find 2 Kin. 10.30.Daniels hiſt. p. 111. that God ſaid, that becauſe Jehu had ſhed the blood of Ahab in Jezreel, that he would reward him for it: and that his children to the fourth generation ſhould ſit upon the throne of Iſrael, and govern that Kingdom. And yet, for miſcarriage in the manner, juſtly plagueth his poſterity. As Xerxes crowned his Steereſman in the morning and yet hanged him in the afternoon of the ſame day. And as Mareſcal de Thermas the French Generall, firſt Knighted a French ſouldier in Scotland who firſt mounted a beſieged Fort (by that means taken) and then hanged him within an hour after, for doing it without order. See more of this in the Note upon the former verſe.