John Trapp on Hosea 10:1

CHAP. X.

Verſ. 1. I Sracl is an empty vine,] Heb. an emptying vine; loſing her fruit, [non-Latin text not transcribed] and ſo deceiving the owner. How can Iſrael but be empty of all good, of all fruits of the ſpirit, when he will not hearken unto God, nor dwell under the droppings of a powerful miniſtry? when he is caſt off by God, Chap. 9.17. who fils his people with the fruits of righteouſneſſe: and is not a wilderneſſe a land of darkneſſe unto them? Jer. 2.31. when his root is dried up, Chap. 9.1[illegible: 2 letters] Phil. 1.11. and all his juyce and ſtrength runs out into leaves, ſo that is (frondoſa vitis (as the vulgar renders it) a leavy vine; ſuch as are our profligate profeſſours, and carnal goſpellers, and ſuch as was Saint James his ſolifidian, that empty fellow, as he calleth him, Chap. 2.20. when, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. laſtly, the holy Spirit (thoſe two golden pipes, Zach. 4.) empties not into his candleſtick the golden oyles of all precious graces, as from two bleſſed olive branches? The Vine and the olive (two of the beſt fruit-trees) grow beſt together, ſaith Melanchthon. If Iſraels heart be divided from God, as verſ. 2. and hath not his fruit found in him, as Chap. 14.8. what marvel if he prove (as Nahum. 3.10.) empty and void, and waſte; and though (as verſe 2.) the Lord turn away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Iſrael: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and married their vine branches?

He beareth fruit to himſelf,] As he beareth fruit in and from himſelf (like the ivy, which though it claſp about the oak, and ſometimes kils it, yet brings forth all its berries, by virtue of its own root) ſo he beareth fruit for himſelf, or to himſelf. Profit, pleaſure, and preferment is his Trinity: and corrupt ſelf is all theſe in unity. He faſteth to himſelf, as thoſe hypocrites, Zach. 7.5. he prayes, hears, confers, giveth alms, &c. cut of ſinful ſelf-love. In all that he doth ſibi ſoli velificatur, he ſeeks his own ends onely; as the Eagle, when he flieth higheſt, hath his eye on his prey. In parabola ovis capras ſuas quaerit: like the fiſh in the Goſpel, either he is dumb, or hath nothing but ſilver in his mouth, he is a notorious ſelf-ſeeker, he bears fruit to himſelf: he ſacrificeth to himſelf as Sejanus did. As Prometheus is fabled to have ſtollen fire from Jupiter; ſo the falſe Iſraelite would cozen God of heaven, if he could tell how. Spira confeſſed that he uſed prayer onely, as a bridge to bring him to heaven; and therefore he deſpaired of acceptance, as well he might: for how ſhould God reliſh ſuch ſorry hedge-fruits? how ſhould he ſay of ſuch cluſters of Gomorrah, Deſtroy it not, for there is a bleſſing in it? The good ſoul, as ſhe bears all her fruit in Chriſt, Ieh. 15.2. ſo ſhe keeps all her fruit for him, Cant. 7.13.Eſ. 65.8. and cries out, Propter te Domine, propter te. As all his ſprings are in her, ſo all ſhe has and is, is for him; and if ſhe had more and better, ſhe could beteem it him. Hence it is, that when he comes into his garden (upon her invitation) Cant. 4.16. to eat his pleaſant fruits, he gathereth his myrrhe with his ſpice, he eateth his honey with his honycomb, as it were cruſt and crumb together, Chap. 5.1. He takes in good part the better and worſe-performed ſervices; he paſſeth by failings in the manner, where the heart is upright, for the main: wicked men preſent alſo ſome kind of fruit, (as the oak bears ſome kind of apples and acorns, but they are not mans meat: ſwine indeed will haunch them up; ſo the devil likes well enough of theſe ſelf-fruits) but they make not to Gods palat. Delicata res eſt Spiritus Dei, our oaken apples will not down with him. Self muſt be ſtrained out, and God ſet up,Tertull. that ye may be called Trees of righteouſneſſe, the planting of the Lord, that he alone may be glorified, Eſay 61.3. being filled with the fruits of righteonſneſſe, which are by Jeſus Chriſt, unto the glory and praiſe of God, Phil. 1.11.

according to the multitude of his fruit, he hath increaſed the altars,] Juxta ubertatem, exuberant ſimulachris, ſaith the Vulgar elegantly; but yet ſhort of the Original, where there is a dainty Agnomination, and a double Polyptôton. For the ſence: the Prophet as he had accuſed Iſrael of emptineſſe, and ſelfiſhneſſe, ſo hee doth here of unthankfulneſſe, in abuſing Gods plenty to the promoting of idolatry; as if God had hired them to be wicked. See the like before, chap. 2.8. with the Note: and conſider how far againſt the ingenuity of a Chriſtian it is, to bee leaſt for God, when he hath moſt from him: when his own turn is ſerved, then to turn his back from the Authour of all his good: to do as the Moon, that getteſt furtheſt off the Sun, when ſhe is fulleſt of his light.

according to the goodneſſe of his land,] Idolaters deſire to be where there are good lands, fruitfull fields: that they may laviſh upon their Mawmets; that they may ſo beautifie, or (as the Hebrew word here is) bonifie their images, as Jezebel did her head with tires and brave dreſſes, 2 King. 9.30. Their ſorrows ſhall be multiplied that haſten after another God, or, that endow another God, and give gifts to him, as that Text may be rendred, Pſal. 16.4. What exceſſive coſt the ſuperſtitious papiſts beſtow upon their idols, or images, (which are one and the ſame, as we ſee here) and eſpecially upon their [illegible: 1 letter]ady of Loretto, the Jeſuite Turſellinus hath ſet forth to the world. And why they ſo much deſire and endeavour to recover England (praying for it, as is to be ſeen written on the gates of their Colledges, Jeſu, Jeſu converte Angliam: fiat, fiat) the reaſon is evident: it is a good land, and would eaſily yeeld them goodly images, ſtately altars, &c. England was wont to be called, the Popes aſſe, and his puteus inexhauſtus, his pit of treaſure, that could never be drawn dry: he was wont to ſay, that he could never want money, ſo long as hee could hold a pen in his fingers, to write to England. He received here-hence yearly,Job. Manl. loc. com. p. 492. above nine tunne of gold. Now, according to what they received, they expended upon their images. What a ſhame is it then for true worſhippers, that there is no proportion between their increaſes for God, and their encreaſes from God: that thoſe that are rich in this world, 1 Tim 6.17, 18. are not rich in good works: that they lay not by for pious and charitable uſes, according as God hath bleſſed them, 1 Cor. 16.2. but that they ſhould be the richer the harder: as children that have their mouthes full, and both hands full, yet will part with none, but ſpill it rather. It is obſerved, of men that grow very far, that they have ſo much the leſſe blood. And ſo the fatter many men are in their eſtates, the leſſe blood, life, and ſpirits they have for God.