John Trapp on Hosea 10:14

Verſe 14. Therefore ſhall a tumult ariſe among the people, &c.] Even among thoſe mighty men, wherein ye truſted, ſhall there be ſeditious tumults, that ſhall ſoon bring all into a miſerable confuſion. Inteſtine commotions may undo a people, as a man may die of an inward bleeding.

Ac veluti in magno populo cum ſaepe coorta eſt, Seditio, ſaevitque animis ignobile vulgus, &c.Virg. Aeneid. lib. 1.

When the multitude is in a rage, they are like to a tiled houſe that is on fire (ſaith One) there's no coming near the houſe, the tiles do ſo flie about your face: ſo it is in tumults, there's no coming neer to talk to them, to convince them: but they are ready to flie preſently upon you. In Kets ſedition, Dr. Parker in his Sermon before the Rebels neer Norwich, touched them for their miſſiving ſo near, that they went near to touch him for his life. The rude rage of the rebels was ſuch, that ſome being diſabled almoſt to hold up their weapons, would ſtrive what they could to ſtrike their enemies: others being thruſt thorow the body with a ſpear, would run themſelves further, to reach thoſe that wounded them deadly. Yea boyes were obſerved to be ſo deſperately reſolved, as to pull arrows out of their own fleſh,Liſe of King Edward the 6. p 75. and deliver them to be ſhot again by the archers on their ſide. There are none ſo inſolent and cruell as the vileſt of the people, when they are got together in a head. What havock made the ſeditious in Jeruſalem a little before the laſt deſtruction of it? the Guelfs and Gibellines in Italy? Wat Tyler and his complices here? That Rebell,Joſeph lib. 2. cap. 11. & l. 6. cap. 11. Speed. 734. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. held up by the many-headed multitude, dared to ſay, that all the Lawes of England ſhould come out of his mouth. The Hebrew word here uſed ſignifieth an inundation, or multitude of waters, which over-run their banks with violence and roaring. The people are a moſt dangerous and heady water, when once it is out: it is like a ſweeping rain which leaveth no food, Prov. 28.3. The Septuagint render it, Deſtruction. Sal. Jarchi ſaith, it ſignifieth the voice of thoſe that cry, Fugite, Fugite, Away, Away, the enemy is at hand, &c. Some ſay, to the ſame purpoſe, that it ſignifieth clamorem meticuloſorum, the crying of thoſe that are ſcar'd,Virg. Aen. as when there is Luctu, ubique pavor, & plurima morti imago. See Am. 2.2. Zeph. 1.15, &c.

and all thy fortreſſes ſhall be ſpoyled.,] Yea though they be munitions of rocks. Thy terribleneſſe hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwelleſt in the clefts of the rock, that holdeſt the height of the hill: though thou ſhouldeſt make thy neſt as high as the Eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, ſaith the Lord, Jer. 49.16. And again, all thy ſtrong-holds ſhall be like fig-trees, with the firſt ripe figs: if they be ſhaken, they ſhall even fall into the mouth of the eater, who ſhall devour them at a bit, Nah. 3.12.

as Shalman ſpoyled Betharbel] Shalman ſignifieth peaceabley (ſaith an Interpreter) a man of a calme ſpirit: but he anſwered not his name: for he exerciſed greateſt cruelty. There is not a more troubleſome ſea, then that which is called Mare pacificum. There is oft Aliud in Titulo, aliud in Pyxidc. Abſalom ſignifieth the Fathers peace: but he proved otherwiſe then was hoped.

Fallitur augurio ſpes bena ſaepe ſuo.

But this Salman is by the beſt Interpreters thought to be Salmanaſar king of Aſſyria in this Prophets time. Salman is vox truncata, a name cut off to the halves: a thing very ordinary in all the learned languages, as were eaſie to inſtance. See Eſay 15.2. Bamoth for Bamoth-Baal, Joſh. 19.35. Chamath for Chamath-Dor. Heſiod puts [non-Latin text not transcribed] for [non-Latin text not transcribed],Vide Lipſ. ep. 19. lib. 1. Ennius hath Fabric for Fabricius. This Salmanaſar (or as Luther will have it, ſome other great warriour called Salman, not elſewhere mentioned in Scripture, but not unknown to the ten tribes) did cruell execution, it ſeems, upon Betharbel, a city beyond Jordan, 1 Maccab. 9.2. like as Tamerlan (for a terrour to the Greek Empire, much whereof he afterwards ſubdued) did at Sebaſtia; Turk. hiſt. fol. 211. where he made a mercileſſe ſlaughter of all ſexes and ſizes; whereby he held the whole Eaſt in ſuch awe, as that he was commonly called, The wrath of God, and Terrour of the world. There are that think this Arbel to be the ſame with that Arbela where Alexander defeated Darius, and won the Perſian Monarchy. They make it a city or countrey of Aſſyria, beneath Arpad, and hinted at by Rabſhakeh, 2 King. 18.34.See 2 King. 15.29. & 16.34. & 19.13. Where are the gods of Hamath, and Arpad? ſc. Salmanaſar hath utterly deſtroyed them. Arbel is by ſome interpreted, the city of Bel, where Belus or Baal was worſhipped. By others, Beth-arbel is interpreted, The houſe of the inſnaring god, the god of policie, or ſubtilty: It ſeemeth to them, that the people of this place had a god that they thought would enſnare and enſnarle all their enemies: but it proved much otherwiſe.

For, the mother was daſhed in pieces upon her children.] Daſhed againſt the ground (ſo the word ſignifieth) againſt the walls, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Sept. or pavement. See Gen. 32.11. Pſal. 137.9. Eſay 13.16. Such is the ſavage cruelty of warre, when God lets it out. Such was the barbarous dealing of the French in the Pariſian Maſſacre, ſuch the Sicilian Veſpers, and at Merindoll; where the paps of many women were cut off, which gave ſuck to their children;Act. & Mon. fol. 868. [illegible: 1 letter] which looking for ſuck at their mothers breſts being dead before, died alſo for hunger. Was not this to kill the mother with the children? which God forbade by a ſymboll of taking the dam with the young, Deut. 22.6. and again of killing the ewe and the lamb both in one day, Lev. 22.28. The Spaniards murdered fifty millions of Indians in 42. years, as Acoſta the Jeſuite teſtifieth. Arſenoe was killed upon her children by her bloody brother Ptolomce king of Egypt. And another of that name killed thirty thouſand Jewes, and compel'd the living to feed upon the fleſh of the dead. When the Switzers vanquiſhed the Thericcuſes in battle,Languet. Chron. they banqueted in the place where they won the victory: uſing the dead bodies of their Adverſaries inſtead of ſtools and tables. The ſight of ſuch like cruelties, common in warre, might well make Zuing lius ſay, when he had been abroad with the Army,Melch. Ad. in vit. 36. that he had found more wickedneſſe, and bad counſels and courſes therein, then ever he had known before, either by experience, or out of books. This paſſage in Gods book (and the like, chap. 13.16. their infants ſhall be daſhed-in pieces, and their women with child ſhall be ript up.) he could not be ignorant of. The Prophet refers his hearers to a ſad example of freſh-bleeding cruelty, well known to them: that they might relent, repent, and prevent the like miſery upon themſelves. This is the uſe we ſhould all put ſuch examples to, Luke 13.2, 3, 5. & 17.26.28. 1 Cor. 10.6, 7, 8, 11.