John Trapp on Hosea 11:1

CHAP. XI.

Verſe 1. WHen Iſrael was a childe, then I loved him,] Or Becauſe Iſrael was a childe, I loved him. Young things are lovely; young children eſpecially, for their innocency, and igneſcency. Some ſence it thus, Iſrael was a child, and had nothing of worth, or lovely in him; yet I loved him freely, Deut. 7.7. Hoſ. 10.9. called him out of Egypt, out of the iron furnace, led him thorow the deep, as an horſe in the wilderneſſe, Eſay 63.13. poſſeſſed him of the promiſed land. Out of which though I ſhall ſhortly caſt him for him ingratitudes: yet there is hope of his reſtauration, by the Meſſiah my Sonne, whom when I have called out of Egypt, he ſhall gather together again the diſperſed of Iſrael, and bring life and immortality to light by the Goſpel. The foundation of which reſtauration, he here maketh to be his own free-grace. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Luke 1.53. He hath holpen his ſervant (or his childe) Iſrael, in remembrance of his mercy. God ſo loved the world, that he gave his onely begotten Son, &c. Joh. 3.16. Here then beginneth our Prophets firſt Evangelicall ſermon, as Tarnovi[illegible: 1 letter]s obſerveth: who alſo readeth the Text thus: Albeit Iſrael was a childe, ſuch a forlorn out-caſt childe, as is deſcribed, Ezek. 16. and 23. Yet I loved him, and adopted him for my ſonne: not for any defect on my part, (for I had an onely begotten Son, in whom I am well pleaſed:) or, for any deſert on his part, for I found him in his blood, in his blood, in his blood, Ezek. 16.6. when I caſt my skirt of love over him, and ſaid unto him, Live. Yea and for his ſalvations ſake, I have called, that is, I have decreed to call out of Egypt (whither he fled from Herod, and where he abode two or three years at leaſt) my childe Jeſus, whoſe office it is to ſave his people from their ſinnes. Epiphan. Mat. 1.21. And although I might juſtly have deprived them of ſuch a Saviour for ever, becauſe when he came to his own, his own received him not, (yea, rejected him to whom their own ſignes given to Herod, did ſo aptly and evidently agree) yet out of Egypt, to ſhew the conſtancy of my love to Iſrael,Mat. 2. have I called (by mine angel, as Jacob by a meſſenger called his wives to him into the field, Gen. 31.4.) My Son Chriſt, who is Gods Son, firſt by eternall generation, Prov. 8.22, 23. Secondly, by perſonall union, Pſal. 2.7. And thus God called out of Egypt, firſt Iſrael his people, and then Chriſt the Head of his people; in whom at length this prophecy was fulfilled.