John Trapp on Hosea 11:6-8

Verſ. 6. And the ſword ſhall abide on his cities] Heb. ſhall keep reſidence or ruſh upon his cities. It can do no leſs; it cannot return into the ſcabbard, reſt or be ſtill till the Lord, who put it into commiſſion, call back againe his commiſſion, Jer. 47.6.7. It is a dreadfull thing when the ſword abideth on a people; as in Germany that ſtage of warr, Ireland ſtill a land of divine ire &c. England hath ſome Halcyons at preſent,incredibili celeritate & temporis brevitate à Pompeio confectum. Aug: de Civ. Dei. Mr. Burr. praiſe be given to God: and let every good man pray with David, ſcatter thou the people that delight in warr Pſal. 68.30. The Pira[illegible: 1 letter]s warr was diſpatcht by Pompey with incredible ſwiftneſs, to his eternall commendation. And we have cauſe to bleſs God (ſaith a countryman of ours) that God hath raiſed up inſtruments for us, who have hazarded the ſhortening of their own lives for the ſhortning of the warr: who have done their worke of late, as if they had took it by the great &c. And the ſame Author obſerveth, that it is a ſad thing for the ſword to be in the field; but for the ſword to be in the cities it is much more ſad: and he inſtanceth in Jeruſalē out of Joſephus,Joſ. de bell Jud: l. 7. c. 7. where the number of the ſlaine was eleven hundred thouſand: We may further inſtance in that unhappy city of Magdeburg in Germany, where ſo much cruelty was exerciſed firſt by Charles the fift, (much regrated by him at laſt in his retired life, taking account of his actions) & ſince that in our memory by Mounſier Tilly, who like a bloody villain put to the ſword there twenty thouſand perſons at leaſt of all ranks, ages, and ſexes:Mr. Clark life of K. of ſwed. 23. that great city alſo he burned down, utterly turning it into cinders excepting an hundred nine & thirty houſes &c. The like immanity was exerciſed by the Popes champions upon the poor Proteſtants at Angrogue in France: where they killed and burned without mercy: but could never ſet fire upon the two temples there, nor upon the Miniſters houſe,Act: and Mone 880. which remained whole, the houſes round about being all conſumed with fire.

and ſhall conſume his branches and devour thèm] His branches or his villages, which are as branches of the greater cities. The trees of America (but eſpecially of Braſile) are ſo huge, that it is reported of them,Abbbots Geog. p. 271. that ſeverall families have lived in ſeveral armes or branches of one tree, to ſuch a number as are in ſome petty village or pariſh here. The greater cities are as the body or-root of a tree, the villages as the branches. The ſcripture oft calleth them mother and daughters, as Heſhborn and all her daughters, That is villages Num. 21.25. as the Chalde there explaineth it. See Ezech. 10.44.45.46.48.53. hence we read of a citieand mother in Iſracl 2 Sam. 20.19. Branches alſo are called daughters of the trees they grow from Gen. 44.23. The word here rendred branches is by ſome rendred Barres, by others, Diviners or Liers, as the word here uſed is interpreted Jer. 50.36. A ſword is upon the liars or diviners, and they ſhall dote: poteſt Augur Augurem videre & nou ridere? ſaith Tully of ſuch diviners: that is, Can they one looke upon another and not laugh, conſidering how they gull people with their lies and fopperies? The ſword ſhall be upon ſuch, as it was upon Balaam Satans ſpelman, they ſhall be a portion for foxes Pſal. 63.10. as thoſe that Aſtutam vapido ſervant ſub pectore vulpem.

becauſe of their own counſels] He that goeth to ſchool to his own carnall reaſon, is ſure to have a fool to his maſter; an ignis fatuus that will bring him into the bogges and briers. The wiſdome of the fieſh is enmitie to God. Nemo laeditur niſi à ſeipſo. See the Note on chap. 10. verſ. 6.

Verſ: 7. My people are bent to backsliding from me] they have a principle of Apoſtacie in them, as thoſe Galathians had, of whom the Apoſtle, I marvaile that you are ſo ſoon removed unto another Goſpell Gal. 1.6. and as thoſe old Apoſtates in the wilderneſſe, who ſo ſoon as Moſes his back was turned almoſt, cryed out to Aaron, Make us golden Gods. This people was before accuſed to be acted by a ſpirit of fornication, a certain violent impetus, a ſtrong inclination to whoredome, and to be apt to backſlide with a perpetuall backſliding: all their recidivations and revolts were but a fruit of the bent of their ſpirits, which were falſe and unſettled: not reſolved whether yet to turne to God, though they were beſet with ſo many miſchiefs: they hangd in ſuſpence and rather inclined to the negative then elſe. Suſpenſi ſunt, ſo Calvin, Pareus, and others, read this text. My people are in ſuſpence, or in a mamering whether to turne to me or not, they hang in doubt, as the ſame word is rendred Deut: 28.66. God liketh not that his people ſhould ſtand doubtfull as S[illegible: 2 letters]pticks; and adhere to nothing certainly: to be in religion as idle beggars are in their way, ready to goe which way ſoever the ſtaffe falleth: but that they ſhould ſtrive to a full aſſurance in what they beleeve Luk. 1.4. to be fully perſwaded as ver. 1. and to a firm purpoſe of heart in what they ſhould practiſe Act. 11.23. Irreſolution againſt ſin or for God can hardly conſiſt with the power of Godlineſſe: be not off and on with him, halt not, hang not in doubt what to do; but follow God fully as Caleb did; come off freely as David, who had choſen Gods precepts when he was ſolicited to have done otherwiſe Pſal. 119.173. And again, I have choſen the way of truth: thy judgements have I laid before me ver. 30. I have waighed them, and am reſolved to keep them, I am come to a full determination. Mr. Deodate ſenſeth the words thus. They deſire and expect that I ſhould turn in favour to them and relieve them: whereas they ſhould turn to me by repentance, which they will not do: and herein he followeth Arias Montanus. Thus thoſe ſtiffnecked Jewes in Jeremy expected that God ſhould ſtill deale with them (however they dealt with him) according to all his wondrous works chap. 21.2. preſuming and promiſing themſelves impunity; and thus Judas alſo had the face to ask,Mat. 26.25. as the reſt did, Is it I? as reſting upon Chriſts accuſtomed gentleneſſe, and that he would conceale him ſtill, as he had done certain daies before.

though they called them to the moſt High] They, that is the Prophets as verſ. 2. called them with great importunity, upon every opportunity, to the moſt High, to God (in oppoſition to thoſe Dii minutuli petty deities whom they doted on. See chap. 7.16.) to come up to him, to have high and honourable conceptions of Him, not caſting him in a baſe mould, as thoſe miſcreants did, Pſal. 50.21. but ſaying as David, and with a David-like ſpirit, Thous Lord art high above all the earth, thou art exalted far above all Gods, and there-hence inferring, Ye that love the Lord, hate evil Pſal. 97.9.10. I am God Almighty, walk before me and be upright Gen. 17.1. The God of glory appeared to Abraham Act. 7.2. he ſo conceived of God; and hence his unchangeable reſolutions for God.

none at all would exalt him] Heb. together he exalted not, ſcarce a Hee, a ſingle man that would do it, that would lift up his head to liſten to ſuch good counſel, (ſo ſome ſence it) or that would exalt and extol the moſt High; who though he be high above all praiſe as Neh. 9.5. and cannot be praiſed according to his excellent greatneſſe: Yet is he pleaſed to account himſelf exalted and magnified by us, when, conſidering the infinite diſtance and diſproportion that is betwixt him and us, we lay our ſelves low at his feet for mercy, we ſet him up in our hearts for our ſole Soveraign,2 Sam. 18.3. we eſteem him as the people did David more worth then ten thouſand, we give him room in our ſoules, and with higheſt apprehenſions, moſt vigorous affections, and utmoſt endeavours wee beſtow our ſelves upon him, as the only Worthy. Now this is done but of a very Few, and well done but of fewer yet; ſo droſſy and drowſy are mens ſpirits, and ſo little is the Lord, li[illegible: 1 letter]ted up by the ſons of men. See the Prophet Eſay his complaint chap. 64.7.

Verſ: 8. How ſhall I give thee up Ephraim?] Here beginneth the ſecond part of this chapter, full of many ſweet Evangelicall promiſes, and here, if ever, Mercy rejoyceth againſt Judgment, [non-Latin text not transcribed] Cervix or treadeth on the very neck of it, as St. James his word importeth chap. 2.13. The Lord ſeemeth here to be at a ſtand, or at ſtrife with himſelf about the deſtruction of this people fore-threatened; which well might have been a gulf to ſwallow them up, and a grave to bury them in for ever, being moſt worthy to periſh, as were the Cities which God deſtroyed in his wrath. Gen. 19. Howbeit God in the bowels of his mercy earning and taking pitty of his Elect amongſt them (for he had reſerved 7000. hidden ones that had not bowed their knees to Baal) ſpareth to lay upon them the extremity of his wrath, and is ready to ſave them for his mercies ſake. Heare how father-like he melts over them;

how ſhould I expoſe thee O Ephraim? how ſhould I deliver thee up O Iſrael? How ſhould I diſpoſe the as Admah? how ſhould I ſet thee as Zeboim] q. d. Juſtice requires that I ſhould lay thee utterly waſt, and even rain down hell from heaven upon thee as once upon Sodom and her ſiſters. But Mercy interpoſeth her four ſeveral How's (in the Originall two onely, expreſſed, but the other 2. neceſſarily underſtood, and by Interpreters fitly ſupplied) foure ſuch patheticall Interrogations as the like are not to be found in the whole book of God, and not to be anſwered by any but God himſelf: as indeed he doth to each particular in the following words, My heart is turned within me, that is the firſt anſwer, The ſecond, My repentings are kindied together: The third I will not execute the fierceneſſe of my wrath: The fourth I wil not return to deſtroy Ephraim. And why? Firſt I am God and not Man: Secondly the Holy One in the middeſt of thee.

My heart is turned, or turneth it ſelf, within me] that is my mind is changed, or at leaſt is, in doubt what to do, in this buſineſſe. This is ſpoken [non-Latin text not transcribed] after the manner of men, and muſt be underſtood [non-Latin text not transcribed] agreeably to Gods greatneſſe. Here is mutatio rei non Dei, effectus non affectus, facti non conſilij: Repentance with man is the changing of his will. Repentance with God is no more then the willing of a change: ill is not a change of his will, but of his work. Confer Lam. 1.20. & 2.11. Am. 1.12. There are that render it, My hart is turned againſt me, that is, againſt my former ſevere ſentence of cutting them all utterly off at one blow; Fiat Juſtitia, pereat mundus. Oh! I cannot finde in my heart to do it. For my

repentings are kindled together,] Simul aeſtuant viſcera mea poenitentiâ. So Tremellius: My bowels are altogether on a light fire with repentings, as Gen. 43.30. and 1 King. 3.27. Now repentings are as improperly attributed to God, as bowels. There were a ſort of ignorant Monks in Egypt, who ſtarted this fooliſh and ridiculous queſtion (which yet bred no ſmall ſtirres there Anno Dom. 403.) An Deus corporeus ſit? Whether the Divine Eſſence be a body, having hands, heart, bowels, &c? The ruder ſort of them held it affirmatively. What blaſphemies Vorſtius hath vented, in that baſe book of his de Deo, I need not relate. How God is ſaid to repent, hath been ſaid already: Sure it is,Calvin. that herein he graciouſly accommodateth himſelf to our rudeneſſe, and ſpeaketh as we are able to bear. It appeareth that fury is not in God, Eſay 27.4. Our ſins put thunder-bolts into his hands, and it is, Non niſi coactus with him, when he proceeds to puniſhment. His bowels are very ready to work in the wayes of grace, and mercy toward ſinners: and the leaſt act of faith in that mercy, would certainly ſet bowels on work amain. This the Church in Eſay well knew, and therefore prayed when deſerted, Look down from heaven, &c. Where is thy zeal, and thy ſtrength? Eſay 63.15, 16. the ſounding of thy bowels and of they mercies toward me? are they reſtrained? Doubtleſſe thou art our Father, notwithſtanding thine auſterities. God ſeemeth ſometimes to loſe his bowels, and then we muſt find them for him: to ſleep, and we muſt awake him: to hide himſelf, and then we muſt fetch him out (as the woman of Canaan did by the force of her faith, Mark. 7.24, 25.) God will come, but he will have the faithfull prayers of his people to lead him. I came for thy word, Dan. 10.9. &c.