John Trapp on Hosea 12:13

Verſe 13. Hither alſo by a Prophee did Jehovah, bring up Iſrailent of Egypt, &c.] that is, Gilead ſerved as a ſanctuary unto Jacob, when be fled from Laban, In Gilgal alſo God by Joſhuah renewed his Covenant with your fathers after he had brought them out of Egypt, by the hand of Moſes and Aaron. A horrible thing therefore it is, if well conſidered, that theſe two places ſhould now he ſo impured with idolatry; and become the nut[illegible: 4 letters]s of evil, which heretofore were the means of ſo great comfort to Gods people. Thus Junius, P[illegible: 1 letter]lanus, and others. A witty interpretation, but ſomewhat forced.

And Iſrael ſerved for a wife,] He had nothing to endow her with, he would therefore earn her with his hard labour: wherein he ſhewed ſingular humility, patience, meekneſſe, waiting upon Gods providence: none of all which graces were found in his degenerate poſterity, who yet prided themſelves in their father Iacob.

And for a wife he kept ſheep.] q. d. Jacob, that he might obey his father, was content to ſerve his Uncle; and to ſuffer a great deal of wrong from him: but ye refuſe to ſerve me though a liberall Lord, a bountifull Benefactour. He held cloſe to me in that hard ſervice: but you abuſing your liberty, enſlave your ſelves to falſe gods. He in his miſery kept his confidence of the bleſſing: but you in your proſperity, caſt it clean away, &c. Luther upon this Text ſpeaketh much about the bleſſing of a good wife, [illegible: 1 letter]um qua perpetu[illegible: 1 letter] rixan. dum. (a commodity that cannot be too dear bought) and the plague of a ſcold that is alwayes rayling and wrangling. The Heathen well ſaith, that every man when he marrieth, bringeth either a good, or an evil ſpirit into his houſe; and ſo maketh it either an heaven or an hell. Parcus well obſerveth here, the great uſe of Hiſtories and holy examples, according to Rom. 15.4. Plato thinks that Hiſtoria comes [non-Latin text not transcribed],In Cratyle. of ſtopping the flux of errours and enormities.

Verſe 13. And by a Prophet the Lord brought Iſrael out of Egypt,] By Moſes that Prophet, by an excellencie: as Ariſtotle is called the Philoſopher, Tully the Oratour, Paul the Apoſtle, Calvin, the moſt learned Interpreter, &c. Moſes was a famous Prophet indeed, and a Type of Chriſt. Confer Deut. 18.15, 18. and 34.10, 11, 12. Acts 3.22. and 7.35, 36, 37, 38. Theodoret calleth him the great Ocean of Divinity. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Bellarmin, Gods ſpeciall favorite, then whom Antiquity had nihil ſapientius, ſanctius, mitius, none more wiſe, meek, and holy: Indeed, titles of honour are not worthy of him. Howbeit he was but a mean man at firſt, Exod. 4.30. he took his wife and his ſonne and ſet them upon an aſſe; that was the beſt, and the onely beaſt that he had, for ought we read. It was not very likely that ſo poor a Prophet ſhould do ſo great a deed. But God loves to help his people with a little help, Dan. 11.34. that through weaker means, his greater ſtrength may appear. His end here may ſeem to be the ſame as before, in ſetting forth Jacobs meanneſſe, to take down the haughtineſſe of the people, proud of their Founders and forefathers. A Prophet he is purpoſely called, and his name concealed, 1. To ſhew, that the work was done not by might nor by power, but by Gods Spirit; Zech. 4.6. 2. To ſhew what God will do for his people by the prayers and for the ſake of his Prophets, when they are moſt ſhiftleſſe and hopeleſſe. 3. To let this unworthy people ſee how much God and done for them once by a Prophet, how little ſoever now they ſet by ſuch. This is Cyrus obſervation.