John Trapp on Hosea 13:9

Verſe 9. O Iſrael thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf,] Heb. He, or, It hath marred thee, O Iſrael: that is, either thy ſin of ſelf-exaltation, and forgetfulneſſe of me, as verſe 6. Or ty King, in whom thou truſtedſt, as verſe 10. Or thy Calf, whom thou worſhippedſt, hath been the cauſe of thy confuſion. Or thy fained comforts,Conſolatie fictlitia. as Aben-Ezra will have it; thy ſoothing up thy ſelf in ſinfull practiſes. Or, One [illegible: 1 letter]ath deſtroyd thee: Or, Somewhat hath undone thee, but not without thee. Whatever it is that hath done it, it is not I, what hard thoughts ſoever thou mayeſt have of me, becauſe I appear thus dreadfull to thee, as in the former verſe. Fury is not in me, but thou mayeſt thank thy ſelf, and fault thy ſinne as the mother of thy miſery, as the cauſe of thy calamity; thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Hom. Odyſſ. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. and thine own heart may ſay to thee, as the heart of Apollodorus ſeemed in a dream, to ſay to him, when he was tortured by the Scythians; It is I that have drawn thee to all this. It is the obſervation of a great Politian; England is a mighty Animal, which can never die except it kill it ſelf. Anſwerable whereunto was the ſpeech of the Lord Rich, to the Juſtices in the reigne of Edward 6. Never forraigne power could yet hurt, or in any part prevail in this Realm, but by diſobedience, and miſorder among our ſelves: that is the way wherewith God will plague us,Intereſt of Princes. p. 55. if he minde to puniſh us, &c. We uſe to ſay, No man is hurt but by himſelf: Ye have not injured me at all, ſaith S. Paul to the Galathians: you cannot do it, unleſſe I will.Act & Mon. fol. 1186. Gal. 4.12. The devil can do nothing at us, if we give not way to him. And though there were no devil, yet our corrupt Nature would act Satans part againſt it ſelf; it would have a ſupply of wickedneſſe (as a ſerpent hath of poyſon) from it ſelf; it hath a ſpring of its own to feed it. Nemo igitur ſibi palpet de ſuo: quiſque ſibi Satan eſt, ſaith an Ancient. And it was no ill wiſh of him, that begged of God,Domine, libera me a malo homine, meipſo[illegible: 1 letter] [non-Latin text not transcribed]. to deliver him from that naughty man, Himſelf: for he knew, that as in that firſt Chaos, Gen. 1.2. were the ſeeds of all creatures: ſo in mans heart, of all ſinnes, and miſeries that follow thereupon. God made man upright: but they have ſought out many inventions, Eccleſ. 7.29. many ſhifts and ſharking tricks. Sinne and ſhifting came into the world together, Gen. 3.12. The woman whom thou gaveſt me, &c. God muſt bear the blame of Adams ſin: ſo muſt his Decree of Reprobation, ſtill be alledged as the cauſe of mans perdition. But this covering is too ſhort: for no man is deſtroyed becauſe he is reprobated, but becauſe he is a ſinner: neither are any damned becauſe they cannot do better, but becauſe they will do no better. If there were no will, there would be no hell: and this indeed will be the very hell of hell,Ceſſet voluntas propria, & non erit infernus. that they have been ſelf-deſtroyers. The worme of conſcience (ſay Divines) that never-dying worme, is nothing elſe but a continuall remorſe, and furious reflection of the ſoul upon it's own willfull folly, and now wofull miſery.

but in me is thy help.] Heb. In me, in thy help, that is, (ſaith Druſius) I am in thy help, and thy help is in me: whatſoever help thou haſt, I am in it. We can eaſily undo our ſelves; as a childe can eaſily break a glaſſe, that all the men in the countrey cannot piece up again. But God both can and will help his, though never ſo ſhattered: and repair that image of his, loſt in Adam, that One that deſtroyed Iſrael. Lord, ſaith Auguſtine, Ego admiſi unde tu damnare potes me: ſed tu non amiſiſti unde ſalvare potes me: that is, I have done enough to undo my ſelf for ever, but with thee there is enough for my ſafety here, and ſalvation hereafter. God as he both can and will help his, that cry, Give us help from trouble, for vain is the help of man: ſo he will then chiefely do it, when they ſeem to themſelves and others,Pſal. 60.11. to be in an undone condition. Thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf, in me is thy help: His holy hand is reſerved for a dead lift.