John Trapp on Hosea 2:12

Verſe 12. And I will deſtroy her vines, and her fig-trees,] Not her wine, and her figs onely, (i. e.) her delicious drinks and ſweet-meats, (even all her plenty) ſed vineta ipſa & ficeta, as Rivet obſerveth: which ſhews a great deal of anger, (for fruit-trees were not to be deſtroyed in an enemies countrey) like as he diſcovered a great deal of fear of the Spaniſh Inquiſitours,Heyl. Geog. 52, &c. that brought one of them his pears (which he had ſent for) tree and all by the roots It is wiſdome to meet God by repentance, leſt he ſtub up root and branch together, leſt he overturn, overturn, overturn, ſo as it ſhall be no more, Ezek. 21.27. leſt he crie, Cut it down, Luke 13.7. why cumbreth it the ground? ſith it is not for fruit, let it be for the fire.

whereof ſhe hath ſaid, Theſe are my rewards,] The wages of my wickedneſſe, the hire of my Harlotry, Deut. 23.18. Ezek. 16.34. pretium m[illegible: 1 letter]ritorium Adultery is coſtly. Whores muſt have their rewards, they lie in wait for a prey, Prov. 23.20. and will ſoon bring a rich man to beggery, Prov. 6.26. Solomon himſelf was ſo exhauſted by ſuch ſhee ſinners (ſo they call them, Cruces et crumenio ulgas, ſuck purſes the Poet calleth them) that he was forced to oppreſſe his Subjects, to ſup[illegible: 1 letter]ly his coffers: which occaſioned the loſſe of ten Tribes Harlots know no other language but that of the horſe-leech, Give, give; and may fitly be compared to the ravens of Arabia, that full-gorged have a tunable ſweet voice; but empty, they ſcreech horribly.

Corpus, opes animum famam, vim, lumina, Scortum, Debilitat, perdit, necat, aufert, tripit, orbat.

Idolatry alſo is no leſſe coſtly: witneſſe this harlots habit, verſe 13. and the purple whore of Rome, with all her trinckets, and thoſe maſſes of money that ſhe drains out of many parts of Chriſtendome for the ſupport of her ſtate.Muſcipulata res. Otto (one of her Mice-catchers, as the ſtory calleth him) ſent hither into England by Gregory the ninth, after three years raking together of money for pardons, and other palterments, at laſt departing, he left not ſo much money in the whole Kingdome, as he either carried with him, or ſent to Rome before him. What will not men part with to purchaſe heaven?Bellarm. Now they perſwaded the poor people (and ſtill they do) that good works (and what ſo good, as to gratifie the Pope with great ſummes?) were mercatura regni coeleſtas, the price to be given for heaven. Idolaters are all Merit-mongers: they will have heaven as a purchaſe; they lay claim to it, as wages for their work. They ſay with that wretched Monk; Redde mihi aeternam vitam quam debes, Luke 15. Give me eternal life which thou oweſt me, Give me the portion that belongeth to me. God forbid, ſaith another Papiſt, that we ſhould enjoy heaven, as of meer alms to us. On the other ſide, the godly diſclaim their own merits, beg hard for mercy, expect a recompence of reward from him, but all of free-grace; accounting all that they can do for God, but a little of that much, that is due to him, and that they could well beteem him: they do all righteouſneſſe but reſt in none: they know that Gods kingdom is partum & non paratum; that their reward is the reward of inheritance, and not of acquiſition: and that if they could do any thing this way, yet would it be mercy in God to reward every one according to his work, Pſalm. 61.12.

and I will make them a forreſt,] See this more fully ſet forth, Iſai. 5.5, 6. Such is the hatred God beareth to ſinne, that he makes bloody wailes, as it were, upon the backs of the inſenſible creatures for mans ſake. A fruitfull land turneth he into barrenneſſe for the wickedneſſe of them that dwell therein, Pſal. 107.34. Thus he dealt by Sodom, which was once as Egypt, yea as Eden, but is now a place of nettles and ſalt-pits: By Iudea, that once Lumen totius orbis, now laid deſolate: as Babylon, where Strabo ſaith their Barley yeelded three hundred-fold increaſe, and their Palm-tree three hundred and ſixty ſeverall ſorts of commodities, as bread, honey, wine, vineger, &c. but what devaſtation befell it by the Modes, ſee Eſay 13.19, &c. It were eaſie to inſtance in the ſeven Churches of Aſia, the Palatinate, and other parts of Germany, in Ireland, and now Scotland, and what may England look for? Shall we altogether paſſe unpuniſhed? Shall we ſtill ſit ſafe under our vines and fig-trees, and not be forreſted, and by thoſe wilde beaſts of the field devoured? Sure it is, that no beaſt of the field doth ſhew it ſelf more raging, or ravenous, then do the wicked, when God ſuffers, or rather ſends them to break into his vineyard: Witneſſe thoſe breathing devils the Iriſh Rebels, more cruel then any Cannibals. Curſed be their wrath; for it was cruel, tranſcendent[illegible: 1 letter]y ſo, extending it ſelf both to the living and the dead. Ʋrſi non ſaeviunt in cadavera: but theſe bears, Pſal. 58.4. boars, Pſal. 80.13. lions, leopards, &c. did rage againſt dead carcaſſes, and tore them with their teeth. Hiſtories tell us, that the firſt founders of Rome were nouriſhed by a Wolf: Certain it is that the off-ſpring of that people have the hearts of Wolves: being ſavage and cruel above meaſure. Their citie was firſt founded in blood, and ſo was the Papacy: for the foundation of that See was laid when Phocas ſlew his liege Lord and Emperour Mauricius, whom he ſtewed in his own blood. Whence the Poet wittily; Suffocas, Phoca, imperium; ſtabiliſque Papatum. The habit of that harlot is, according to her heart, purple and ſcarlet; and her diet is the diet of the Cannibals.Rev. 17.6. I ſaw her drunken with the blood of the Saints. They are wholly bloody, both in their poſitions, and diſpoſitions, their plots, and practiſes. The Pope is ſaid to be a Leopard, or Panther, with his feet like a Bear, and his head like a Lion, Revel. 13.2. See the Note there And of their S. Dominick (the father of the Dominicans) it is reported, that when his mother was with childe of him, ſhe dreamed, that ſhe brought forth a Wolf, with a fire-brand in his mouth: and he prooved accordingly;Ezek. 21.31. Habac. 1.2, 3. a bruitiſh man, skilfull to deſtroy, to devour the man more righteous then himſelf, by his bloody inquiſitors. I pray that God would deliver his turtle from theſe ſavage creatures; that he would cauſe the evil beaſts to ceaſe out of the land, Ezek. 34.25. that the beaſts of the land may no more devour them, verſ. 28.