John Trapp on Hosea 2:19

Verſe 19. And I will betroth thee unto me for ever,] This, becauſe it could not be eaſily beleeved, is thrice repeated. We beleeve not (what ever men may dream to the contrary) without much ado, and many conflicts. When faith goes about to lay hold on Chriſt, the devils raps her on the fingers, and would beat her off. Hence ſhe is fain to take great pains for it, to work hard for her living. The Apoſtle ſpeaks more then once of the work of faith, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. 1 Theſſ. 1.3. and 2 Epiſt. 1.11. And it is no leſſe difficult (ſay Divines) to beleeve the Goſpel then to fulfill the Law. No man can come unto the Son, except the Father draw him: the ſoul naturally hangs back, and had as lief put off its immortality, as put on Chriſt:Joh. 6. The devil alſo doth his utmoſt to hinder. The conteſt was not ſo great betwixt Michael and him concerning Moſes his dead Body, as it is here betwixt the beleever and him concerning Chriſts living body. And ſhould not God mightily aſſiſt, the buſineſſe would never be done. Hence faith is called, the faith of Gods power, Tarnan. Col. 2.12. the faith of his operation, and what an Almighty power God doth therein put forth, is elegantly deſcribed by the Apoſtle in that ſixfold gradation, Epheſ. 1.19. which ſhews it to be more then a morall ſwaſion. Betroth thee, I will, I will, I will, ſaith God here: and ſome think the Sacred Trinity is here (though darkly, according to the manner of thoſe times) brought in betrothing the Church in this trina repetitio. And mark, that he doth not ſay, I will be reconciled unto thee, and receive thee again after thy foul-playes with me, (for Reconciliationes ferè ſunt vulpinae amicitiae inter homines, Men are ſeldom reconciled heartily) but I will eſpouſe thee, marry thee unto me, and that for ever. I will null the Bill of divorce, love you no leſſe then if you had continued true to me, or were now a pure Virgin. Quis hanc Dei bonitatem dignè collaudet? ſaith Druſius. Who can ſufficiently ſet forth this goodneſſe of God? When God once pardoneth ſin, he will remember it no more; he will not come with back-reckonings. Diſcharges in juſtification are never repealed or called in again. Peccata non redeunt is a true axiom: and it is no leſſe true, that peccata non minuunt juſtificationem. God can pardon ſins of all ſizes; and aſſoon diſperſe the thick cloud, as the cloud, Eſay 44.22. See the matchleſsneſſe of his mercy to a repenting adultereſſe, Jer. 3.5. What greater love can he ſhew to her, then to marry her again, and rejoyce over her as a bridegroom rejoyceth over his bride, Eſay 62.5. Yea to reſt in his love, and to joy over her with ſinging, Zeph. 3.17. and to do this for ever, (as it is here promiſed) ſo that there ſhall be no more breach of conjugall love and communion for ever betwixt them. Ama amorem illius. Oh love this love of his, ſaith Bernard, and reciprocate. And as the wife will keep her bed onely for her husband (ſaith Mr. Bradford Martyr) although in other things ſhe is content to have fellowſhip with others;Acts & Mon. fol. 1503. as to ſpeak, ſit, eat, drink, go, &c. ſo our conſciences (which are Chriſts wives) muſt needs keep the bed, that is, Gods ſweet promiſes, alonely for our ſelves and our huſband; there to meet together, to embrace, and laugh together, and to be joyfull together: If ſin, the law, the devil, or any thing would creep into the bed, and lie there, then complain to thine husband Chriſt, and forthwith thou ſhalt ſee him play Phineas part. And again, if Satan ſhould ſummon us, ſaith he, to anſwer for our ſinnes, or debts, in that the wife is no ſutable perſon, but the husband, we may well bid him enter his action againſt our husband Chriſt, and he will make him a ſufficient anſwer. Thus Mr. Bradford in a certain letter of his unto a friend.

In righteouſneſſe and in judgement, in loving kindneſſe, &c.] Theſe are the gems of that ring that Chriſt beſtoweth upon his Spouſe, ſaith Mercer. Theſe are thoſe [non-Latin text not transcribed], or love-tokens, that Chriſt the Bridegroom giveth to his Bride the Church, ſaith Tarnonius. Here he promiſeth to performe to her, and to work in her all thoſe offices and requiſites due from married couples in that eſtate the one to the other. God will both juſtifie her, by the imputation or Chri[illegible: 2 letters]s righteouſneſſe; and ſanctifie her by the ſpirit of judgement, that is or ſanctification. (See John 16.10, 11. Matth. 12.20. and the Note there.) And becauſe the beſt have their frailties, and although they be veſſels of honour, yet are they but earthen veſſels, and have their flawes, their cracks, therefore it is added, I have betrothed thee unto me in loving-kindneſſe, and in mercies. q. d. My heart and wayes towards you ſhall be full of gentleneſſe and ſweetneſſe, without mo[illegible: 1 letter]oſity or harſhneſſe. My loving-kindneſſe ſhall be great, Neh. 9.17. marvellous great, Pſal. 31.21. Excellent, Pſal. 36.7. Everlaſting, Eſay 54.8. Mercifull, Pſal. 117.2. Multitudes of loving-kindneſſe,Pſal.36.5. Eſay 63.7. as for my mercies, or bowels of compaſſion towards you, they are incomprehenſible, as having all the dimenſions, Epheſ. 3.18. Thy mercy O God, reacheth unto the heavens, there's the height of it: Great is thy mercy towards me, and thou haſt delivered my ſoul from the lowermost hell, there is the depth of his mercy.Pſal. 86.13. The earth is full of thy goodneſſe, there is the breadth of it. All the ends of the earth have ſeen thy ſalvation, there is the length of it. O pray to ſee that bleſſed ſight, Epheſ. 1.18. and 3.18. that beholding as in a glaſſe, this glory of the Lord, ſhining bright in his Attributes, you may be transformed into the ſame image, 2 Cor. 3.18. from glory to glory: and as in water, face anſwereth to face, as lead anſwereth the mould, as tally anſwereth tally, Indenture indenture, ſo may we reſemble and expreſſe the Lord our Husband, in righteouſneſſe, holineſſe, loving-kindneſſe, tender mercies, and faithfulneſſe: that as the woman is the image and glory of the man, ſo may we be of Chriſt. For our encouragement it muſt be remembred, that the Covenant that Chriſt maketh with us, is a double Covenant, to performe his part as well as ours, to make us ſuch as he requiret[illegible: 1 letter] us to be in all holy converſation and godlineſſe: for which end alſo we have a [illegible: 1 letter]uplica[illegible: 1 letter] of his Law written in our hearts, Jer. 31.33. a law in our mind, anſwerable to the law of his mouth, Rom. 7.23. In a word, he graciouſly undertaketh [illegible: 1 span] parts: therefore is the Covenant everlaſting, and the fruits of it are ſure mer[illegible: 2 letters], compaſſions that fail not. In foedere novo nihil poteſt incidere quo miniss ſit [illegible: 3 letters]raum, quum non ſit ei adjecta conditio, ſaith Mercer upon this Text: that is, In the new Covenant there can nothing fall out whereby it ſhould not be everlaſting, ſith there is no condition required on our part. That faith, or faithfulnoſſe, mentioned in the next verſe, God requireth not as a mutual reſtipulation of our part. (as works were in the old covenant) But here it is rather a declaration of his pleaſure what he would have us to do, and whereto he will enable us. It is not a condition to endanger the Covenant; but an aſſurance, that he will give us ſtrength to keep it.