John Trapp on Hosea 2:3

Verſe 3. Leſt I ſtrip her naked] Deus ideo minatur ut non puniat. God therefore threatneth, that he may not proceed to puniſh. Here he doth not ſo much direct as threaten, as conditionally terrifie, from the pernitious effect, or ſad iſſue of their adulteries, a full and finall deſolation, after an utter deprivation of Gods gifts and graces, ſhadowed under a fourfold Metaphor. 1. Of ſtripping her of all her borrowed beauty, thoſe jewels, and that comelineſſe that he had put upon her. 2.Ezek. 16.6. Of reducing her to her firſt forlorn condition wherein he found her, Ezek. 16. viz. in her blood, in her blood, in her blood, as it is there ſaid and ſet out for greater emphaſis. 3. Of laying her waſt as a wilderneſſe, (by the incurſions and hoſtilities of cruel enemies) or, as in the wilderneſſe (ſo ſome read it, by underſtanding the particle In) that is, as in the wilderneſſe of Arabia, where they were put to great ſtraits when they came out of Egypt. The very firſt handſel God gave them there, was bitterneſſe and thirſt. It was by Marah that they came to Elim, &c. 4. Of afflicting and puniſhing her with the moſt miſerable and unſufferable kinde of death; I will ſlay her with thirſt, which is worſe then to be ſlain with hunger. All which is ſoretold, with ſome hope nevertheleſſe of grace and forgiveneſſe, if ſhe return and ſeek the Lord; as by the word leſt is ſecretly given to underſtand: Leſt I ſtrip her naked,] As a jealous husband ſnatcheth away with indignation the clothes and ornaments that he had beſtowed upon his adulterous wife. The Lord threatneth the wanton women of Zion, to make naked their ſecret parts, Eſay 3.17. ſo that their ſhame ſhould be ſeen, Eſay 47.3. even all their nakedneſſe, Ezek. 16.37. to diſcover their skirts upon their face, as Nahum. 3.5. Thus the great whore of Babylon is threatned with nakedneſſe, Revel. 17.16. And this we ſee already performed upon her in part, as Mr. Philpot barely told Chadſey in that vehement expreſſion of his, Afore God, you are bare-breecht in all your religion:Act. & Mon. 1657. he uttereth it ſomewhat more groſſely. There was a baſe cuſtome in Rome, that when any woman was taken in adultery, they compelled her (for a puniſhment) openly and beaſtly to play the harlot: ringing a bell whiles the deed was doing, that all the neighbours might be made aware. This the good Emperour Theodoſius took away, M. Clark in the life of Theod. ſenior. 47. and made better Lawes for the puniſhment of adultery. God, when he threatneth to ſtrip the Jewiſh Synagogue naked, meaneth (ſaith Mercer) that he will take away ornamenta regni & ſacerdotit thoſe ornaments of the Kingdome, and of the Prieſthood, leave them as, 2 Chron. 15.3. without the true God, and without a teaching Prieſt, and without Law, ſine lege, ſine rege, ſine fide, as the Braſilians are ſaid to be. The children of Iſrael (ſaith our Prophet, Chap. 3.4. where he interprets this Text) ſhall abide many dayes without a King, and without Princes, and without a ſacrifice, and without an image, and without an Ephod, and without Teraphim: that is, without any forme of civil Government, and without any exerciſe of true (yea or of falſe) religion. What a comfort was it to good David, in his baniſhment, and after the ſlaughter of the Prieſts by Saul (even fourſcore and five perſons, that did wear a linnen Ephod, 1 Sam. 22.18.) that Abiathar the ſon of Abimelech, came down to him to Keilah, with an Ephod in his hand, and that thereby he could enquire of God what to do, as he did,1 Sam. 23.6. 1 Sam. 30.7? And what a grief and miſery to Saul, that God had forſaken him in thoſe viſible pledges of his favour, and would not be found of him? Hence he lay all open and naked to his enemies; who now might do what they would to him, and none to hinder them. This alſo was the caſe and condition of the people, when Aaron (by making the golden Calf at their command) had made the people naked unto their ſhame amongst their enemies, Exod. 32.25. that is, deſtitute of Gods powerfull protection, and deprived of their former priviledges. A people, or a perſon may ſin away their happineſſe; and forfeit the favours they formerly enjoyed. An hypocrite may loſe his gifts, and common graces; as that idle and evil ſervant did his talent; his light may be put out in obſcure darkneſſe. See Ezech. 43.11, 17. with the Note.

and ſet her as in the day that ſhe was born,] Not onely nudam tanquam ex matre, Naked as ever ſhe was born, (The Albigenſes in France, thoſe old Proteſtants, were turned out ſtark-naked, both men and women, at the taking of Carcaſſon, by the command of the Popiſh Biſhop: and ſo were thouſands of good Chriſtians by the bloody Rebels in Ireland now alate) but as ſhe was born of the Amorite, and Hittite; her navel was not cut, her birth-blot was not waſhed in water, nay ſhee was caſt out into the open field, and no eye pitied her. (as the Princeſſe did Moſes, and as the ſhepherdeſſe did Romulus and Remus) See all this and more, moſt elegantly ſet out, Ezek. 16. together with what high honour, and ſumptuous ornaments God did put upon her, verſe 11, 12. What this people were in the day of their nativity, Ioſhuah telleth them in part, Chap. 24.2. Your fathers dwelt on the other ſide of the flood in old time, even Terah the father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor, and ſerved other gods: And I took your father Abraham out of Ʋr of the Chaldees, as a brand out of that fire, &c. and gave him Iſaac[illegible: 1 letter] And I gave unto Iſaac Iacob, who, together with his children, went down into Egypt, where they fell to the worſhipping of Idols, Ezek. 16.26. And although they were there, held under miſerable ſervitude, yet they continued exceeding wicked and abominable. The fire of their afflictions ſeemed to harden their hearts, as much as the fire of the furnace did the bricks they made. Hence, as they hardened their hearts. God hardened his hand, and had haſtened their deſtruction, had it not been that he had ſeared the wrath of the enemy: leſt their adverſaries ſhould behave themſelves ſtrangely, Deut. 32 27. and leſt they ſhould ſay, our hand is high, and the Lord hath not done all this. Pſal. 107.8. The Pſalmiſt was ſenſible of all this & therefore ſaith, Our fathers underſtood not thy wonders in Egypt, they remembred not the multitude of thy mercies, but provoked him at the ſea, even at the Red ſea. Nevertheleſſe he ſaved them for his Names ſake &c. And what was it elſe, but the reſpect to his own great Name, and the remembrance of his holy covenant that moved the Lord to premoniſh this perverſe people of their preſent danger: and not to ſuffer his whole wrath to ariſe againſt them, and to ruſh in upon them without a Ne forte, Am. 4.12. leſt I ſet her as in the day &c. The eſo[illegible: 1 letter]e thus will I do unto thee, O Iſrael: and becauſe I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God with intreaties of peace. leſt your houſe be left unto you deſolate. Luc. 21. leaſt wra[illegible: 1 letter]h ſeiſe upon you, and that without remedy. And make her as a wilderneſs] after that [illegible: 1 letter] have brought her out of a wilderneſſe, and ſet her in a land that floweth with milk and hony. God can quickly curſe our bleſſings, and deſtroy us after that he hath done us good. See this excellency ſet forth Iſay 5.5. and Jer. 17.5.6. Pſal. 107.34. Zech. 7.14. with the Note there and take heed leſt living in gods good land, but not by Gods good lawes, we forfeit all into his hand, and he take the forfeiture. For he had rather that wild beaſts ſhould devour the good of a land, yea, that Satyres and devils ſhould dance there: then that wicked and ſtubborn ſinners ſhould enjoy it. If Philip of Spain could ſay he had rather have no ſubjects, then Lutheran ſubjects: And if the Councell of Tholouſe (out of a like blind zeale for propagating Popery) did decree that the very houſe ſhould be p[illegible: 1 letter]lled down in qua fuerit inventus baereticus wherein an heretick (as they then called Gods true ſervants) wa[illegible: 1 letter] found: How much more ſhall the King of heaven, the righteous judg, root out and pluck up a rabble of rebels that refuſe to be ruled by him. Idolatry is a Land-deſolating ſin, and brings in the devouring ſword Judg 5.8.1. Joh. 5.21. Pſal. 78.58.59.62. Jer. 22.7.8.9. Cavete ab Idolis. And ſlay them with thirſt] Surgit hic oratio, ſurgit afflictio; To be ſlame with thirſt is a grievous judgment. Lyſimachus parted with his kingdome, for a draught of water in a dry land: and made himſelf of a great King a miſerable Captive to the King of Getes; Darius ſlying from his enemies,Plut. was glad to drink of a dirty puddle, that had carrion lying in it: profeſſing that it was the ſweeteſt draught that ever he drank in his life. Dives would have given all that ever he was worth for a drop of cold water. The members, infeebled for want of due moiſture, ſeek to the veynes for relief, the veines to the liver, the Liver to the Entrals, the Entials to the ventricle, [illegible: 1 letter]he ventricle to the orifice. But theſe being not ab[illegible: 1 letter]e to impart what they cannot receive, One he cryes, Father Abraham. But hoſpitable Abraham hath it not to him:Rab. Samuel. fire and brimſtone, ſtorme and tempeſt, is now the portion of his cup, extream thirſt is a piece of Hels pains,Act. & Mon. fol. 1547. and one of the greateſt of earths miſeries. A dear ſervant of God in Queen Maries dayes, (kept and pined in priſon) would faine have drunk his own water: but for want of nour ſhm[illegible: 1 letter]nt could make none. Inward refreſhings he had, even thoſe divine conſolations of the ma[illegible: 1 letter]ty[illegible: 1 letter]s: he drank of the river of Gods pleaſures, Pſal. 26.8. which caſt him into a ſweet ſl[illegible: 3 letters]: at which time one clad all in white ſeemed to ſtand before h[illegible: 1 letter]m and to ſay, Samuel, Samuel, be of good cheer, for after this day tho ſh[illegible: 2 letters]t never be hungry or thirſty more: for ſoon after this he was buried: and from that time till he ſhould ſuffer, he felt neither hunger nor thirſt (as himſelf declared) though he were kept by the cruel B of Norwich with 2. or 3. morſels of bread every da[illegible: 1 letter], and th[illegible: 1 letter]ee ſpoonfuls onely of water. Mercer expounds this text of ſpirituall thi[illegible: 1 letter]ſt, the ſame that was foretold by Amos. Am. 8 Ideo que ſubdit verſ. 4. ſaith Oecolampadius, and therefore God addeth in the next verſe, that he will not have mercy upon her childrer, but will kill them with death; hu[illegible: 2 letters] them to hell as he threateneth to do Jeſ[illegible: 1 letter]bel's children, Ren. 2.23. Oh when the poor ſoul ſhall be in a wilderneſſe in a dry and thirſty land, ſcorched and parched with the ſenſe of ſin and feare of wrath; when the terrours of God fall thick upon it, even the invenomed arrowes of the Almighty: Beſides the bufferings of Satan, that haile ſhot, hell-ſhot of fiery darts, Eph. 6. ſo called for the dolour and diſtemper they work, (in alluſion to the poiſoned darts uſed in war by the Scythyans and other nations, the venemous heat whereof is like a fire in the fleſh) when conſcience I ſay ſhall by this means lie burning and boyling, what would it not gieve for a cup of conſolation, Phil. 2.1. Gen. 16.14. Judg. 15.19 yea for any conſolation in Chriſt as the Apoſtle hath it, for any Beer-lahai-roi, to fill the bottle at, yea for any En-haccore, any cleft in a jaw-bone to revive a thirſty Sampſon, that muſt elſe be ſlaine with thirſt. David never ſo deſired after the water of the well of Bethlehem, as he did after God in a dry and thirſty land, where no water was, Pſal. 63.1. As the hunted Hart (the Hind ſaith the Septuagint) panteth after the water-brookes, ſo panteth or brayeth my ſoul after thee. My ſoul thirſteth for God &c. Oh, [non-Latin text not transcribed] Pſal. 42, 1.2.3 when ſhall I come and appear before God. The tears have been my meat &c. Hunters ſay the Hart ſheds tears (or ſomthing like) when hotly purſued, and cannot eſcape. He is a beaſt thirſty by nature, and whoſe thirſt is much increaſed when he is hunted, The female eſpecially, in whom the paſſions are ſtronger then in males. Chriſt (that Aicleth Shachar, that is, the morning-Hart or ſtagg, as he ſeemeth to be ſtiled Pſal. 22.1. in the title, felt his ſoul heavie to the death in his bitter agony; and taſted ſo deep of that dreadfull cup, that in a cold winter night he ſwat great clods of blood, which, through cloths and all, fell down to the ground. And when this lamb of God was even a roaſting in the fire of his fathers wrath, he cryed out, I thirſt. At which time men gave him cold comfort, even vineger to drink: but God his Father moſt ſweetly ſupported him: ſo that he might better ſay then David, In the multitude of my perplexed thoughts within me, thy comforts have refreſhed my ſoul. But what ſhall thoſe poore creatures do that are ſtrangers to the promiſes, and have no water of the well of life to relieve them, when Gods wrath is as a fire in their bones, and falleth upon their fleſh like molten-lead or running-bell-mettle. Then they that have ſuckt in ſin as an Ox ſucks in water, ſhall ſuck the gall of aſp[illegible: 1 letter] and venom of vipers, and have none to pitty them. Francis Spira fele this ſpirituall thirſt &c.