John Trapp on Hosea 2:7

Verſe 7. And ſhe ſhall follow after her lovers,] Follow them hot-foot, purſue them eagerly and earneſtly, as the hunter doth his game, or the purſivant, the party to be arreſted: So little was ſhe bettered by her former ſufferings: Thus the blinde Sodomites continue groping ſtill for the door, as if they were ambitious of deſtruction, which was now even at next door by. And thus Pharaoh, that ſturdy rebell. rageth againſt God, and menaceth Moſes with death, then, when that palpable groſſe darkneſſe was upon him. This was one of thoſe wild bulls in a net that was full of the fury of the Lord, Iſa. 51.20. He was full of it, and yet lay raging againſt it, adding impatience to his impenitence, and paſſive diſſobedience to his active. Another Bull of the ſame breed was Ahaziah, who ſent a third Captain after the two former had been conſumed with fire from heaven: as if he would deſpitefully ſpit in the face of heaven, and wreſtle a fall with the Almighty. And a third was that ſtubborn ſtigmatick Ahaz, who the more he was diſtreſſed,Perdidiſtis fructum afflictionis. Aug. the more he treſpaſſed, This is that King Ahaz, 2 Chron. 28.22. Theſe men loſt the fruit of their afflictions; which indeed was a great loſſe, but that they were not ſenſible of it. Thoſe that belong to God ſhall have ſtroke upon ſtroke, one croſſe in the neck of another, till they be kindly humbled, and brought home to their firſt husband. God will ſtrike a parting-blow, betwixt them and their ſweethearts; and make them pollute the Idols which they had once perfumed, Eſay 30.22. She ſhall follow them, but ſhe ſhall not overtake them,] Perſequetur, ſed non aſſequetur. She ſhall meet with diſappointment, but it ſhall be in mercy: ſhee ſhall be croſt with a bleſſing, chaſtened by the Lord, that ſhe may not be condemned with the world. She ſhall ſeek for favour and ſuccour at her ſweet-hearts hands, but all in vain, they ſhall all forſake her, and ſhall change their ancient love into mortall hatred, Jer. 2.36. Ezek. 36.17. It is the uſuall practiſe of the devil, and his inſtruments, to bring men into the briers, and there to leave them to ſhift as they can: thus the Phariſees dealt by Judas; What is that to us? ſay they;Matt. 27.4. ſee thou to that: they left him when they had led him to his bane; like as familiars leave their witches, when they have once brought them into fetters. God dealeth not ſo with any of his, when he is moſt angry. But as in very faithfulneſſe he afflicts them, that he may be true to their ſouls. So when they follow hard after him, as David did, they are ſure to overtake him, though perhaps not preſently; when they ſeek him, they are ſure to finde him, ſo they ſearch for him with all their heart, Jer. 29.13. True it is, that God often by the hand of the enemy, as by a purſivant at Arms, fetcheth in bankrupt tenants, that is, his own untoward and backſliding people, and leaveth them in the purſivants hand, till they take ſome courſe to ſatisfie for their arrears. But that once done, he will ſoon ſet them at liberty, and make them glad, according to the dayes wherein he had afflicted them.Pſal. 90. Let a poor ſoul but ſay, as here, I will go and return to my firſt husband,] that is to God. I have run away from him, by my ſins, I will now return again to him by repentance. Let there be but ſuch language in the hearts of Gods prodigals, and he will ſoon relent toward them, meet them on the way, Iſa. 65.24. fall upon their necks and kiſſe them, Luke 15.20. hee will receive them with all ſweetneſſe. Jam ex hoc loco licet colligere quae ſit vera reſipiſcentia, ſaith Calvin here. By this Text we may gather what true repentance is: Namely, when a ſinner not onely confeſſeth himſelf guilty, and worthy of puniſhment, but truly diſpleaſeth himſelf, and ſeriouſly returnes to God. Here we have thoſe two eſſential parts of true Repentance, ſc. Contrition, and converſion; or Humiliation, and Reformation. The former is called in Scripture, Repentance for ſin, the latter, Repentance from ſin: and the one without the other is to no purpoſe or profit. for then was it better with me then now,] It was ſo: but how came you to conceive or conſider of it in this ſort? but by diſappointments and afflictions? Theſe are to us as Benhadads beſt counſellours, that ſent him with a cord about his neck to the mercifull King of Iſrael. The Septuagint render the Text thus; For he was good to me then, o're he is now. And what wonder? Is there any thing to be gotten by departing from Chriſt, by leaving thy firſt love, by quenching the ſpirit, and making Apoſtacie from former degrees of grace, and holineſſe? Can any ſon of Jeſſe do for us as Chriſt can? or do we think to mend our ſelves by running out of Gods bleſſing into the worlds warm Sun, as Demas did? O call me not Naomi, ſaid ſhe once, but call me Marah: for I went out full, and am come home empty. So doth a revolted Chriſtian ſay,Ruth 4. when he comes from the act of ſinning, when he hath been ſeeking after his ſweet-hearts: he went with his heart full of peace, and his hand full of plenty; and meeting with a bargain of ſinning, thought to eeke out his happineſs, and make it fuller (as Solomon did) but came home empty: empty of comfort, but laden with croſſes. He hath loſt his evidences, is excommunicated from the power of the Ordinances, is under the terrour of a wounded ſpirit, is buffetted by Satan, is out of hope of ever recovering the radiancy of his graces, hath his backburden of afflictions: ſo that he is forced to confeſſe it to be the greateſt madneſſe in the world, to buy the ſweeteſt ſin at ſo deer a rate. David found it ſo, the Shulamite found it ſo, Cant. 5.1, 2, &c. No reſt ſhe had at home, nor comfort abroad, till ſhe had recovered her firſt husbands company; for then it was better with her then now; and yet now too, upon her hearty repentance, all becomes as well with her as ever it had been before, Chap. 6.4, &c. Was it not ſo likewiſe with Ephraim, Ier. 31.19, 20, 21. with the Prodigall, Luke 15. with Peter after his ſhamefull recidivation. Let this then be to all Gods relapſed people as a valley of Achor, a door of hope, that they may be readmitted. Shall Sarah receive Hagar into favour? Ioſeph his brethren? David his Abſolom, Philemon his Oneſimus? Shall that Non-ſuch Ahab, ſhew mercy to his profeſt enemies the Syrians, that had the ſecond time ſet upon him? And ſhall not God receive his repenting children? fetch home his baniſhed, yea though they may ſeem to be as water ſpilt upon the ground? bring them back into his own boſome, though they have never ſo far wandred out of the way? He will, he will. Onely he expects that they ſhould ſay, and do, as the Church of Iſrael here, and as the Church of Epheſus is adviſed, Revel. 2.4. Firſt, Remember whence ye are fallen: ſc. not onely from your former feelings and comforts, but alſo from your former fitneſſe for Gods kingdome; that jus aptitudinale (as the Schools call it) that David himſelf had parted with for a ſeaſon, and therefore is called plain David ſo oft together, and not my ſervant David, as formerly, 2 Sam. 24.12, &c. Secondly, Repent: Sigh out that of Iob, Job 29 2, 3, 4 O that I were as in moneths paſt, as in the dayes when God preſerved me! When his candle ſhined upon my head, and when by his light I walked thorow darkneſſe: As I was in the dayes of my youth, when the ſecret of God was upon my tabernacle: When the Almighty was yet with me, &c. O it was far better then with me, then now. Thus relent, repent, revenge upon your back-ſlidings; ſpare for no pains, but be extraordinarily humbled: deteſt your ſelves, give God no reſt till he return unto his reſt, &c. Thirdly, Do your firſt works, with a redoubted diligence for your former negligence; and tie your ſelves thereto by ſolemne Covenant. Begin (though at firſt but faintly) to pray, read, confer, meditate, ceaſe from ſin, ſhun the occaſions, recover by degrees as a weak body doth by good diet, moderate exerciſe, &c.