John Trapp on Hosea 3:1

CHAP. III.

Verſe 1. THen ſaid the Lord unto me, Go yet, &c.] This Yet is emphaticall: and it is as if he had ſaid Go over the ſame ſubject again in a ſhorter diſcourſe: and lay before them the ſame truthes, but in more lively colours, that the obſtinate may be left without excuſe, and the penitent may not be left without comfort. Iterum abi, [non-Latin text not transcribed] Go to them once more, and be inſtant with them or ſtand over them as Saint Paul ſaith. 2 Tim. 4.2. and as Saint Paul doth, in crying down the Jewes conceit of being juſtified by the works of the law, and in diſgracing the ſin of fornication ſo common at Corinth. Chryſoſtom at Antioch having preached ſundry Sermons againſt ſwearing, was at length asked when he would preach upon another ſubject? He anſwered when you leave ſwearing, Ile leave preaching againſt ſwearing. Auſtin would have a preacher ſo long to purſue and preſſe the ſame point,De Doct. Christian. Deut. 6.7. Shanan et Shanah repetere ſicut in acuende. untill by the geſture and countenance of the hearers he perceive tha[illegible: 1 letter] [illegible: 1 letter]hey underſtand it, and will practiſe it. This is to whet the word of God upon pe[illegible: 2 letters]le (as Moſes his phraſe is) by going oft over the ſame thing, as the knife doth th[illegible: 1 letter] whet-ſtone. A like type to the former is here firſt propounded, ſecondly expounded, that at length it might faſten. A preacher muſt not deſiſt, though at firſt he prevail not (as ſome from this ſecond injunction collect, that this Prophet would have done) but he muſt turn himſelf into all ſhapes and faſhions both of ſpeech and of ſpirit to win people to God, with all long ſuffering and doctrine, 2 Tim. 4.2. And this the Lord here teacheth Hoſea to do by his own example of patience and tolerance, notably ſet forth in this enſuing type.

Love a woman beloved of her friend yet an adultereſſe] This was an harder task then to take her chap. 1.2. in hope ſhe would prove honeſt. But now that ſhe hath plaid the adultereſſe and ſo deſerved to be diſcarded, yet to love her, yea and that when ſhe is habituated and hardened in her lewd practiſes (as the Hebrew word ſignifieth) Durus eſt hic ſerm[illegible: 1 letter], who can bear it? If none elſe can,Nontam actum quam habitum ſignificat. Rivet. yet God both can and will, as appeareth by this whole Parable wherein the Prophet is commanded to repreſent God, as in the former type Chap. 1. and by loving that wife which he had taken before, though ſhe had plaid falſe with him, to ſhew what was the love of God toward Iſrael. She forſaketh me, ſaith He, who give her all the good ſhe either hath or hopeth for, and followeth after thoſe that put bottles of wine to her mouth, ſhe loves thoſe flagons, &c. Ah ſinfull nation, a people laden with iniquity, &c. howbeit I will not relinquiſh her, but will love her freely as if ſhe had never offended me. O matchleſs mercy. O concio plena conſolationis! Mercer. O moſt comfortable Sermon. God ſo loved the world, the Mundus immundus, that he gave his onely begotten Son, &c. This was a Sic withouta Sicut, there being nothing in nature that can poſſibly parallel it. See Rom. 5.8. God loveth Apoſtates, idolaters, adulterers, yet not as ſuch, but as he intendeth and reſpecteth their converſion to himſelf: which nothing will ſooner effect then the ſenſe of ſuch an undeſerved love. I am not ignorant that another ſenſe is ſet upon theſe words, as thus; Go yet love a woman not married, as yet but eſpouſed unto thee, who may hereafter be thy wife; but is for her adultery rejected for a long ſeaſon: ſo God loved the Iſraelites as an adulterous ſpouſe: and therefore for a long while neglected, but yet at length to be taken by him to wife, according to Chap. 2.15.19.

Beloved of her friend] ſc. of ſome paramour, as Jer. 3.1. thou haſt played the harlot, with many lovers. Theſe the Greeks called [non-Latin text not transcribed] fellow-friends, the whore was called [non-Latin text not transcribed]: ſo they flattered their own vices putting gilded names on them, as our blades name drunkenneſs good-fellowſhip, harlots ſhe-ſinners, &c. The Septuagint render it a woman that loveth naughty things or naughty packs. But I like the former interpretation better; and it is agreeable to the Chaldee Paraphraſt.

Who look to other gods] Look and luſt, ut vidi! ut perij! the mind lodgeth in the eye, and looketh out at that window of wickedneſſe. If I beheld the Sunne when it ſhined,Job 31.26, 27. or the Moon walking in brightneſſe: And my heart hath been ſecretly enticed: or my mouth hath kiſſed my hand, &c. Job alludeth to the practiſe of thoſe old Idolaters, which was to kiſſe their Idols, if they could reach them, as 1 King. 19.18. (Cicero tels of the image of Hercules, cujus mentum oſculis adorantium attritum fuit: and the Papiſts ſo kiſſe their pictures, that hard Marble is worn with it,Spec. Europ. ſaith Sir Edwin Sands, an eye-witneſſe:) But when they could not come at the Idol to kiſſe it, they looked up and kiſſed their hand, in token of homage: and this was called adoration. Quaſt applicatio manus ados This looking to other gods, imports a turning toward them. Se Deut. 31.18, 20. a loving them, a longing after them, and an expectation of ſome good from them. No wonder therefore that ſuch whoriſh hankerings and honings were offenſive to the jealous and juſt God: but the unjuſt knoweth no ſhame, Zeph. 3.5. men are forbidden ſo much as to lift up their eyes to their Idols,Pſal. 121.1. Ezek. 23.27. And ſhall I lift up mine eyes unto the hills (ſaith David, as ſome read that Text) as if from thence came my help? Abſit. Chriſts Spouſe hath a Doves chaſt eye: and he would have her like that Perſian Lady,Cant. 4. who being at Cyrus his Wedding, and asked, how ſhe liked the Bride-groom? How? ſaith ſhe, I know not. I ſaw no body there but my husband.

and love flagons of wine.]See Judg. 9.27. & Amos 2.8. Bechive of Rome. Luxury is the ordinary companion of Idolatry, as Exod. 32.6.1 Cor. 10.7. Rovel. 18.13, 14. O monachi veſtri ſtomachi, &c. At Paris and Lovain, the beſhin vine is called Vinum Theologicum, the Divinity-wine: it is alſo called, Vinum Cos, [illegible: 1 letter]we. caloris, odoris, ſaporis, optims. Thoſe Clergy-Locuſts lick up all: thoſe Abby-lubbers are good for nothing but to devour grain, like vermine: thoſe wine-bibbers and fleſh-mongers (as Salmon calleth them) are no better then the execrements of humane ſociety, gelulim, belly-gods, and fit ſervants of thoſe dungy-gods, as idols are called, Hab. 2.18. with Ezek. 4.17, 18. And a ſcavenger whoſe living is to empty privies, is far to be preferred before ſuch an one, as looking to other gods, and making his gut his god lives but to fill privies. For a flagon of wine, or a meals-meat, any god may ſoon have the hearts and ſervices of ſuch as have (Poliphemus-like) no ſupream deity but their belly.