John Trapp on Hosea 4:11

Verſe 11. Whoredome and wine and new wine have taken away the heart] i. e. have robbed my people of themſelves, and laid a beaſt in their roome. Any luſt allowed and wallowed in will eate out the heart of grace; and at length, all grace out of the heart. Hence temporizers grow in time ſo ſapleſſe, heateleſſe and heartleſſe to any good: ſome unmortified luſt or other there is, that as a worme, lieth grubbing at the root, and makes all to wither: that, like a drone in a hive, proves a great waſter: that, as a moth in fine cloth, conſumes all: or, as the light of the Sun, puts out the light of the fire: ſo here. But above all others, ſenſuall ſins and fleſhly luſts (ſuch as are here inſtanced whoredome and drunkenneſſe) do war againſt the ſoule 1 Pet. 2.11. do take away the heart: they beſot and infatuate a man, they rob him of his reaſon, and carry away his affections &c. Grace is ſeated in the power of nature. Now theſe carnall ſins diſable nature: and ſo ſet it in a greater diſtance from grace. They make men, that formerly ſeemed to give light as a candle, to become as a ſnuff in a ſocket, drowned in the tallow: or as a quagmire which ſwallowes up the ſeed ſown upon it, and yields no increaſe. Who are voyd of the ſpirit but ſuch as are ſenſual? Jude. 18.19. And who are they that ſay unto God, depart from us, but thoſe that dance to the timbrel and harp &c. Job. 21.11. They ſaw God and did eat and drink Exod. 24.11. that is, ſay ſome, though they had ſeen God, yet they curned againe to ſenſuall pleaſures: as if it had reference to that eating, and drinking, and riſing up to play, upon the dedication of their calf,Lib. de mirabil. auſcult. which was preſently after. Ariſtotle writeth of a parcel of ground in Sicily that ſendeth forth ſuch a ſtrong ſmell of fragrant flowers to all the fields and grounds there abouts, that no hound can hunt there; the ſent is ſo confounded with the ſweet ſmell of the flowers. Let us ſee to it that the pleaſures of ſin take not away all ſent (and ſenſe too) of heavenly delights: that the fleſh, as a Syren, befoole not wisdomes gueſts, and get them away from her Prov. 9.16. as Elian tels of a whore that boaſted, that ſhe could eaſily get all So[illegible: 1 letter]rates his Schollers from him, but he could not recover one againe from her. Indeed none that go unto her return againe, ſaith Solomon Prov. 2.19. for ſhe gets their hearts from them: as David found, and Solomon complained. David was never his own worthy againe, after he had moyled himſelf with that beaſtly ſin. And Solomon when he gave himſelf to wine and women (though his mother had ſufficiently warned him Prov. 31.3.4.) he quickly took hold of folly Eccleſ. 2.3. his ſenſualities drew out his ſpirits and diſſolved him, & brought him to ſo low an ebb in grace, that many queſtion his ſalvation. Bellarmine reckons him among reprobates: but I like not his judgement. Let miniſters of all men (this is ſpoken of the Prieſts chiefly, as ſome think) ſee to it that they fly fleſhly luſts: that they exhort the younger women with ch[illegible: 1 letter]ſ[illegible: 2 letters]ty as St. Paul bids Timothy: and drink, (if any, yet but) a little wine for their bea[illegible: 1 letter]ths ſake: remembring that the ſins of Teachers are teachers of ſins; and that their evill practiſes fly far upon thoſe two dangerous wings of Example and Scandall. Miniſters ſhould be no wine-bibbers or Aleſtakes 1 Tim. 3.3. nè magis ſolliciti de mero qu[illegible: 1 letter]m de vero, magis ament mundi delicias quam Chriſti divitias, leſt being lovers of pleaſure more then lovers of God, that ſhould befall them that Solomon foretelleth Prov. 23.33. thine eyes ſhall behold ſtrange women, and thine heart ſhall utter perverſe things.Venter aestuans mero ſpumat in libidinem. Hieron. Ariſtot. Ovid. 2. deremed. Amor. A belly filled with wine foameth out filthineſſe ſaith Hierom. Wine is the milk of Venus ſaith Another. Vina parant animos Veneri ſaith a third. Whoredome is uſually uſhered in by drunkenneſſe: Hence they ſtand ſo cloſe together in this text.