John Trapp on Hosea 4:12

Verſe 12. My people ask counſel at their ſtocks] that is, at their Images which are here called ſtocks in contempt, as Hezekiah called the brazen ſerpent (when it was idolized by the people) Nehuſhtan, or a piece of braſs: and as Julius Palmer martyr called the Rood in Pauls a Jackanapes, Act. & mon. and as the poet, in contempt of his own God Priapus, brings him in ſaying Olim truncus eram ficulnus,Horat inutile lignum.

So the Prophet cryes ſhame upon the houſe of Iſrael,See that graphicall deſcription of their madneſſe Eſay. 44.11. &c. Rivet in loc. for ſaying to a ſtock, thou art my father: and to a ſtone thou haſt brought me forth, Jer. 2.27. But to ſuch ſenſeleſſe practiſes men fall many times, when they grow ſenſuall See 2 Theſ. 2.10. Rev. 17.5. Spiritull whoredome, and bodily go uſually together. Rivet tels us here of a Noble-man that went out of the Church from hearing maſs into the very next houſe where he kept a whore; and ſaid to the by-ſtanders a lupanari ad miſſam unum tantum eſſe paſſum, that there is but one ſtep from the maſſe to a whore-houſe.

and their ſtaff] that is, ſaith Kimchi, their falſe-prophets upon whom they leane, and by whom they are led, as a blind man by his ſtaff. But I rather think it is meant of Rabdomancy a kind of odd way of divining by rods and ſtaves, as Nebuchadnezzar is brought in doing Ezek. 21.22. and was common in thoſe Eaſtern parts: Or elſe hereby are meant the Southſayers and Magicians rods as Exod. 7.12. Heb. 11.21. it is ſaid that Jacob worſhipped leaning upon the top of his ſtaff, and thereby lifting up his body to do reverence to God, where the Vulgar text, omitting the prepſition, hath committed a manifeſt errour, in ſaying that Jacob worſhipped the top of his rod or ſtaff; as if there had been ſome picture there ingraven: the Hebrew is towards the beds-head. And it is certaine that Jacob worſhipped none but God: and bowed himſelf either towards the beds-head, or leaning upon his ſtaff, to teſtifie his humility, faith and hope, which adoration how far it was from the worſhipping of Images (which the papiſts vrge from this place) who ſeeth not?

for the ſpirit of whoredomes hath cauſed them to erre] That unclean ſpirit Zech. 13.2. the devill (who is [non-Latin text not transcribed] as Syneſius ſaith, a delighter in idols) drives them ſata[illegible: 1 letter]ico impetu, to commit whoredome both ſpirituall and corporall with ſtrength of affection. Now if that ſpirit of errour 1 Jon. 4.6. and of giddineſſe Eſa. 19.14. cauſe men to erre, and carry them with a vehement Impetus to idol-worſhip (which indeed is devil-worſhip) what wonder? men that are that way bent know not of what ſpirit they are: little think that they are acted and agitated by the devill. O pray with David Pſal. 143.10. that that good ſpirit of God may lead us into all truth and holineſſe.

and they are gone a whoring from under their God] i. e. from under the yoke of his obedience: they are gone out of his precincts, and therefore alſo out of his protection: as a whore that forſaketh her husband, and is therefore worthily caſt off.