John Trapp on Hosea 5:15

Verſe 15. I will go and return to my place] To my palace of Heaven: ſo the Chaldee rendereth it, I will withdraw my Majeſtie, and return into the habitation of my holineſſe, which is in heaven. I will go from them that they may come to themſelves, with the Prodigal: I will forget them that they may remember themſelves: I will trouble my ſelf no further with them (when God comes againſt ſinners he is ſaid to come out of his place, and ſo to diſeaſe himſelf Eſay 26.21. with Lam. 3.33.) that they may be afflicted and weep and mourn after me Jam. 4.9. I will take my reſt, and I will conſider in my dwelling place, as Eſay 18.4. I will hide my face from them, I will ſee what their end ſhall be: for they are a very froward generation, &c. Deut. 32.20. and they ſhall ſee that I will be as froward as they, for the hearts of them, Pſ. 18.26. I will gather them in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave them there, Ezek. 22.20. that they may know the worth of my gracious preſence, (which they have not prized) by the want of it: and be pricked on thereby to pray, Return O Lord: how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy ſervants. O ſatisfie us early with thy mercy, &c. Pſal. 90.13, 14. Thus mothers uſe to leave their children (or at leaſt turn their backs upon them) till they mourn and make moane after them. Thus the Lion ſeems to leave her yong ones, till they have almoſt killed themſelves with roaring and howling: but at laſt gaſp ſhe relieves them, whereby they become the more couragious. God alſo will return to his people, when they once turn ſhort again upon themſelves, and ſee their ſin-guiltineſſe, and ſeek his favour. This is Gods end 1 Cor. 11.32. and the happy effect of affliction ſanctified, 1 King. 8.47.

Till they acknowledge their offence] Heb. Till they become guiltie: till they plead guiltie, and carry themſelves accordingly, bluſhing and bleeding in my preſence. Thus Saint James, Be afflicted, or be miſerable, Chap. 4.9. ye are ſo; but ſee your ſelves to be ſo: tremble and humble at Gods feet for mercy: give glory to God my Son, and confeſſe thy ſin, Joſh. 7.19. The viper beaten caſts up her poiſon. The traytour on the rack confeſſeth all. He that in affliction acknowledgeth not his offence, and ſeeketh Gods face, is more hard-hearted then a Jew, as is to be ſeen here and Pſal. 78.34. and 1 Sam. 7.6. In the year of Grace 1556. at Weiſſenſton in Germany, a Jew for theft was in this cruell manner to be executed. He was hang'd by the feet with his head downward, betwixt two dogs, which conſtantly ſnatcht & bit at him. The ſtrangenes of the torment moved Jacob Andreas, a grave Divine, to go to behold it. Coming thither he found the poor wretch as he hung, repeating verſes out of the Hebrewes Pſalms, wherein he cried out to God for mercy. Andreas hereupon took occaſion to counſell him to truſt in Jeſus Chriſt, the true Saviour of mankind.Melch. Adam. in vit. Jac. Andreae. the Jew embracing the Chriſtian faith, requeſted but this one thing, that he might be taken down and baptized, though preſently after he were hanged again (but by the neck as Chriſtian malefactours ſuffered) which was accordingly granted him.Lat. Serm. Latimer reports a like ſtory of one in his time, who being executed at Oxford, was cut down but not quite dead. And means being uſed to recover him, he came again to himſelf, and then confeſſed all his villany, which before he would not be drawn to do. In the life of Maſter Perkins alſo mention is made of a luſty fellow at Cambridge, who being upon the ladder and affrighted with the forethought of hell-torments, was called down a gain by Maſter Perkins, who prayed with him and for him ſo effectually, as that the beholders could not but ſee a bleſſed change thereby wrought in the priſoner; Maſter Fuller and Mr. Clark in Mr. Perk. his life. who took his death with ſuch patience and alacritie, as if he actually ſaw himſelf delivered from the hell which he feared before, and heaven opened for the receiving of his ſoul to the great rejoycing of the beholders. How well might theſe men ſay with Themiſtocles Periiſſem niſi periiſſem. I had been undone, if I had not been undone. David was brought home by the weeping-croſſe, Pſal. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Herod. lib. 1. Alſted. Cbroni. pag. 325. 119.67. Affliction was a better Schoolmaſter to Queen Elizabeth then Maſter Aſcham; Nocumenta documenta, ſaid Craeſus, when he was in the hands of his enemies. The Burgundians well beaten by the Hunnes, fled to Chriſt the God of the Chriſtians, and embraced his Religion.

and ſeek my face] Out of a deep ſenſe of their ſin-guiltineſſe. This is the work of Faith, as the former of Repentance. God was not ſo gone from his people, nor ſo far out of their call: but that if they could find a praying heart, he would find a pittying heart: if they would acknowledge their offence; he would forgive the iniquity of their ſin, Pſal. 32.5. If they would ſet their Faith a work (as ſhe in the Goſpel did, of whom it is ſaid, that when Chriſt would have hid himſelf, it could not be: for a certain woman whoſe daughter was diſeaſed, came and fell at his feet, fetcht him out of his retiring-room Mark 7.24.25.) he would break the heavens and come down from his place Iſai. 64.1, 2. he would come leaping over all lets and impediments, thoſe mountains of Bether or of diviſion, to the relief of his people (See this ſet forth Cant. 5. with the Notes there.) Provided that they ſeek not ſo much their own eaſe and ends as his face and favour, the ſenſe of his preſence and light of his countenance, the fear of his name, and comforts of his ſpirit. Thus David Pſal. 63.1. O God thou art my God, early will I ſeek thee: my ſoul thirſteth for thee in a dry and barren Land. Carnall prayers in time of miſery are but ſuch as the dry earth, or the hungry raven make. They are the prayers of nature for eaſe, not of the ſpirit for grace: ſuch as was that of Pharaoh, when the rack made him roar, the rod ſlatter. See Zach. 7.5, 6. with the Notes.

In their affliction they will ſeek me early] Manicabunt. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Sept. They will morning me, ſo the Orginall hath it. They will do it, ſaith God, for I will give them to do it; both to will it, and to work it: for otherwiſe afflictions (Gods hammers) do but beat cold iron: wicked men grow worſe for corrections, as water is more cold after a beat, as naughty boyes are more ſtubborn or more ſtupid after a whipping. Theſe alſo may cry to God, as priſoners at the bar, or malefactours upon the rack: yea ſeek him early, after a ſort, and yet not finde him Prov. 1.27. no though they ſeek him with their herds and flocks. Hoſ. 5.6. becauſe they ſeek him not early, and earneſtly, or diligently as Prov. 7.15. inflamedly as Baruch Nehe. 3.20. and Jabez 1 Chro. 4.10. accurately and anxiouſly, as the Church ſought her beloved Cant. 5.1. as the Virgin Mary ſought her loſt Son. Luke 2. they ſeek him, not for himſelf, but for his corn wine and oil Hoſ. 7.14. they ſeek not him but his; they ſeek him not till they have nothing elſe to ſeek to. Moſt juſtly therefore may God reject their ſuits and regeſt upon them,Judg. 10. Depart from me ye wicked, Get ye to the gods whom ye have choſen, &c. Juſtly may he ſay to them as once Jephta did to his country men. Do ye now come to me in your diſtreſſe, who in your proſperity ſaid unto me, Depart from us, we will none of the knowledge of thy wayes? Thoſe that will finde God muſt ſeek him early. O ſatisfie us early with thy mercies, Pſal. 90.14. They muſt ſeek him early and late too Eſay 26.9. alwayes and by all means, as the Apoſtle ſpeaketh in another caſe; but eſpecially in affliction, as here; for he lookes for it. Our Saviour being in an agony prayed more intenſively; ſo did David out of the deep, Jonah out of the whales belly, the Church when ſhe was in danger, as ſhe thought of loſing God, then ſhe ſet up her note and cryed, Thou art put in the midſt of us, Jer. 14.9. leave us not Extingui lucem nec patiare tuam. Thus afliction exciteth devotion in the Saints: and although they ſeek the Lord and his ſtrength, ſeek his face evermore, yet eſpecially, In their diſtreſſe they cryed unto the Lord, and he heareth them, Pſal. 120.1. in the night of affliction they take the light of a lively faith, and ſeek him early. And that they may not fail to finde him, they call in help of others, as here in the next chapter. Come and let us return, &c.