John Trapp on Hosea 5:6

Verſe 6. They ſhall go with their flocks, and with their heards] Curſitabunt, they ſhall out up and down, from altar to altar, with all their ſtock, as if they would buy off their ſins, redeem their ſorrows, with hecatombs, and ſtore of holocauſts; and then be ready to ſay, as that Heathen Emperour did, when he was to meet his enemie in the field, Non ſic Deos coluimus, aut ſic viximus ut ille nos vinceret. Antonin. Philoſoph. ap. Vulcat. Gallic. in Av[illegible: 2 letters]io Caſſio. Mic. 6.7. we have not ſo ſerved the gods, or lived ſo, that the enemy ſhould have the better of us. They thought they had merited better at Gods hands, by their thouſands of rams, and ten thouſand rivers of oil, then to fall, as in the former verſe, then to be relinquiſhed by him, as here. Lo this is the guiſe of graceleſſe hypocrites: by their outward performances they think to oblige God unto them; and by their good deeds to ſet off for their bad. Thus Brunheldis (that French Athaliah) after many murders, and much miſchief wrought by her, Anno 600. built many Colledges for Prieſts, and Monks, in Burgundy and Auſtria, Eo ſcilicet beneficio maleficia ſua expiavit, ſaith the French Chronicler;Epit. hist. Gal. pag. 25. Dan. hist. fol. 76. thereby thinking to ſatisfie for all her cruelty. So here in King Stevens time, there were more Abbeys built then in an hundred yeers before. So the Papiſts at this day, ſpend and are ſpent in their blinde devotions: they laviſh money out of the bag, and run up and down from Saint to Saint with their coſt: They pray publikely in publike calamities,Quarantoras Italico nomine iſtas preces vocant. Polan. in loc. quem conſule. for fourty hours together, by the Popes command, that they may pacifie God, and divert his diſpleaſure. For the ſame cauſe, they make the ſame man (in their greater Cities appointed) to preach every day in Lent without intermiſſion; ſo as ſix dayes in the week he preacheth on the Goſpel of the dayes; and on the Saturday, in honour and praiſe of our Lady, as they call her. Lo, thus they go, as they think,Spec. Europ. to ſeek God with their will-worſhip, and work done, &c. but they finde him as little as they did here, with their flocks, and with their herds: And why? Firſt, they go to ſeek him: they run, but in a wrong way; and ſo fulfill that ſacred proverb, He that haſteth with his feet ſinneth: for the faſter he runs, the farther he is out. Next,Prov. 19.2. they pretend to ſeek him, but indeed they ſeek themſelves: they ſeek him, but it is to be rid of his rod: they do not ſo much ſerve him, as ſerve themſelves and their own turns upon him; as thoſe hypocrites in Zachary faſted to themſelves; Zech. 7. not to get off their ſins, but their chains. Thirdly, they go with their flocks, &c. not mine, but theirs, ſaith God; he will not ſo much as own them, though they were tendered to him in ſacrifice; becauſe brought with a wicked minde, Prov. 21.27. as Balac and Balaam did, Num. 23.1, 2. and as Cain did, Gen. 4.5. to whom therefore God had no reſpect, becauſe he brought non perſonam ſed opus perſonae, not himſelf, but his ſacrifice, as Luther hath it: who alſo calleth all thoſe Cainiſts, that offer to God the work done, but preſent not their bodies for a lively ſacrifice, Rom. 12.1. Hence he rejects their ſervices with infinite diſdain, as Eſay 1.11, 12. and 66.2, 3. though never ſo numerous and precious, Mic. 6.7. Hoſ. 8.13. And to ſet forth this, as he calleth them here, their flocks, and not his, ſo Fourthly, he calleth them flocks and herds, not ſacrifices: that was too good a name for them. Thus, Ier. 7.21. in ſcorn he calleth their ſacrifice fleſh; ſuch as was ordinary, ſold in the ſhambles. And thus alſo, Hoſ. 9.4. ſpeaking of the meat-offering appointed, Lev. 2.5. he calleth it, their bread for their ſouls, or, for their life and livelihood, the bread for their naturall ſuſtenance; and ſaith, it ſhall not come into his houſe, he will none of it. See Mal. 1.7. with the Note.

but they ſhall not finde him] Non erit ipſis domi, non favebit eis, ſaith an interpreter here, he will not be at home, not within, to open to them when they knock at his doore: he will be as ſtrange to them as ever they were to him, becauſe they bring him not that beſt ſacrifice of a broken heart: and becauſe they come too late when the gate of grace is ſhut, when the gale of grace is over, when he hath fully reſolved upon their ruine, and will not repent

when he hath withdrawn himſelf from them] Heb. hath ſnatcht away himſelf, hath thrown himſelf out of their company, [non-Latin text not transcribed] as Peter threw himſelf out from the rude ſouldiers into a by-corner, to weep bitterly, Mark. 14.72. Cum ſe proripuiſſet, ſo Beza rendreth it. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. When God is well pleaſed with his people, they can no ſooner cry, but he will ſay, Here I am, Iſay. 58.9. And though they offer but ſmall things unto him, as Samuel did a ſucking lamb, 1 Sam 7.9. they are highly accepted, and graciouſly anſwered. But woe unto them when I depart from them, ſaith God Hoſ. 9 12. yea woe upon woe when Gods ſoul is once diſioynted from them. Jer. 6.8. anevill, an onely evill, behold, is come. An end is come, the end is come, it watcheth for thee, behold it is come. Ezek. 7.5.6. and why? becauſe God was withdrawing from them: Hence all evils came ruſhing in, as by a ſluce. In the ninth, tenth, and eleventh chapters of that Propheſy, God maketh diverſe removes. And ſtill, as he goes out, ſome judgement comes in. Firſt he removeth from the Cherubins in the Oracle, to the threſhold Chap, 9.3. and upon that Remove, ſee what followeth Verſe 5, 6, 7. &c. Secondly he removeth to the Cherubins on the right ſide of the houſe Chap. 10.1. and ſee what followes Verſ. 2. Thirdly to the Eaſt-gate of the houſe, and the firſt entrance into the Temple, Chap. 10.19. and then ſee what ſucceeds Chap. 11.8.9.10. Fourthly he removeth to mount Olivet, quite out of the city, Chap. 11.23. and when God was quite gone, then follwed the fatall calamity in the ruine thereof. As there is no light in the world but from the Sun, no water but from the Sea; ſo no ſound comfort or happineſſe to be had but with and in God. Better have him angry with us, then not have him at all with us. The loſs of God is a peece of hell; in the ſuburbs whereof the Saints feel themſelves, when but a while deſerted.