John Trapp on Hosea 5:7

Verſe 7. They have dealt treacherouſly againſt the Lord] They have dealt deceitfully in the Covenant, they are a perfidious curſed crew of them: this I ſee well enough, ſaith God, though they may think to darken mine eye-ſight with the ſmoke of their many ſacrifices, or to ſtop my mouth with their great preſents. See how he complaineth as in this Propheſie often, ſo, Jer. 3.20. Surely as a wife treacherouſly departeth from her husband, ſo have you dealt treacherouſly with me, O houſe of Iſrael. Now in ſuch a caſe a man will not regard any ranſom: neither will he reſt content, though thou giveſt many gifts:Prov. 6.35. he will not be a pandar to his own bed, unleaſs he be very baſe indeed. Moſt certain it is, that God will not endure any ſuch doings: but though he love his Spouſe never ſo well, yet if ſhe play falſe with him, and admit any other into the bridall-bed,Jer. 12.7. he will forſake his houſe that hath been ſo diſhoneſt, he will leave his heritage that hath been ſo embaſed; he will give the dearely beloved of his ſoul into the hand of her enemies, who ſhall hate her more then ever they loved her, as Amnon did Tamar, and deale cruelly with her, as Ezek. 16. is at large diſcourſed. The wickedneſſe of this people was the greater, for that they pretended religion (as in the former verſe) to their baſe beaſtly practiſes. Deſſembled ſanctity is double iniquity. See how hainouſly God takes it, Jer. 7.9, 10. And when others deale treacherouſly and unworthily with you, ſee whether you have not done as bad and worſe againſt the Lord. Alphonſus king of Arragon in a ſpeech to the Popes Embaſſadour profeſſed, that he did not ſo much wonder at his Courtiers ingratitude to him, (who had raiſed ſundry of them from meane to great eſtates) as at his own to God.

for they have begotten ſtrange children] baſtards ſuch as the Jewes call Mamzer, as ye would ſay aliena labes, a ſtrange blot. They call them alſo brambles, ſuch as was Abimelech who grew in the hedge-row of an harlot, and ſcratcht and drew blood to purpoſe, Judg. 9.14. That which is here charged upon the Iſralites is, that they had not onely taken to wife the daughters of a ſtrange God, or begotten baſtards of harlots, but that they had nuzzled up their children in idolatry, and ſo made them ſevenfold worſe the children of the devill then before. This was a very great aggravation of their treachery, that they ſhould impoiſon their poſterity, and propagate their wickedneſſe from one generation to another; that there ſhould be a line and a ſucceſſion of it from their loins. None are ſo ready to drink in falſe principles, and corrupt practiſes as young ones. Such parents as have a hand in undoing their children, either by ill counſell, or example, are peremptores potius quàm parentes, ſaith Bernard, rather parricides then parents.Ber. Ep. 111. They ſhall give an heavy account to God for their childrens miſcarriages. Let it therefore be the care of parents, as to keep themſelves pure, ſo to ſee to their little ones, that they be not corrupted. Satan bears an implacable ſpite and hatred to them, as the ſeed-plot of heaven; and hath his emiſſaries abroad to marre them. Such was Protagoras, of whom Plato reporteth, that he gloried of this, that whereas he had lived ſixty years in all, fourty of them he had ſpent in corrupting of young people.Plato in Menone. Of Julian the Apoſtate it is reported, that being of excellent parts and proof, both in learning and religion, whileſt he was young: he was afterwards corrupted by his two Heatheniſh Tutours Libanius, and Jamblichus, through the careleſſeneſſe of Euſebius, Biſhop of Nicomedia, who ſhould have ſeen better to it: and that this was a main cauſe of his Apoſtacy.

now ſhall a moneth devour them with their portions.] Some read it thus. Now ſhall the enemy devour them moneth after moneth: Others put menſes for menſtrua, and give this ſence. Like as this people make no bones to break their faith with God by ſpirituall fornication, mingling as it were their ſeed with ſtrange gods and forraine people: ſo ſhall it come to them, which happeneth to women worn with adulteries, See Tremel. & Jun. Annat. (as Ezekiel ſpeaketh) that their monethly diſeaſes procured by inordinate luſt, ſhall eat up and conſume their bodies. For confirmation, they alledge (but not ſo properly) Jer. 2.24. I willingly concur with thoſe that by a moneth underſtand a little ſhort time. How ſoon is a moneth run out? And yet what havock will an enemy make in a moneths ſpace? as we have had wofull experience in theſe late ſtripping and killing times. Them and their portions ſhall one moneth make an end of. Death heweth its way thorow a wood of men, in a minute of time, from the mouth of a murdering-piece. The ſword contemneth the rod, Ezek. 21.13. as if it ſhould ſay; What doth this ſilly rod do here? Let me come; Ile quickly make work among them. Ile dung the land with their carcaſes, &c. with their portions, the lots of their inheritance. Wicked men alſo have their portions in this life, Pſal. 17.14. they live in pleaſure on the earth, and are wanton, Jam. 5.5. but their portion is no other, but a moneth may devour it: their pleaſure no other but one drop of an evil conſcience may damp and diſſweeten it. But if God be thy portion, &c.