John Trapp on Hosea 6:10

Verſ. 10. I have ſeen an horrible thing in the houſe of Iſrael,] Now a very den of theeves, as verſ. 9. a Panthion of all ſorts of idols, a chamber of imagery, an Egyptian Temple, gay and goodly without, but within an oxe or calfe, with women weeping for Tammuz, Ezek. 8.12.14. that is, for Oſyris King of Egypt, whoſe image (under the ſhape of an oxe) his wife Iſis had advanced to be idolatrouſly there adored.Cap. 6. This kind of abomination Ieroboam had learned in Egypt (whither he fled from Solomon his maſter) and brought into the houſe of Iſrael. And whereas thoſe Idolaters ſaid, The Lord ſeeth us not, the Lord hath forſaken the earth, Ezek. 8.12. I have ſeen it, ſaith God, and been ſore troubled at it, and even affrighted; ſo as a man is quando horripilatur, when his hairs ſtand an end; as when the devil appeareth to him like an hairy Satyr. See Lev. 17.7. with the Note. Certain it is, that God hateth ſin (but eſpecially Idolatry, that abominable thing, as he calleth it, Jer. 44 4.) worſe then he hateth the devil himſelf: for he hateth the devil for ſins ſake, and not ſin for the devils ſake. Idolatry muſt needs be ſo much the more odious to him, becauſe therein the devil ſets up himſelf in the place of God; and requires men (as once he did Chriſt himſelf) to fall down and worſhip him. See Deut. 32.17. 1 Cor. 10.20. Rev. 9.20. So he dealeth by the poor Indians at this day, compelling them to worſhip him with bodily worſhip, and tormenting them, if they do not, worſe (if worſe may be) then the cruel Spaniards;Sir Francis Drake World encomp. 53. who ſuppoſe they ſhew the wretches favour, when they do not, for their pleaſure, whip them with cords, and day by day drop their naked bodies with burning bacon The Hebrew word here uſed, hath ſome letters more then ordinary in it, to encreaſe the ſignification, and to ſhew what a very horrible thing Idolatry is. It is ſpurca pollutio, Tremel. in loc. as Jer. 23.14. and worſe. See Jer. 2.11, 12. and 18.13. and know that God doth not uſe to aggravate things beyond truth, as men do, witneſſe Nebuchadnezzar, [non-Latin text not transcribed] Dan. 3.14. Is it true, O Shadrach, Meſhach, and Abednego? Or, is it of ſet purpoſe? ſo Buxtorf rendreth it. Is it for the nonce, to provoke me?Num de induſtria? Or Nunquid deſolatio? ſo Arias Moutanus: As if he ſhould ſay, What? you, to oppoſe the command of a king? If this be ſuffered, what deſolation muſt needs follow? But this is not Gods way: he layes no more words upon a thing, then the matter amounteth to if he call Idolatry, filth, fornication, abomination, an horrible thing, ſuch as a man would ſtart, or ſtand agaſt at, we may be ſure it is ſo. The Septuagint here, render it [non-Latin text not transcribed], things to be trembled at, or ſhreeked at. In Barbary 'tis death for the Xeriffs wife, when ſhe ſeeth a man, though but thorow a caſement, not ſuddenly to ſhriek out. God is a jealous God, and allows not his to look toward an Idol. If they do, he will ſoon ſee it, and viſit for it. I have ſeen, &c.

There is the whoredome of Ephraim,] Thus God looketh upon it as filthineſſe, and naſtineſſe, which the people beheld as fineneſſe and neatneſſe. And the ſame do all (that have the minde of God, and ſenſes exerciſed to diſcern betwixt good and evil) judge of all the Popiſh pomp and palterment, wherewith they bewitch the deluded vulgar, as the ſerpent Scytale doth the fleeing paſſenger, whom when ſhe cannot overtake, yet with her beautifull colours ſhe doth ſo aſtoniſh and amaze him,Plin. that he hath no power to paſſe away, till ſtung to death.