John Trapp on Hosea 6:5

Verſe 5. Therefore have I hewed them by my Prophets,] Therefore? wherefore? becauſe there is ſo little ſtability, and ſolidity in them: becauſe they are ſo off and on, ſo light and falſe hearted; therefore I have ſpared for no pains, (though all to ſmall purpoſe) but have ſharply rebuked them, that they might be ſound in the faith: yea I have ſought againſt them with the ſword of my mouth,Rev. 2.16. and ſlain them by powerfull convictions of conſcience: ſo that they are ſelf-condemned, and the judgements are written, as it were with a beam of the Sun, they are ſo clear to themſelves and others. This is the coherence, and the reaſon of the illative particle Therefore. It is the ſad complaint of a late Reverend writer, when we have ſpent all our wind on our people, their hearts will be ſtill apt to be carried away with every wind of doctrine. They are wonne, ſaith another, with an apple, and loſt with a nut: no man knows where to find them in one mind for a moneths ſpace: ſuch a generation of Moon-calves never appeared in the world before. Our giddy-hearers (ſaith a third) after all our pains taken with them, have no mould, but what the next teacher caſteth them into; being blown like glaſſes, into this or that ſhape at the pleaſure of his breath. But to return to the Text.

I have hewed them by the Prophets] who are here compared to Maſons or ſtonehewers, 2 King. 12.12. 1 Chron. 22.2. Job 19.24. Eſay 51.1. to Carpenters 1 King. 5.15. Prov. 9.1. Eſay 5.2. to day-labourers who dig pits and ciſternes Deut. 6.11. and 8.9. 2 Chron. 26.10. Neh. 9.25. Jer. 2.13. A miniſters life is no idlemans occupation; they meet with many rough ſtones, knotry pieces, hard quarres, tough work. Some are ſtones crumbling, all to crattle, as ſoon as we begin to hammer them; and as timber falling to ſplinters when we fall to hewing of them: and other ſuch ſons of Belial there are that a man cannot ſpeak to them: 1 Sam. 25.17. they are thorns that cannot be taken with hands, but the man that ſhall touch them muſt be fenced with iron, and with the ſtaffe of a ſpeare. Theſe ſhall be thruſt away as thorns, and utterly burnt with fire, 2 Sam. 23.6, 7. And for the better ſort, thoſe lively ſtones, 1 Pet. 2.5, and ſmoother pieces that are to be ſet into Gods building, being made by his grace more malleable and tractable, there muſt be a great deal of pains taken with them, that they may be as the poliſhed corners of the Temple: they muſt be humbled and hammered, Ier. 23.29. pared and planed here in the mount; for there may neither hammer, nor axe, nor any tool of iron be heard in the heavenly houſe, for which they are fitting, 1 Kin. 6.7. And herein we are labourers together with God; ye are Gods husbandry, ye are Gods building, 1 Cor. 3.9. In which labourous kind of life, I endure all things for the Elects ſake, that they may be ſaved, ſaith Paul, 2 Tim. 2.10. And I dare be bold to ſay, ſaith Luther, that faithful Miniſters do labour and ſweat more in a day, then husbandmen do in a moneth. And for mine own part, ſaith he, Si mihi eſſet integrum vocationem deſerere, If it were lawful for me to leave my calling, I could with leſſe pains and more pleaſure, dig and do day-work, then labour as I now do, in the work of the miniſtry. Pareus thinks that the next words,

I have killed them with the words of my mouth] is ſpoken by God of the Prophets. q. d. I have ſet them ſo heavy a task and put them ſo hard to it, that it hath been the death of them; ſuch crabbed and rugged ſpirits they have met with, ſuch ſtubborn and tough timber that had long lain ſoaking in the waters of wickedneſſe: theſe tooles of mine are even worn out with working. But though this be a pious interpretation, and not altogether improbable, becauſe of the change of perſon here, viz. them for you: yet becauſe ſuch a change is ordinary in Scripture and Emphatical alſo; namely when God ſeemeth deeply diſpleaſed with any one, and therefore leaveth taking to him, and turns himſelf ſuddenly to another (ſee chap. 4.14. and 5.3.4.) I conceive it may very well be ſo in this place.Sic enim contemptim loqui mur. Occidi iſtos I have ſlain theſe refractaries and rebels with the words of my mouth. I have beaten ſo hard upon their conſciences, that they have had no joy of their lives. I have marked them out for deſtruction, by threatening it, as Jer. 18.7.8. and ch. 1.10. Eliſha hath his ſword as well as Jehu and Hazael, 1 King. 19.17. and when Eliſha unſheatheth and brandiſheth his ſword, it is a fair warning that the ſword of Jehu and Hazael are at hand. See Ezek. 11.13. And it came to paſſe that when I propheſied, Pelatiah the ſon of Benaiah died. So did Ananias and Sapphira, Acts 5. So do many deſpiſers now adayes, though it appear not by them. A man may have his bane about him, though he fall not down dead in the place. If any man hurt Chriſts two witneſſes, fire (though not felt) proceedeth out of their mouthes and devoureth their enemies. Rev. 11.5.

And thy judgements are as the light that goeth forth] i. e. I have clearly denounced them and will as openly execute them in the ſight of this Sun. The righteous ſhall ſee it and ſhall ſay, Lo this is the man, &c. Pſa. 2.6.7. and 119.137. Thou, by thine hypocriſie, and externall ſervices, as verſe 6. hath caſt a miſt before mens eyes, that they cannot think thee to be ſo near a judgement: but I will diſpell that miſt, and make my works a comment upon my word: and having ſent unto thee a powerfull miniſtery, but to no purpoſe, I will make thee, who wouldſt not hear the word, to hear the rod, and who hath appointed it. Mic. 7.9.