John Trapp on Hosea 8:12

Verſe 12. I have written to him the great things of my Law,] Magnalia legis; there are alſo minutula legis, Mat. 5.22. both muſt be looked to: for though the Civilian ſay of his Law, De minutis non curat lex, the law takes no notice of ſmall faults: yet it holds not true of the Law of God, which is ſpiritual, and muſt bee kept as the apple of the eye, Prov. 7.2. and obſerved in every point and part, nay in every punctilio and particle thereof. But to come to the words; Ephraim could not plead ignorance of Gods minde, for their many altars, and ſuperſtitions: Deus enim jure quaerat & queratur, for God might very well ſay and complain, as Prov. 22.20. Have not I written for thee excellent things in counſels and knowledge? and in the verſe next afore, I have made known (my minde) this day to thee, even to thee. So here, I have written, ſc. by my Pen-men and Secretaries, to him chiefly, and for his better direction in my ſervice, that, he might walk therein by rule, and not at randome, (See Deut. 4.8. Pſal. 147.29.) the great things, or excellent documents (the multiplicity or multiformity, ſaith the Chaldee) of my Law, or of my doctrine ſapientiall, Prov. 13.14. which taketh in the Goſpel too, that Law of Chriſt, Gal. 6.2.

But they were counted as a ſtrange thing.] As not pertaining to them, as that wherein they were little or nothing concerned, as the narration of forraign affairs. Whereas men ſhould read and regard the holy Scriptures, as they do the Statutes of the Land: holding themſelves as much concerned and intended as any other: threatning themſelves in every threat, binding themſelves in every precept, bleſſing themſelves in every promiſe, mingling the whole Word with faith in their hearts, and reſolving upon the obedience of faith; as knowing that theſe are verba vivenda non legenda, words to be lived, not read onely: and that they ſhould indwell in us familiarly, and yet richly, Col. 3.16. and we ſhould be as inwardly acquainted with them, as any man is with his ſiſter, or neareſt allies, Prov. 7.4. All this the rather; Firſt becauſe God is the Authour of the holy Scriptures, both matter and words are his, 2 Pet. 2.21. he ſpake by the mouth of his holy Prophets which have been ſince the world began: and he guided their hands in writing the Bible. How dare Papiſts then ſay, that they wrote it injuſſi without command from God. Secondly,Luke 1. becauſe God hath written his Law for us, for our behoof and benefit, Rom. 4.23. and 15.4. The Scripture is Gods Epiſtle to us, ſaith Gregory. It is a lamp to my feet, Pſal. 119.1[illegible: 2 letters] and a light to my pathes, ſaith David. Not a light that I ſee at a diſtance, a great way off; but a light held to my feet, that I may ſee my way in this land of Chabul, this dirty and dark world: and not lift up one foot, till I deſcry and finde ſure footting for another, as thoſe Pſal. 34.6. Thirdly, becauſe he hath written for us, the honorabilia legis, honourable and precious things, ſuch as a man would fetch from China or the uttermoſt part of the habitable world upon his bare feet, rather then be without. David prefers it before gold and ſilver, Pſal. 19.11. Solomon before pearls and rubies, Prov. 3.15. Moſes before all the learning of other Nations, Deut. 4.6. The Scripture is the ſouls food, ſaith Athanſius: the ſouls phyſick, ſaith Chryſoſtome: the invariable rule of truth, ſaith Irenaeus. It is ſaith Another, the Aphoriſmes of Chriſt, the Library of the Holy Ghoſt, the divine Pandects, the Wiſdom of the Croſſe, the Cubit of the Sanctuary, the Firmament of Faith, the Touchſtone of Errour, &c. What reaſon then had Darbiſhire (Biſhops Boners kinſman and Chaplain) to ſay to Mr. Hawkes the Martyr, that he was too curious: for he would have nothing but his little pretty-Gods-book? Acts and Mon. And is it not ſufficient for my ſalvation? ſaid Hawkes: yes, ſaid he, but not for your inſtruction. God ſend me the ſalvation (ſaid Hawkes) and you the inſtruction. That the Scripture is full and ſufficient for both inſtruction and ſalvation, ſee 2 Time. 3.16, 17. and my Treatiſe called the True Treaſure. Has igi[illegible: 1 letter]ur nocturnâ verſate manu, verſate diurnâ, Pſal. 1.2. Let there not, by infrequency or diſuſe, grow an alienation or ſtrangeneſſe betwixt us and the holy Scriptures: but be ready in them, and have them, as Saul had his pitcher and ſpear at his bolſter: as David had his choſen ſtones at hand in his ſcrip, &c. Luther wiſheth all his own books burnt; becauſe I fear, ſaith he, they hinder men from reading the Bible, that book of books; in compariſon whereof all the books in the world are but waſt-paper. After which, I tremble, ſaith he, to think of the former age, wherein many Divines ſpent ſo much time in reading Ariſtotle and Averroes, and ſo little in reading the Book of God. Melancthon ſaith that he heard ſome preach upon Texts taken out of Ariſtotles Ethicks. Caroloſtadius was eight yeers Doctour when he began to read the Scriptures: and yet at the taking of his degree,Joh. Manlius. being asked whether he had read the Decalogue, negitabat ſe hujuſmodi librum in Bibliotheca ſua habuiſſe unquam: he denied that he had ever had, or heard of any Book ſo called:Amam. in Antibar. praf. ſuch a perfect ſtranger was he to the great things of Gods Law. And if the learned Doctours be thus bard and ignorant, what may we think of the poor miſled and muzled multitude, that lie faſt lockt up in the Popes dark dungeon, and are flatly forbidden to meddle with the Scriptures, leſt they ſhould be infected with hereſie, or poſſeſſed with a devil, as ſome (ſay they) have been by that means?