John Trapp on Hosea 8:3

Verſe 3. Iſrael hath caſt off the thing that is good,] Heb. The Good: as firſt, the good God, who is good originall, univerſall, All-ſufficient, and ſatisfactory, proportionable and fitting to our ſoul. He both is good, and doth good. Pſal 119.68. and that both naturally, abundantly, freely, and conſtantly. Good thou art, O Lord, and ready to forgive, ſaith David, Pſal. 86.5. And the Good Lord be mircifull, 2 Chron. 30. &c. ſaith Hezekiah in his prayer for the people. To ſpeak properly, there is none good but God, Aſe elonganit' [illegible: 1 letter]ipulis. ſaith our Saviour, Matt. 19.17. but Iſrael caſt him, or rather kickt him off (procul à ſe rejecit) as the word ſignifieth: So do all groſſe hypocrites: they are rank Atheiſts, practicall Atheiſts though profeſſionall Chriſtians. Secondly, they reject Chriſt as a Soveraigne, though they could be content to have him, as a Saviour: they ſend meſſages after him, ſaying, We will not have this man to rule over us: they will not ſubmit to the lawes of his kingdom, nor receive him in all his offices, and efficacies: they are Chriſtleſſe creatures, as without God, ſo without Chriſt in the world. Thirdly, hypocrites reject the good Spirit of God, (as David calleth him, Pſal. 143.10.) the fruit whereof is in all goodneſſe, and righteouſneſſe, and truth, Epheſ. 5.9. When God ſtriveth with them by his good Spirit (as Neh. 9.20.) they, by yeelding to Satans ſuggeſtions, grieve that holy Spirit, and by grieving reſiſt him, and by reſiſting quench him, and by quenching maliciouſly oppoſe him, and offer deſpite unto him; and ſo caſt themſelves into the puniſhing hands of the living God, Heb. 10.29, 31. Laſtly, they caſt off the good Word, and true Worſhip of God: thoſe right judgements, true lawes, good ſtatutes, and Commandements, Neh. 9.13. they put the promiſes from them, and judge themſelves unworthy of everlaſting life, Acts 13.46. they hate inſtruction, and caſt Gods words behind them, Pſal. 50.17. In a word, bee hath left off to bee wiſe, and to do good: hee ſetteth himſelf in a way that is not good: hec abhorreth not evil, Pſal. 36.3, 4. The words may be read thus, The good (God) hath rejected Iſrael; the enemy ſhall purſue him: according to that in the Pſalme, God hath forſaken him, perſecute and take him, for there is none to deliver him, Pſal. 71.11. Sure it is, that the Lord is with us, while we are with him: and if we ſeek him, he will be found of us. But if we forſake him, he will forſake us. And if he forſake us, wo be to us, chap. 9.12. we are in danger to be caught up by every paltry enemy, as young Lapwings are to be ſnatcht up by every buzzard. If Iſrael caſt away the thing that is good, [illegible: 1 letter] Chron. 15.2. what marvell if evil hunt him to overthrow him, Pſal. 140.11. and if he find himſelf in all evil in the midſt of the Congregation, and the aſſembly, Prov. 5.14. Hence Cains fear, when caſt out by God; and Sauls complaint, that the Philiſtines were upon him, and God had forſaken him.