John Trapp on Hosea 8:7

Verſe 7. For they have ſown the winde, and ſhall neap the whirl-winde:] To ſowe the winde is to labour in vain, as Eccleſ. 5.16. to labour for the winde, and Prov. 11.29. to poſſeſſe the winde, to feed on the winde, Hoſ. 12.1. and to be eaten up of the winde, Jer. 22.22. The Greeks expreſſe the ſame by hunting after, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. and huſbanding the winde. The winde we know maketh a mighty buſtle, as if it were ſome great buſineſſe, ſolid and ſtable: but preſently it blowes over, and comes to nothing. Or if it get, as ſeed, into the boſome of the earth, either it breeds an earth-quake, or at leaſt ariſeth in a whirl-winde, which blowes duſt into the eyes, and once at leaſt buried a conſiderable Army in the Lybian ſands. Solomon ſaith,Cambyſes his ſouldiers. He that ſoweth iniquity, ſhall reap vanity, Pro. 22.8. But our Prophet here, ſaith more: He that ſoweth the wiude of iniquity, ſhall reap the terrible tempeſt of unconceiveable miſery. By the blaſt of God he ſhall periſh, and by the breath of his noſtrils he ſhall be conſumed, Job 4.8, 9. As the beginnings of Idolatry, hypocriſie, vain-glory, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. carnall policy, &c. are empty and unhappy, (it is but the ſowing of blaſted corne, as the Septuagint here hath it, ſeed corrupted by the winde) ſo the end thereof is very ſad and diſmall. The word here rendred, the whirl-winde, hath a ſyllable in it more then ordinary, to note (ſaith Tremellius) the fearfulneſſe of the divine vengeance,Suphatha[illegible: 1 letter]. that will befall the forementioned: and eſpecially at death, when they are entring upon eternity. Oh what a dreadfull ſhriek gives the guilty ſoul at death, to ſee it ſelf launching into an infinite Ocean of ſcalding lead, and muſt ſwim naked in it for ever: not having the leaſt cold blaſt of that winde it ſowed all its life long to cool it; but rather to adde to its torment! Then will God ſpeak to ſuch, as once he did to Job out of a whirl-winde, but after another manner; Go to now ye formaliſts, falſe-worſhippers, triflers, troublers of Iſrael: ye that have been meer mutes, and ciphers, nullities in the world, ſuperfluities in the earth, or worſe then all this:Jam. 5.5. Go to now, I ſay, weep and howl for the miſeries that are come upon you. Ye have lived in pleaſure on the earth, and been wanton: ye have nouriſhed your hearts as in a day of ſlaughter. Jam. 5.5. But now, an end is come, is come; an evil, an onely evil, without mixture of mercy, ſorrow without ſuccour, miſchief without meaſure, torments, without hope of ever either mending or ending, are the portion of your cup: the dregs of that cup of mine muſt you now drink off, that hath eternity to the bottome. O lamentable! Oh did but men forethink what would be the end of ſin, they durſt not but be innocent. Oh let that terrible tempeſt at death bee timely thought on and prevented, Job 27.20, 21, &c. Terrours take hold of him as wa[illegible: 1 letter]ers: a tempeſt ſtealeth him away in the night. The Eaſt-winde carrieth him away, and hee departeth, and as a ſtorm hurleth him out of his place. For God ſhall caſt upon him and not ſpare: he would fain flee out of his hand, &c.

It hath no ſtalk: the bud ſhall yeeld no meal:] Nihil habet fertilitatis firmitatiſque, as Ruffinus expoundeth it; It hath no firmneſſe or fruitfulneſſe: the winde of wickedneſſe that thou haſt ſown, the blaſted corn that thou haſt committed to the earth, will yeeld thee nothing but loſſe, and diſappointment. A blade there may be, but not a ſtalk: or if a ſtalk, yet not a bud: or if a bud, yet it ſhall bee nipt in the bud: it ſhall yeeld no meal, but onely duſt and chaff: or if it come to the meal, yet ſtrangers ſhall ſwallow it up, ſo that you ſhall bee never the better for it: but after that ye have ſown the winde of iniquity, ye ſhall reap the whirl-winde of miſery, maledictionem omnimodam, curſes of all kindes, which God hath hang'd at the heels of your idolatry, a pernicious evil, (whatever thoſe ſuperſtitious ſhecſinners bragg'd to the contrary, Ier. 44.17.) Or if they flouriſh for a ſeaſon, and have hopes of a large crop: yet God will curſe their bleſſings, and fruſtrate their fair hopes, Pſal. 37.2. as he dealt by that rich wretch mentioned by Mr. Boroughes, in his Comment on the ſecond Chapter of this Propheſie, pag. 379. I had certain information, ſaith he, from a Reverend Miniſter, that in his own Town there was a worldling, who had a great crop of corn. A good honeſt neighbour of his walking by his corn ſaid, Neighbour, you have a very fine crop of corn, if God bleſſe it: yea, ſaith he, I will have a good crop: ſpeaking contemptuouſly. And before he could come to get it into the barn, it was blaſted, that the corn of the whole crop was not worth ſix pence.