John Trapp on Hosea 9:4-6

Verſ. 4. They ſhall not offer wine-offerings unto the Lord,] Non libabunt, multò minus litabunt, they ſhall not have wherewith to offer ſacrifice, when they are in their baniſhment, Chap. 3.4. much leſſe to ſerve God with cheerfulneſſe, to exhilarate his heart with their wine-offerings, Judg. 9.13. to chear up themſelves with the wine and oyle-offerings, Num. 15.5. which were ſymbols, and ſignes of the Merit and Spirit of Chriſt (for the Ceremonial Law was their Goſpel, it was Chriſt in figure) and the deprivation of them threatened the deprivation of grace and glory. Now therefore, ſith ſuch a ſad condition, and ſuch ſinking of ſpirits abided this people, what reaſon had they to rejoyce with joy as others.

Neither ſhall they be pleaſing to him,] Heb. they ſhal not be ſweet or mingled; for as ſweet and ſowre maketh the beſt ſawce, ſo the mixture of things of divers qualities maketh the ſweeteſt confections, and moſt pleaſing to the palat: but ſo ſhall not be theſe mens wine-offerings to God, if any they ſhould preſent; but ſowre and ſavourleſſe. He is now reſolved to take another courſe with them, to glorifie himſelf in their calamity, and to give unto them another while the cup of the wine of the fierceneſſe of his wrath, Rev. 16.19. that is, to delight as much in their miſery, as a man would do in drinking off a bowle of generous wine.

Their ſacrifices ſhal be unto them as the bread of mourners,] i. e. as funeral-feaſts (whereof read Jer. 16.7, 8. Ezech. 24.17.) made ad levandum luctum, [non-Latin text not transcribed] eaten in heavineſſe by thoſe that were polluted by the dead, and therefore altogether unfit for ſacrifice; ſith God loveth a cheerful ſervice, and will not have any of his come off heavily. See Levit. 10.19. Deut. 13.7. and 26.14. Mal. 2.13. where thoſe unkind husbands are blamed, for cauſing their wives, when they ſhould have been cheerful in Gods ſervice, to cover the Lords altar with tears, with weeping and with crying out, ſo that he regarded not the offering any more. So Ezr. 9.5. that holy man, though till then he ſat aſtonied at the ſins of the people, yet he aroſe from his heavineſſe at the evening ſacrifice; for he knew, that even ſorrow for ſin might be a ſinful ſorrow, if unſeaſonable and ſullen: for it ſowres a mans ſpirit, and makes his ſervices unacceptable to God.

For their bread, for their ſoul ſhal not come into the houſe of the Lord,] Their bread, That is, their meat-offering or other ſacrifices, (ſee Mal. 1.7. with the note) for their ſoul, that is, for themſelves (ſoul is oft put for the whole perſon) ſhal not come, rightly and in due manner unto divine acceptation, into the houſe of the Lord, it ſhould not have come into the Temple while it ſtood, and the Levitical ſervice was orderly performed: how much leſſe ſhall it be accepted now in a ſtrange land, being the bread of mourners. Others by the bread for their ſoules underſtand their natural and neceſſary ſuſtenance. He ſpeaks, ſay they, of that meat-offering, Levit. 2.5. appointed for a ſpiritual uſe, yet called here the bread for their life or livelihood, becauſe God eſteemed it no other then common meat. Tarnouius by the houſe of the Lord here underſtandeth the Church, as Chap. 8.1. and 9.5. and 2 Tim. 2.20. The door of this houſe, ſaith he, is Chriſt, Joh. 10.9. and door-keeper the holy ſpirit, ibid. verſ. 3. the foundation and corner-ſtone Chriſt, Eph. 2.20. the wall is God, Zach. 2.9. the ſtewards the miniſters,1 Cor. 4.1. Eph. 2.19. thoſe of the houſhold the Saints, &c.

What will ye do in the ſolemn day, &c.] q. d. How will ye do to laugh and leap then, as ye do now? verſ. 1. How will you be able to ſupport your ſelves, to keep your hearts from dying within you? when you call to mind and conſider your former ſolemnities and feſtivities, which now (alas!) in your captivity you are utterly deprived of? Time was when you went with the multitude to the houſe of God, with the voyce of joy and praiſe, with a multitude that kept holy-day, Pſal. 42.4. with dancing, eating, drinking and joy, Deut. 16.14, 15. Judg. 21.19.10. But now the ſcene is altered; your ſinging is turned into ſighing, your mirth into mourning, your joy into heavineſſe; and you muſt needs hold your ſelves ſo much the more miſerable, that you have been happy. The Epicures indeed held that a man might be chearful againſt the moſt exquiſite torments. 1. In conſideration of his honeſty and integrity,Ex praeteritc rum voluptatum recordatione. Cic. de finib. l. 2. Senec. de benef. l. 4. c. 22. 2. In conſideration of thoſe pleaſures and delights that formerly he had enjoyed; and now cheared up himſelf with the remembrance of. This laſt is a very ſlight and ſorry comfort indeed. The former hath much in it; for a good man keeps every day, holy day, ſaid Diogenes: and can be merry without muſick, ſaith another Philoſopher. He hath a merry heart, or good conſcience, which is a continual feaſt; and is bound to rejoyce evermore, 1 Theſ. 5.16. and to keep the feaſt in all countries, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. 1 Cor. 5.8. the Calender of his whole life is crowned with continual feſtivals; and he is the happieſt man, and may be the merrieſt if he but underſtand his own happineſſe. But this (alas) was not the caſe of theſe woful caytives and captives. They had ſinned away all their comforts; and what with the ſad remembrance of their former enjoyments, and with the ſenſe of their preſent ſervitude, they had little mind to keep holy-day. Hence this paſſionate exclamation, what will ye do, &c? God had threatned before, Chap. 2.11. to take away their feaſt-dayes, new-moons, ſabbaths and ſolemnities; but they heeded him not, tanquam monſtra marina Dei verba ſurda aure praeterierunt: therefore now God fulfilleth what he [illegible: 1 letter]ad forethreatned,Lam. 2.[illegible: 2 letters]. and calleth, as in a ſolemn day, his terrours round about them, what they were wont to do in their ſolemn dayes and feſtivals, may be ſeen, Num. 10.10. what we do or ſhould do at leaſt, upon our Lords day-ſabbaths, (the delight of every good ſoul) we need not be told. Let us take heed, leſt by profane violating or careleſſe obſerving that holy reſt, with all its ſolemnities, we deprive not our ſelves (as theſe Iſraclites did) of ſuch a precious priviledge: God gave us a good warning, in that the firſt blow given the German Churches was upon the ſabbath-day; which is there ſo ill ſanctified,Alſted. in Encyclop. Dike of Conſc. pag. 276. that if it ſhould be named according to their deſerving of it, Doemoniacus potius quam Dominicus, ſaith Alſted, it ſhould be called not the Lordsday, but the Prieſts-day rather. It is very remarkable, that upon that day was Prague loſt, and with it all opportunity of hearing, ſinging, publique praying, communicating on that high and honourable day, Eſay. 58.13.

Verſ. Abierunt, i.e. obierunt. 8.For lo they are gone, becauſe of deſtruction,] They are gone either into Egypt for refuge, or into the ſtate of the dead, they are gone out of the world. They ſhall periſh by deſtructiou, ſo ſome render it. When God had ſaid in the former verſe what will ye do, they ſhould have faln down before him and ſaid, What wilt thou have us to do, Lord? we know not what at all to do, but our eyes are toward thee. This had been right, and thus they might have diſarmed Gods indignation: but they had other carnal ſhifts, and thought they could tell well enough what to do, and whither to go: whereupon they were ſo fully bent, that the prophet here reports them gone already. For lo they are gone, and got to Egypt; as divers of them did doubtleſſe during the ſiege, and after the ſack of Samaria, when they were forced to ſhift for themſelves as they could: but did they ſo eſcape by iniquity? in thine anger caſt down the people, O God, ſaith David, and it is not more a prayer then a propheſie, Pſal. 56.7. and this people had the proof of it.

Egypt ſhall gather them,] either for puniſhment, or for burial, as Ezech. 29.5. Jer. 8.2. ſo that they fled but out of the ſmoak into the fire; and in running from death they ran to it: as the Hiſtorian ſaith of thoſe poor Scots at Muſcleborough field, who running for their lives,S. J. Heyw, in Edw. 6. p. 35. ſo ſtrained themſelves in their race, that they fell down breathleſſe and dead.

Memphis ſhall bury them,] Leſt they ſhould pleaſe themſelves with vain hopes of return to their countrey, he ſhews that that ſhall never be; but they ſhall lay their bones in a ſtrange land. Memphis (anciently called Noph, Iſay. 19.13. or, (as ſome will) No, Nahum. 3.8. at this day Grand Caire, famous for the Pyramides and the kings ſepulchres) Memphis, I ſay, a principal city of Egypt ſhall be a Kibrothhattaavah to you, a place of ſepulchres; eſpecially then, when Nebuchadnezzar, ſent by God (who giveth him Egypt as his pay for his paines at Tyre) ſhall come and ſmite that land, and deliver ſuch as are for death to death, and ſuch as are for the ſword to the ſword, &c. Jer. 43.11.

The pleaſant places for their ſelves, nettles ſhall poſſeſſe them,] Heb. ſhall poſſeſſe them as their inheritance; ſo that the Iſraelites nor their heirs ſhall ever repoſſeſſe theſe pleaſant places for their ſilver, i. e. where they either laid up their ſilver (their repoſitories or counting houſes) or where they laid out their ſilver, either in coſtly buildings and ſumptuous furniture, or elſe in idols and ſtatues placed therein to their no ſmal charge & delight. Theſe ſhal be ruined and over-run with nettles, thorns and thiſtles, a token of horrible deſolation, Eſa. 32.13. and 34.13. Note hence, that as God ſpareth a place for a few good men found therein, (as he would have done Sodom, which is now a place of nettles and ſalt[illegible: 1 letter]pits, Zeph. 2.9.) ſo a fruitful land bringeth he into barrenneſſe, (or ſaltneſſe) for the wickedneſſe of them that dwel therein, Pſal. 107.34. witneſſe Judaea that land of deſire, Ezek. 1. ult. that garden of Eden, Joel. 2.3. that glorious land, Dan. 11.16. yea, glory of all lands, Ezek. 20.15. now wofully waſte and deſolate: ſo is Grecia, formerly ſo farmous for armes and arts: ſo are ſome parts of Germany, and ſo may England ſoon be (without the greater mercy of God, by a miracle of whoſe mercy, and by a prop of whoſe extraordinary patience we have hitherto ſubſiſted) I ſay, England, whoſe vallies now are like Eden, whoſe hils are as Lebanon, whoſe ſprings are as Piſgah, whoſe rivers are as Jordan, whoſe walls is the Ocean, and whoſe defence is the Lord Jehovah.