John Trapp on Hosea 9:7

Verſ. 7. The dayes of viſitation are come,] A viſitation that is like to prove a vexation; for every tranſgreſſion and diſobedience, that is, Omiſſion and commiſſion, ſhall receive a juſt recompence of reward from the God of Recompences (ſo he is called Jer. 51.56.) whoſe eyes behold, his eye-lids trie the children of men, Pſal 11.4. the former points out his knowledge, the latter his judgement, or his critical deſcant in his viſitation or inquiſition, the dayes whereof are ſet, Stat ſuae cuique dies, and Iſraels dayes are come, are come, it is repeated for more aſſurance, as Babylon is fallen, is fallen, certò, citò, penitus: and as Ezek. 7.5, 6, 7. the Prophet tells them, The end is come, is come, is come; and ſo ſome ten or twelve times, that he might beat it into them, and awaken them them out of the ſnare of the devil. The wickeds happineſſe will take its end ſurely and ſwiftly: but its hard perſwading them ſo: And the Jews, as they were ever noted for obſtinate, and overweening, ſo to this day they are light, aeriall, and Satanicall, apt to work themſelves into the fools paradiſe of a ſublime dotage. But they ſhall know it to be ſo as I have ſaid, by w[illegible: 3 letters]ll experience, that Miſtreſſe of fools.

Iſrael ſhall know it,] ſc. to his ſorrow, he ſhall pay for his learning, buy his wit,Oculos incipit aperire moriendo. Plin: open his eyes (as the mole doth) when death is upon him, roar and look upward, Eſay 8.21. as the hog doth when the knife is at his throat. O Lord (ſaith the ſame Prophet, Chap. 26.11.) when thy hand is lifted up (and thy hand is a mighty hand, Jam. 4.10. it falls heavy) they will not ſee, they wink wilfully, or ſeek ſtrawes to put out their eyes withall, as Bernard hath it: but they ſhall ſee, will they nill they,Feſtucam quarunt unde oculos ſibi eruant. and be aſhamed of their former oſcitancy, or rather obſtinacy, when that hand of God which was lifted up in threatning, ſhall fall down in puniſhing, and the fire of thine enemies ſhall dev[illegible: 1 letter]ur them: How much more at that laſt and great viſitation, that terrible day of Retribution, when they ſhall anſwer for all, with flames about their ears. Tunc ſentient magno ſuo malo, then ſhall they feel to their eternall wo, the truth of all the threatnings, which till then they heard, and read, as a man doth an Almanack-prognoſtications of winde or foul-weather, which he thinks may come to paſſe, and it may be not: And give nothing ſo much credit to them, as the Prior of S. Bartholomewes in London did to an idle and addle-headed Aſtrologer,Holinſhead in 1524. when he went and built him an houſe at Harrow on the hill to ſecure himſelf from a ſuppoſed flood, that that Aſtrologer foretold.

The Prophet is a fool, &c.] [non-Latin text not transcribed], a naughty man; the Hebrew word here is evil, and ſignifieth a raſh and unadviſed fellow, that is headſtrong and headlong: ſuch were their falſe prophets that promiſed peace when warre was at their gates, and made all fair weather before them, when the tempeſt of Gods wrath was even burſting out upon them; ſuch a tempeſt as ſhould neve[illegible: 1 letter] be blown over. Theſe ſhould now appear to be fools, or rather Impoſtours, that had brought the credulous people into a fools paradiſe.

the ſpiritual man is mad,] Heb. the man of the ſpirit, or ventoſus, the windy man, that uttereth vain and empty conceits, humani cerebelli Minervas, the brats of his own brain, light, aery Nothings, the diſeaſe of this age, full of flaſhes and figments, idle ſpeculations of men of corrupt mindes, and deſtitute of the truth. Theſe pretend altogether to the ſpirit, and would be thought the onely ſpirituall men; as the Swenkfeldians (whom for their ill ſavour, Luther called Stenckfeldians) who bewitched many with thoſe glorious words (which were ever in their mouthes) of Illumination, Revelation, the inward and ſpiritual man, &c. and entituled themſelves, the Confeſſours of the glory of Chriſt. So the Entuſiaſts and Anabaptiſts, what boaſt make they of the ſpirit: profeſſing that they will deliver nothing but what they have immediately revealed to them from heaven. Muncer (their ringleader) wrote a baſe book againſt Luther (which he dedicateth to king Jeſus) wherein Lutherum flagellat quod Enthuſiaſmorum ſpiritu careat & nil niſt carnalin ſapiat, he falls foul upon Luther, as wanting the ſpirit of revelation,Scultet Annal. pag. 239. and one that ſavoureth nothing but carnall things? All his followers look upon Luther as more peſtiferous then the Pope: and for Calvin they ſay, (and I have heard it) that it had been happy for the Church if he had never been born. It was their practiſe of old (as Leo Judae obſerved in his epiſtle before Bullingers book againſt the Catabaptiſts) and is ſtill, to diſcourage and diſparage Chriſts faithfull Miniſters all they can, as carnall, and not reliſhing the things of the ſpirit: the right off-ſpring they are of thoſe ancient Hereticks called Meſſalanii (the ſame with the Euchites, and Enthuſiaſts) who in the year of Chriſt 371. profeſſed to be wholly made up of the ſpirit: gave themſelves much to ſleep: and called their dreams and wild phantaſies, propheſies and revelations.

for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred.] Heb. the great Satanical hatred, that thou haſt born againſt God and thy neighbour; but eſpecially Gods faithfull prophets, whom thou heartily hatedſt for their plain dealing; as Ahab did Michaiah, becauſe he never ſpake good to him. It is very probable that Michaiah was that diſguiſed Prophet who brought Ahab the fearfull meſſage of diſpleaſure and death, for diſmiſſing Benhadad; for the which he was ever ſince faſt in priſon, deep in diſgrace. Lo this is the worlds wages. Truth breeds hatred, great hatred, as the text hath it, devilliſh hatred, and this is through the multitude of mens iniquities, the overflow of ſinnes, which wretched men hold ſo dear to themſelves, that they cannot but rage againſt thoſe that declaime againſt them, and proclaim hellfire againſt their hatefull practiſes: they cannot ſtand ſtill to have their eyes pickt out; how ſhould they? ſay. Now for ſuch, what wonder is it if God in juſtice give them up to the efficacie of errour that they may beleeve a lie, ſith they would not receive the love of the truth,Auguſtin. in loc 2 Theſſ. 2.11? ut infatuati ſeducantur, & ſeductijudicentur, that being infatuated they may be ſeduced, and being ſeduced, periſh? what wonder alſo if he deliver them up, as to ſtrong deluſions, ſo to vile affections, and abominable actions, that they may receive in themſelves that recompenſe of their errour that is meet, Kom. 1.27? What marvell, if men that will not endure ſound doctrine be left to ſeducers? if thoſe that have itching ears meet with clawing Preachers?2 Tim. 4.3, 4. if ſuch as turn away their ears from the truth, be turned to fables and fopperies? It is for the multitude of mens iniquities, and eſpecially for their great hatred to the truth, that the Church is ſo peſtered with Impoſtours (2 Pet. 2.1, 2.) who bring in damnable hereſies, even denying the Lord that bought them. Do not our modern ſeducers ſo amongſt us, when (among other portentous opinions held by them) they ſtick not to affirm, that Chriſt is a carnall or fleſhly thing: That thoſe that are grown Chriſtians may go to God immediately without a Chriſt: that Chriſt did not riſe again, &c. Others contemn him by the notion of the man dying at Jeruſalem — O horrible!Dr. Homes his character of the preſent times. 200. Time was when the Popes were ſo notoriouſly naught, as to ſpeak thus baſely of Chriſt; to deny, or at leaſt doubt of the immortality of the ſoul, the reſurrection of the body, &c. and then a poor Popeling cried out, that the ſinnes of that Synagogue were ſo great, as that it deſerved not to be ruled by any other then Reprobates. Certain it is, that God plagues contempt of the truth (that great Goſpel-ſin) with an inundation of errours and enormities.