Exposition of Hosea 6, Exposition · Verse 1 · Section 6
For he hath ſpoyled vsus, hee hath wounded vsus.
We hauehave heard before, how that they do acknowledge Doct. 4 all thoſe iudgements that lighted vponupon them, to hauehave come from God,God doth chaſtice his own children when they ſinne againſt him. and that moſt iuſtly for their ſinnes, eſpecially, for their ſinne of Idolatry. Before we leaue the words of this their firſt reaſon, wee are to obſerue one thing more from the perſons afflicted; He hath spoyled vsus, &c. Euen they that were the Church and people of God, whom God had honoured aboue all other nations and people vnderunder heauen; yet when they fell away from God by Idolatry, God did not ſpare to bring euen vponupon them, many and grieuous iudgements and afflictions. Hence we obſerue this point of Doctrine, that God will not ſpare to chaſtiſe his owne children if they ſinne againſt him, although he take not his louing kindnes from them, nor ſuffer his truth to fayle:Numb. 11.33 Yet hee will viſite their tranſgreſſions with the rodde, and their ſinnes with ſcourges. The hiſtory of the Iſraelites in their iourneying towards Canaan, their manifold murmurings and rebellions, is a plentifull witneſſe of this truth, when they luſted for fleſh, and loathed Manna: How did God ſmite them with exceeding great plagues, euen iudgement vponupon iudgement, vntill hee had conſumed the greateſt fort of them? We may fee this in the example of Salomon, when his heart was turned away from the true God, the Lord was angry with him, therefore the Lord ſtirred vp one aduerſary againſt Salomon, 1. Reg. 11.and afterwards another aduerſary which did much miſchiefe and euill againſt Iſrael. When Ionas had diſobeyed the voyce of the Lord, being ſent to preach againſt Nineueh; how did the Lord vexe Ionas with his ſtormes,Ionas 1.2.3 that the ſhippe could hauehave no reſt, till ſhe had disburdened her ſelfe of Ionas? The iudgements of God as a Serieant purſued Ionas to arreſt him, as a fugitiue ſeruant: ſo that albeit Ionas fled from God, yet the hand of God followed after him, and ouertooke him.Num. 12.10. When Miriam the ſiſter of Moſes, contemned Moſes becauſe ſhe was not a Propheteſſe, as great in authority as himſelfe: although Moſes meekely ſuffered it, yet the Lord reuenged the wrong, and ſtroke her with a Leproſie, that for a ſeaſon ſh… was ſhut out of the hoaſt. When Dauid had falne into his ſinnes of Adultery and Murder, though he were a man beloued of God, yea,2. Sam. 12.9 a man after Gods owne heart; yet the Lord did ſtir vp euill againſt him out of his owne houſe: yea, Chriſt Ieſus himſelfe vntounto whom ſinne was but imputed, for he neuer committed any; hee was afflicted with ſorrowes for our defaults, he was bruiſed for our iniquities, and the chaſtiſement of our peace was layde vponupon him, Eſay. 53.5.and by his ſtripes we are healed. The like may be ſayd of Manaſſes, Iehoſaphat, Ioſiah, Hezechiah, and the like: Al which ſerue to confirm vsus in the truth of this doctrine, that God will not ſpare, no, not the godly themſelues, bee they neuer ſo neare or deare vntounto him, but will bring vponupon them many and grieuous iudgements if they ſinne againſt him. And this did this people in this preſent Text, find to be true by wofull experience; for, ſinning with a high hand againſt God, and committing Idolatry, the Lord did bring moſt heauy and grieuous iudgements vponupon them for the ſame.
And the reaſon is, Reaſon. that all the world might take notice of his iuſtice, that he is no reſpecter of mens perſons, but will ſhew himſelfe vtterly to hate an ſinne whenſoeuer, whereſoeuer, or in whomſoeuer hee findeth it. The Lord hath euer in all ages ſhewed examples of his iuſtice againſt ſinne, to the end wee might quake and tremble at the committing of it: he is not a God that loueth wickednes, neyther ſhall any euill dwell with him; for he hateth all them that worke iniquity, bee they what they will be; if they be found to commit ſinne againſt God, God wil not ſpare them: He accepteth not the perſons of Princes (ſaith Elihu) nor regardeth the rich more then the poore, Io. 34.19.They being all the works of his hands: This doth the Prophet Dauid acknowledge, when he ſayth: Againſt thee, againſt thee onelyonly hauehave I ſinned, 1. Sam. 16.7. Pſal. 51.4.and done euill in thy ſight, that thou mayeſt bee iuſt when thou speakeſt, and pure when thou iudgeſt: So that if men breake his ſtatutes, and keepe not his commandements, God will bee ſure to viſite their tranſgreſſions with the rodde, and their ſinnes with ſcourges, and all to manifeſt the truth of his owne Word, and to make good thoſe threatnings gone out of his mouth againſt ſinne: yet wee muſt know, that there is great difference between the children of God and the wicked; when the Lord corrects his children, they are bettered by their afflictions, they are humbled, confeſſe their ſinnes, and bewayle them, they labour to reforme their liues, and to Turne vntounto the Lord by true Repentance: but the wicked, the more the Lord ſpoyles and wounds them, they are the worſe by it: & whereas the children of God take occaſion by affliction to Turne to God, the wicked are by them driuen the further from God; they eyther ſee it not that afflictions come from God, and ſo repute them to fortune or chance, or ſome ſecondary cauſes, or elſe they murmur and breake out into impaciency, as we may ſee in Pharaoh, the more the Lord plagued and ſpoyled him, the more he hardned his heart.
Vſe. 1 Here then we are firſt of all to confeſſe, that great is the wrath of God againſt ſinne, ſeeing he will not ſpare, no not the Elect themſelues: thoſe that are as neare and as deare vntounto God as the apple of his owne eye, as we hauehave ſeene by the example of the Iſraelites, Gods people, of Miriam, Dauid, Salomon, and the like. Oh then, what miſerable wretches are wee, that wee ſhould preſume of Gods mercy, ſeeing wee hauehave ſuch fearefull ſpectacles of his iuſtice? for the Lord doth lay to heart the ſinnes of the godly, more then the ſinnes of the wicked: There can be no greater deſpite done vntounto a man, then when his own children riſe vp againſt him: Euen ſo, what greater diſhonour can be offered vntounto the moſt high God, then when his ſonnes by adoption and grace, ſhall rebell againſt him, from whom he expecteth the greateſt honour: And therefore if they ſinne againſt God, God doth euer take it hainouſly at their hands, and will aſſuredly puniſh them for the ſame. And if this be the courſe of Gods iuſtice againſt the Elect, how ſafely may wee thus conclude, that the wicked and vngodly ſhall not eſcape; howſoeuer the Lord beare for a time with the veſſels of wrath, according to that of the Prophet Ieremy: Thus ſayth the Lord of Hoaſts, Ier. 25.29.Yee ſhall certainely drinke, for loe, I beginne to plague the City where my name is called vponupon, and ſhall you goe free? Oh, how may this terrifie all vngodly wretches to conſider, that howſoeuer God ſpareth them for a time, and let them run on in their vngodly courſes, yet their damnation ſleepeth not all this while; their tranſgreſſions are recorded in the booke of God, and are layde vp in ſtore for them againſt the day of reckoning. This is that which Salomon calleth to their remembrance, when he ſayth, Behold, the righteous ſhall bee recompenſed in the earth, Pro. 11.31.how much more the wicked and the ſinner? And to the ſame purpoſe ſayth the Apoſtle Peter, 2. Pet. 4.17.The time is come that iudgement muſt beginne at the houſe of God: And if it beginne at vsus, what ſhall be the end of them that obey not the Goſpell of God? If the righteous bee ſoarſly ſaued, where ſhall the vngodly and ſinner appeare?
Vſe. 2 Secondly, ſeeing the Lord doth chaſtiſe his owne children when they ſinne againſt him, as we ſee in this preſent example: Hence we may note, that afflictions be not alwayes tokens of Gods anger; neyther may wee meaſure the fauour or louelove of God towards our ſelues or others, by outward bleſſings, or outward croſſes, by proſperity, or aduerſity: for as Salomon ſayth; All things happen alike to all, Eccleſ. 9.2.and the ſame condition is to the iuſt, and the wicked. We may not then condemn thoſe on whome wee ſee the Lord to lay great and grieuous afflictions, as many naturall men vſe to do: Nay, on the contrary, ſeeing the Lord corrects eueryevery one that he loues, wee may rather iudge afflictions, tokens of his louelove; as if wee ſee a man beat or correct a child, and let another goe, we will iudge him his ſonne whom he corrects. Oh then art thou ſpoyled and wounded in thy ſoule, bee not any whit diſcouraged: if thou be one of Chriſts Lambes, thou muſt be content then to bee ſpoyled of thy Fleece, and to hauehave the bloudy knife at thy throat all the day long: but if thou be a Sheepe to be ſolde, then thou ſhouldeſt bee paſtured and fatted in the beſt graſſe.Mat. 3. The children of God, be the Lords Wheat: Now then, they muſt bee content to be cut with the Sickle, to bee carried into the Barne, they muſt vndergoe the blowes of the Flaile, they muſt be fanned and grownde to powder with the Milſtone of afflictions, and baked in the Ouen and Furnace of a wounded conſcience, before they can be bread for Gods Table. Oh that we could ſee how our poore and miſerable ſoules bee ſpoyled and wounded by ſinne and Sathan! Oh, we hauehave many a deadly wound in our ſoules by Sinne; and this is the reaſon why ſo few ſeeke vntounto Ieſus Chriſt, the good Phyſitian of our ſoules; and why ſo few runne to God for the pardon of their things; namely, becauſe they ſee not themſelues ſpoyled; they neuer feele the bleeding wounds of their poore ſoules and conſciences: Oh that the Lord would open our blind eyes to ſee our miſery, how wee bee vtterly ſpoyled, and touch our hard hearts to feele the bleeding wounds, & bloudy iſſues of our ſoules ſurely, it is the beginning of all grace, to feele themſelues wounded at heart for their ſinnes.
Alas, the blind and carnall men of the world, if they ſee one ſpoyled or wounded at the heart for ſinne, they by and by condemne him for a wicked man, as the Heathen men did Paul: Act. 26. Pſal. 6. & 130.77. Iob. 13. Eſay. 38. Act. 2.37.But who euer were more ſpoyled then the deareſt Saints and Seruants of God hauehave beene? Looke vponupon Dauid, who euer was wounded both in Body and Soule as Iob was, who thought that God had become his enemy? he ſayth, that the Lord ſhot his arrowes at him, as if hee had beene his marke to ſhoot at, and that the very venome of his arrowes pearſed his ſoule, and drunke vp his ſpirit. Looke vponupon good King Ezechias, he ſayth, that the Lord broke his bones like a Lyon, and wounded him ſore, Who euer was ſo ſpoyled and wounded as the Son of God himſelfe: and therfore we may not take them as tokens of Gods anger? no, no: Iudgement begins at Gods houſe, and if God doe not try: men by croſſes and afflictions, let them ſuſpect themſelues, that they be rather Baſtards, and not Sonnes; for the Lord doth chaſtice them he loueth; and if he ſuffer men to runne on in their owne wayes without breaking and taming them as young Colt… and vntaimed Heyfers, it is a ſigne rather that God cares not for them. Well then, let vsus confeſſe the hand of God in all our troubles, and withall confeſſe our ſinnes, as the procuring cauſe of all Gods iudgements, and turne, & ſeeke to him for mercy and forgiueneſſe, and take his fatherly corrections as tokens of his louelove, that he would thereby humble our hearts, purge our ſoules, draw vsus to louelove him, and to ſeeke to him for mercy.
Vſe. 3 Here we are taught which is the right way to bring men to God, namely, to ſpoyle them of all hope in themſelues, to bring them to a flat nothing, in regard of themſelues, that they may ſay, I am the greateſt and the chiefeſt ſinner: Oh miſerable man, who ſhall deliuer mee from this body of ſinne? Men muſt be thus wounded, elſe they cannot be healed: and as for them which neuer felt themſelues ſpoyled and wounded at the heart for their ſinnes, they are not yet truly called, they be not yet truly conuerted: therefore let it be ſpoken to eueryevery ſoule heere preſent, if you neuer felt your ſoules wounded, neuer felt your hearts pricked, and your conſciences touched, grieued and afflicted for your ſinnes; Alas, you are not yet turned to God, you neuer had as yet true grace wrought in your hearts. But thoſe which feele the ſmart of ſinne, and feele their hearts wounded for ſinne, they will eſteeme more of one droppe of Gods mercy for the pardon of the ſame, and of one drop of the bloud of Ieſus Chriſt for the ſaluation of their ſoules, then of ten thouſand worlds if they were offered vntounto them: whereas the ſecure and hard hearted Sinner, which finds not himſelfe to be spoyled and wounded, doth make no account at all of the ſame, nor neuer ſeekes vntounto God for mercy.