Exposition of Hosea 6, Exposition · Verse 1 · Section 4
He hath ſpoyled vsus: he hath wounded vsus.
Now, we are to come to the words themſelues. And it is all one, as if they ſhould hauehave ſaid, Behold, wee are grieuouſly ſpoiled, we ſee how the Lord hath been offended and angry with vsus for our ſins; how he hath for our rebellions thus ſpoyled vsus of our liberty, ſpoiled vsus of our Country, of our goods, poſſeſſions; yea, and ſpoyled vsus of his mercy and fauour hee was wont to ſhew vntounto vsus: Nay; he hath wounded vsus, and that grieuouſly, he hath laden vsus with the grieuous burden of afflictions: Wee ſee it is the correcting hand of God for our ſinnes; and therefore let vsus Returne vntounto him by true repentance, that he may heale vsus, & helpe vsus.
Seeing then that they vſe the remembrance of Gods Doct. 2 anger and of his iudgements vponupon them, as a meanes to draw them to God,Gods iudgements muſt moue men to repentance and to bring them to repentance: Wee may hence learne what is the end of all Gods iudgements, eyther generall vponupon a whole land, or priuate, vponupon any particular man or woman. What, hath the Lord any delight to puniſh and to plague men and women with his heauy iudgements? no verily, the Lord doth not puniſh vsus willingly,Lam. 3.33. he takes no delight to afflict the children of men. God ſent his Prophet to cry in the ſtreets of Nineueh, Yet forty daies, Ionas. 3.and Nineueh ſhall be deſtroyed. They made the true vſe of Gods iudgements threatned againſt them, when they faſted and prayed, & did put on ſackcloth, from the greateſt of them, to the leaſt of them, and did turn from their euill wayes, and from the wickednes that was in their hands.1. Reg. 21.27. When Ahab had heard the iudgements of God threatned againſt him and his houſe,Pſal. 78. Pſal. 107. He rent his clothes, and put on ſackcloth vponupon him, and faſted, and lay in ſackcloth, and went ſoftly. So did the rebellious Iſraelites from time to time, when the iudgements of God were vponupon them, they ſought the Lord. This appeares likewiſe by the example of the progigal ſon, when iudgement followed him at the heels, & had ouertaken him (as it is the wages of al ſin) he then came to himſelfe, & reſolued of a return home to his father. Whenſoeuer therefore God ſhal lay his rod vponupon our backes, eyther in our owne perſons, in our goods, or in our good names, or in our wiues and children, or any other that are deare vntounto vsus; it is for this end, that feeling the ſmart, we may humble our ſelues vnderunder his hand. And withall let vsus know, that whenſoeuer our ſtubbornnes and diſobedience ſhall driue the Lord to take this courſe with vsus, it is neuer without his great griefe, as that place of the Prophet Hoſea is worth our beſt conſideration,Hoſea. 11.8. where the Lord ſayeth: How ſhall I giuegive thee vp, O Ephraim? how ſhall I deliuer thee, O Iſrael? how ſhall I make thee as Admah? how ſhall I ſet thee as Zeboim? my heart is turned within mee, my repentings are rolled together: So that the words ſhew vntounto vsus, how that the Lord is (as it were) troubled and perplexed in himſelfe, that he could not tell what courſe to take, when the ſinnes of the people ſtirred vp his diſpleaſure; on the one ſide, the hainouſnes of the peoples ſinnes prouoked him to puniſh them, and to make them as Sodom and Gomor: but on the other ſide, his fatherly louelove and tender compaſſion moued him to hold his hand,Iudg. 10.16. and to ſtay his iudgements. And in another place it is ſayd, That his ſoule was grieued for the miſerie of Iſrael. Euen as a tender hearted Father doth many times correct his child when the teares ſtand in his owne eyes:Pſal. 89.33. So that we ſee that true of the Prophet, That the mercy of God is ouer all his workes, and that in iudgement he remembreth mercy: yea, hee hath promiſed, that though hee whip and ſcourge his children, yet his mercy hee will neuer take from them. And howſoeuer for the preſent time no affliction is ioyous but grieuous, yet, if we hauehave grace to ſubmit our ſelues vntounto it: It bringeth with it the quiet fruit of righteouſneſſe. Thus hauehave wee ſeene with what affection the Lord doth chaſten vsus, as alſo, that all iudgements whatſoeuer layde vponupon vsus, ſhould moue vsus to repentance.
And the reaſon is, Reaſon. becauſe by repentance and amendment of life, all perils and dangers are preuented, and wholly remoued away from vsus, according to that of the Prophet: But if a Nation againſt whom I hauehave pronounced, turne from their wickedneſſe, Ier. 18.8.I will repent of the plague that I thought to bring vponupon them. This appeares by the example of Nineueh, whom we named before, and the like; and therefore let all ſuch as lye vnderunder any chaſtiſement, alwayes ſearch out their wayes, and deſcend into their owne conſciences, to ſee how they hauehave moued God to wrath, & prouoked him againſt them▪ This is the onelyonly practiſe that the Prophet doth preſcribe vsus to take, vnderunder any iudgement or calamity whatſoeuer:Lam. 3.39. Wherefore is the liuing man ſorrowfull? Man ſuffereth for his ſinne: Let vsus ſearch and try our wayes, and turne vntounto the Lord. This is the right way to ſtop the breach of Gods wrath, and to call in his iudgements when they are gone out againſt vsus.
This Doctrine may ſerue to direct vsus, Vſe. what wee ought to doe, and how wee ought to carry our ſelues in all manner of iudgements and calamities whatſoeuer; namely, not to bee gazers, to looke vponupon Gods iudgements, but to take them to heart; and ſay, ſurely, the Lord is iuſt in his viſitation; for the Lord hath vſed al means to do vsus good, by his mercies, and by his iudgements, famine, ſword, ſicknes, and the like: but where is the man that makes the true vſe of Gods chaſtiſements, that is humbled by them, that doth meet the Lord by vnfained ſorrow for ſinne? Alas, this is little thought of by many, as appeareth by their ſeuerall windings and turnings that are in their hearts to eſcape the iudgements of God; but yet neuer reſolue of this which is the onelyonly way of all, To turne vntounto the Lord. Oh, let vsus therefore be admoniſhed hereby, to ſearch our wayes, to ſuruay our owne hearts, and to proue by the touchſtone of the Word, our owne thoughts, words and works that we hauehave conceiued, ſpoken and done; that hath moued the Lord to proceed ſo in iuſtice againſt vsus, and when wee hauehave found out our falles and infirmities, we are in a ſerious manner to mourne for them, and to turne vntounto the Lord with all or hearts. This duty is vrged by the Prophet Ieremy: Lam. 3.39.40.41.42. Heb. 12.5.6.10.9.Wherefore is the liuing man ſorrowfull? Man ſuffereth for his ſinnes: Oh, let vsus ſearch and try our wayes, and turne vntounto the Lord. Let vsus lift vp our hearts with our hands vntounto the God of heauen ſaying, we hauehave ſinned, and hauehave rebelled, therefore thou haſt moſt ſpared: for ſurely this is the onelyonly marke that God ſhooteth at, and this is the end of all his chaſticements; namely this, to bring vsus home to himſelfe, and not to deſtroy vsus for euer.