An Exposition of Hosea 8-10, Exposition · Chapter · Verse 3
VER. 3.
Iſrael hath caſt off the thing that is good: the enemy ſhall purſue him.
THEY cry, We have known thee: but they caſt off the thing that is good; they profeſs to know God in word, but in works they deny him. What is it to ſay, We know God,Elongavit, foreign abominatus eſt and to caſt off the thing that is good?
Now the word that is here tranſlated, caſt off, ſignifies, Hath put off a great way, yea, hath abominated the thing that is good: doth not only forſake the thing that is good, but to caſt off with a kind of abomination the thing that is good.
Hath caſt off the thing that is good. That is:
Firſt,Anſelm. caſt off God Himſelf who is as, Anſelme ſpeaks of Him,Bonum in quo omnia bona. that Good in which there is all Good: God the higheſt and chief good they have caſt him off.
Secondly, The thing that is good indefinitely. That is, they will not be ordered by any rule, they care for the good of no body but only to have their own luſts ſatisfied.
But that which I think is moſt properly aimed at by this phraſe, The thing that is good: is, the Worſhip of God, My Worſhip: They ſay, We know Thee, but in the mean time they caſt off that good thing, Oh that Good Thing, that which I hold indeed to be the thing that is good. Hence obſerve:
The true Worſhip of God is the GOOD Thing by way of excellency. We account our Eſtates are goods, Obſ. 1.we uſe to ſpeak in that kind of language, the goods of ſuch a man. Is our Eſtates our goods? Are they ſuch good things? Oh! what is the Worſhip of God then? The Worſhip of God that's the thing that is good by way of excellency above all our goods, that's the good thing that a ſpiritual heart can prize, that's that which God delights in, and wherein his people enjoy, ſo much communion with Himſelf; that's the thing by which God lets out ſo much good to His People, it's the ſafety, protection, the bleſſing of a Kingdom; the purity of Gods Worſhip where that is all other good things will follow, that's THE Good thing; and it is a ſign of a gracious ſpiritual heart to prize the Worſhip of God in the purity of it as the good thing, above all good things that a Kingdom is capable of.
Secondly,Obſ. 2. Yet Gods own Worſhip is by carnal hearts of men repelled, and caſt off as evil, if it ſute not their own ends, and deſigns: The ſpirits of men riſe againſt it, they will not ſo much as examin things in any peaceable and quiet way, but by prejudice; becauſe they ſee it not ſutable to their own waies their ſpirits riſe, abominating that which God Himſelf priſes.
Thirdly,Obſ. 3. Though firſt men do but only leave God, forſake the thing that is good, yet at length they grow to ſuch a ripeneſs in ſin as they caſt it off with abomination; and that's a great deal worſe: Meerly to neglect that which is good is an evil, but to caſt off that which is good by way of abomination, Oh then the ſin of a people is grown to an height, then they are neer to Judgment indeed, when they caſt it off; thus men who heretofore have been very forward in the profeſſion of Religion, and ſeem to love and delight in the thing that is good, but by degrees their hearts were drawn from the waies of God, now they cannot bear the ſight of thoſe things to be preſented, nor bear the hearing of thoſe things, their hearts riſe againſt any that they ſee practice them, they now ſhut their eyes, and ſtop their ears, and with violence repel the Truth; according to thoſe in Jer. 44. 16. As for the Word of the Lord that thou haſt ſpoken to us, we will not hear thee. Backſliders from what they have found good in.Oh! are there not ſome that heretofore have thought they have received much ſweetneſs in the waies of God, and now not only left them, but their hearts riſe againſt them, and if any thing be ſpoken for them, ſhut their eyes and ears and caſt it off and even abominate ſuch? Let ſuch take heed that God caſt not them off for ever. 1 Chron. 28. 9. (it is a ſpeech of David to his ſon Solomon) If thou ſeek Him, He will be found of thee; but if thou forſake Him, He will caſt thee off for ever: How much more if thou doſt caſt off the thing that is good. Oh! my brethren, let us take heed of caſting off the thing that is good; we may paſs over many Truths that it may be God hath convinced us off, but let us take heed of caſting off any Truth, for then we are ripe to Judgment, then the Lord may juſtly caſt us off for ever.
Laſtly,We ſhould the more caſt off falſ worſhip. If wicked mens hearts be ſo vile to caſt off God, and his Worſhip that hath ſo much good, how much more ſhould we caſt off with abomination, that that is abomination it ſelf? How much more ſhould we caſt off falſe worſhip with abomination and ſay, Get thee hence? and ſo all kind of evil and ſin that would ſtick ſo faſt upon us?foreign. In Rom. 12. 9. Abhor that which is evil: to abhor it as wel as to abhor Hell it ſelf; it comes from a word that is uſed for Hell. Thus we ſhould learn from wicked mens caſting off what is good, to caſt off that which is evil and wicked.
One thing further, Obſ. 4.Whatſoever knowledg of God, or profeſſion we make of worſhipping Him, yet if we caſt off any thing that is good, this deprives us of any intereſt we have in God, of any comfort in crying to God in our afflictions. I beſeech you take notice of this; They cry to me, my God we know thee, but ſaith God, they have caſt off that that's good. The Note is,
To caſt off violently and that againſt light, any one thing that is good; though it be meant of the Worſhip of God principally, yet it is ſpoken indefinitely, to caſt off any thing that is good, any truth of God, it is that which doth deprive the ſoul of having comfort and intereſt in God, or crying to God in the time of diſtreſs: Oh thou ſinner how dearly doeſt thou pay for thy beloved ſin?Appli…. at what a dear rate doeſt thou buy every beloved luſt of thine, when as it doth deprive thee of all comfort and intereſt in God that otherwiſe thou mighteſt have in crying to God in the day of diſtreſs?
The enemy ſhall purſue him.
When the good of duty is caſt off, Obſer.evil of puniſhment will come in. By caſting off that which is good we caſt off mercy, and protection, we open a door to all kind of miſery: if we retain that which is good we retain God; but when that which is good is caſt off, we lie expoſed and naked to all kind of miſery, for God owns us not. It follows.