An Exposition of Hosea 8-10, Exposition · Chapter · Verse 8
VER. 8.
Iſrael is ſwallowed up: now they ſhall be among the Gentils as a veſſel wherein there is no pleaſure.
ISRAEL, they had made ſo many Leagues among other People, til they were even ſwallowed up by them. And truly my Brethren, if there be not a great care had, there is much danger in making Leagues with other Nations, leſt upon the need they ſee we have of them they ſhould incroach upon us, and at length even have Laws given to us by them:Forraign Leagues. It was ſo with the people of Iſrael, that by their League with other people they were ſo incroacht upon by them, as at length they gave them Laws and ſwallowed them up.Churches mixtures with the world dangerous. And thus many of the People of God, yea, of the Churches of God, by mingling themſelves with the world are even ſwallowed up, ſo as they loſe their beauty; and there's no difference appears between them and the men of the world. It's one thing for wicked men to creep into the Church unawares, (and certainly there's none can expect that any Church in the world can continue but wicked men and hypocrites will mingle themſelves) but it's one thing when they creep in unawares, and another thing when the fence is broken down, ſo as it is very hard to ſee any face of a Church among them: thus it was with Iſrael.
But now ſhall they be among the Gentils, as a veſſel wherein is no pleaſure.
By theſe words, Veſſel of no pleaſure, is meant, a veſſel that is for the carrying up and down of excrements; only the Scripture when it mentions ſuch vile things, ſpeaks in a modeſt way; but that's the meaning of the word: as if he ſhould ſay, Even my people ſhal be in a vile contemptible condition among the Gentiles, as a veſſel that is fit for nothing but excrements. Jehoiakim is threatned in Jer. 22. 18. though a great man, yet he is threatned to be as a veſſel wherein is no pleaſure, they had waſted their ſubſtance in ſeeking help from the Egyptians and Aſſyrians, and theſe made a prey of them; ſo long as they had any thing of value continued, then they made much of them, but their eſtates being once waſted, and they ſwallowed up in their very eſtates,Wicked men firſt ſerve their turns of the Godly, and then ſcorn them they look now upon them as vile and contemptible in their eyes. And this is the way of wicked men, while wicked men are ſerving their own turns upon any, they will hug them and make much of them, but if that be done, then they ſcorn them & contemn them; non are more ſcorn'd and contemn'd than Profeſſors of Religion who have baſely crouched to wicked men, and ſought to ſhelter themſelves under them, when their eſtates are once conſum'd and gone, they are more ſcorned by thoſe that ſerved themſelves of them than any; and therefore let us learn wiſdom, and how far we venture to make uſe of men, and do not pleaſe our ſelves in this, that they hug and commend us, if it be but to ſerve their own turns, when they have gotten what they would have, they will then ſcorn you, and look upon you as baſe people, and kick you out.
Again,foreign 70. Vas inutile. A veſſel wherein is no pleaſure. The Seventy tranſlate it, an unprofitable veſſel. But there is more intended certainly in this expreſſion; a veſſel imployed in baſe and contemptible uſes; Iſrael ſhall be ſo imployed; and thereby he ſhall know a difference between my ſervice, and the ſervice of their enemies:Iſraels prerogatives. Oh it is a ſad expreſſion, what Iſrael! a veſſel imployed and received to empty out excrements! [1. Iſrael were a people precious and honorable in the eyes of God, Iſa. 43. 4. [2. An holy people unto the Lord, Deut. 14. 2. [3. They were Gods peculier People above all Nations in the world in the ſame place. [4. Gods Portion, Deut. 32. 9. [5. Gods Inheritance, Iſa. 19. 25. [6. Gods, p…ulier Treaſure, Exod. 19. 5. [7. Gods Glory, Iſa. 46. 13▪ [8. Gods Delig… Iſa. 62. 4. [9. Iſrael were the deerly Beloved of Gods Soul… ▪ Jer. 12. 7. and yet now Iſrael is become a veſſel only to take in and empty out excrements; Oh what a change doth ſin make! they were holy veſſels, imployed in holy ſervices, in attending upon God and His Worſhip, ſo as no people were; but now, oh! what a change hath ſin made in them? How doth ſin vilifie men, to be imployed in baſe ſervices, it is the moſt againſt an ingenuous ſpirit that any thing can be. I remember I have read of a young man of Sparta that being taken by Antigonus and ſold for a ſlave, …l the while that he that brought him did imploy him in any thing that did ſtand with ingenuity he did it, but when he bid him go and empty a veſſel wherein is no pleaſure, no ſaith he, I will not ſerve you now in ſuch a thing, and his Maſter being angry with him he gets up to the top of the houſe and falls down and breaks his neck rather than he would empty ſuch a veſſel.A ſinner is the veſſel where into the Devil empties his excrements. And certainly there is nothing that is ſo beneath the excelleney of an Immortal ſoul as ſin is, for hereby though thou beeſt, high in thine own thoughts thou comeſt to be a veſſel for the very Devil to empty his excrements into: and that's lower than to be a Scavenger to go up and down to take the filth of the ſtreet: in being imployed in the ſervice of the Devil thou doeſt more deba…e thy ſelf than if thou wert a Scavenger to carry dung and filth in a Dung-Cart; but as if thou wert judged to ſuch a kind of life and imployment, that thou ſhouldeſt go from morning to night to carry away the filth in thy very hands and mouth. Some men are veſſels of mercy, they are choſen veſſels,Gods free-grace to the veſſels of mercy. veſſels of honor fitted for the Maſters uſe: and it is an infinite mercy of God to us when as we have deſerved to be caſt out as veſſels wherein there is no pleaſure, that God ſhould imploy any of us to be veſſels of His Sanctuary, that God ſhould take us out of the common lump, ſuch veſſels; whereas others are veſſels of wrath imployed only in baſe ſervices that are beneath the excellency of an immortal Soul.
Yea,Lapſed Miniſters. Some there are who have been eminent in the Church heretofore, who have been veſſels fil'd with the Gifts of the holy Ghoſt (I do not ſay Graces) now they are veſſels in which there is no pleaſure; many of the Saints heretofore have been refreſhed by them, from thoſe Gifts of the holy Ghoſt that have been in them, but now their Gifts are gone, they are fit for no pleaſure, but for Pot or Pipe: Now idle drones that are fit for nothing but to ſet in the Ki…in, and (it may be) to ſcum the pot, yea ſome of them fill'd with poyſon, veſſels wherein neither God nor man can take pleaſure,And Profeſſors. yea and ſome very forward profeſſors of Religion that once were as the polliſhed Saphirs and are now become more black than the coal, turn'd Apoſtates; they were as golden veſſels in the Houſe of God, and now are become veſſels wherein is no pleaſure. It was a ſpeech that once Demoſthenes had to the Athenians, Demoſthenes.he deſired them that they would not make an Urinal of a Wine pot; for to imploy thoſe men in baſe ſervices that had been eminent, even thoſe men that God Himſelf hath heretofore made uſe of for great ſervices in Church and Common-wealth, the Lord hath left them to be veſſels of no pleaſure. Oh! remember al you from whence you are fallen, thy heart is now exerciſed upon ſuch low things, thy work (it may be) now is only to further the wicked deſigns and deſperate malice of other men; And doeſt thou think to be a veſſel of glory, to ſtand before the preſence of the holy God, and joyn with Saints and Angels in the eternal praiſes of His Name? Oh! remember from whence thou art fallen, and be not at quiet till the Lord hath been pleaſed to purge thee and make thee fit for thy Maſters uſe, and to become a veſſel of honor in thy Maſters houſe.