An Exposition of Hosea 8-10, Exposition · Chapter 9 · Verse 2 – Verse 3
VER. 2.
The flour and the wine preſs ſhall not feed them, and the new Wine ſhall fail in her.
AS when a Father ſees his admonitions not regarded by a ſtubborn Child he doth withdraw his allowance from him;ſimile. and ſometimes you will deal ſo with your little children as they ſhall go to bed without their ſuppers, to ſhew your diſpleaſure againſt them; ſo God deals here, you have had many admonitions, now I will withdraw your allowance.
The flour and the Wine-preſs▪] He doth not ſay, the Field but the Flour, Explic.I will let them bring their Corn to the flour; and he doth not ſay, the Vine, but the Wine-preſs; the Notes are theſe.
God often lets wicked men come neer the enjoyment of a mercy, Obſ. 1.and them cuts it off: as many times the Saints comes neer afflictions, and when they are at the very brink of afflictions then deliverance comes to them.
Secondly,Obſ. 2▪ God doth uſe to ſtrike wicked men in thoſe things that their hearts are moſt ſet upon. They would have their flour and Wine-preſs to afford unto them plenty, in that thing God ſtrikes them. Now obſerve it, whether in Gods waies that are againſt you God doth not ſtrike you eſpecially in that which your hearts are moſt ſet upon, if he doth, know there's the finger of God, and God would have you take ſpecial notice of it.
The new Wine ſhall fail.
The words are in the Hebrew, It ſhall …e unto them. The like word we have in Hab. 3. 17. The labor of the Olive ſhall fail: in the Hebrew ſhall lie, (that is) it ſhall not perform what it ſeems to promiſe to you;
We are ready to promiſe to our ſelves great matters from the creature, Obſ. 3.or rather think that the creature promiſes much to us, but we ſhall find all but a lye; let us learn to promiſe nothing to us but from the Word that will never lye. Whatſoever you promiſe to your ſelves (I ſay) let it be grounded upon the Word, but if you promiſe to your ſelves great matters from any creature, you will find a lye in the Concluſion. We often lye to God in not anſwering our good beginnings, and it's juſt with God that the creature ſhould even lye to us, and not accompliſh what they ſeem to promiſe to us.
Laſtly,Obſ. 4 That which men think to get in a way of ſin, they ſhall fail in at laſt; The way of the wicked ſhall deceive them, they ſhall not find what they expected in the waies of ſin. The Saints they ſhall find more than ever they expected from God, but the wicked ſhall find leſs than that which they expected from the Creature. But there is not much difficulty in this Verſe, therefore we paſs it over briefly.
VER. 3.
They ſhall not dwell in the Lords Land.
BEfore God was to them as a father taking maintainance away from them, leaving them to ſuffer want; but here his anger encreaſes, & here he puts them out of his houſe;ſimile▪ as a Father, firſt he withdraws allowance from his ſtout Son, and when that will not do, then he thruſts him out of his houſe: So doth God here, The wine-preſs & the flour ſhall not feed them. And not only ſo, ſaith God, but, They ſhall not dwell in the Lords Land. I will caſt them out of my houſe, caſt them out of my Land, I will not ſuffer Ephraim to dwell any longer there.
Firſt, God would make them to know that it was his Land, and that they were but Tenants at will, and that they did enjoy the Land upon conditions of obedience, as appears in Levit. 18. 26. Levit. 18. 26.as if he had ſaid, you are Tenants and hold the Land by this Tenure, we reade in Levit. 25. 23. of an Ordinance that God made there that no Land in Canaan ſhould be ſold for ever,Levit. 25. 23. but only to the yeer of Jubile, the richeſt man that was that bought never ſo much Land they could not buy it for ever, he could not have ſuch a Tenure as runs amongſt us, To have and to hold for ever. But you will ſay, what is the reaſon? it is given in the 23. verſ. The Land ſhall not be ſold for ever: Why? For the Land is mine: for ye are ſtrangers and ſojourners with me; I have brought you to the Land, and ye are but ſojourners with me in my Land. God may diſpoſe of all as he pleaſes. It's a good meditation for us to work upon our hearts thus, That we are Gods Stewards, the Lord is the great Land-Lord of all the world.A meditation in our walking into the Fields. When you go abroad into the fields, now you that are godly you may ſee more Land than is your own, but you cannot ſee more Land than is your Fathers.
The Lords Land.
It may be ſaid of all the Land in the world, he that is thy Father is the great Land-Lord of the world; howſoever men reſpect their Land-Lords and are afraid to diſpleaſe them, but how little reſpect is given to this great Land-Lord of the world!Canaan the Lords Land in a ſpecial manner. The earth is the Lords and the fulneſs thereof; well, but though all the world be the Lords Land, yet this Land was the Lords Land in a peculiar manner, the Land of Canaan it was the Lords Land more peculiarly in many reſpects:
Firſt,Reaſ. 1. It was a Land that God had eſpied out for his People. In Ezek. 20. 6. as a ſpecial place. God was over looking all the world; where ſhould I have a good Land (or Country) to ſet my People, and the text ſaith, God had eſpied it out.
Secondly, It was the Land of Promiſe, therefore the Lords Land, in Heb. 11. 9. By faith he ſojourned in the Land of Promiſe as in a ſtrange Country. No Land in Scripture is called the Land of Promiſe but only this.
Thirdly, The Lords Land, it was a Land given by Oath in Gen. 24. 7.
Fourthly, It was a Land which the Lord brought His People into by a ſtrong hand and outſtretched arm: Many Scriptures you have for that, as Ezek. 20. 6. &c.
Fifthly, It was a Land divided by Lot, and ſo the Lords Land; not only all the Land, but every piece in it, and the poſſeſſion that any man had it was ordered by God himſelf, by Lot.
Sixthly, It was a Land wherein God dwelt himſelf, a Land that God call'd his own reſt, Here will I reſt for ever, Pſal. 132. and God ſware unto them that hardened their hearts in the wilderneſs, that they ſhould not enter into his Reſt, that is, that they ſhould not enter into the Land of Cana…n. It was the Land wherein there was the Ordinances of God, and the Worſhip of God, and his Honor dwelt there, and ſo it had a peculiar bleſſing upon it above all the Land that was upon the face of the earth.
Seventhly, It was a Land over which Gods eye was in a more ſpecial manner; there's a moſt excellent Scripture for that in Deut. 11. 12. A Land which the Lord thy God …areth for, the eyes of the Lord thy God are alwaies upon it, from the beginning of the yeer even to the end thereof.
Yea further, This Land, it was a Typical Land of the Church, and a Typical Land of Heaven, for ſo the Apopoſtle ſpeaking of that place in the Pſalms, Pſa. 95. 7.That he ſwore in his wrath, Heb. 3. 7. &c. 4. 1.that they ſhould not enter in his Reſt. The Apoſtle in Heb. 3. 7. ſeems to apply it unto the Reſt of the Church of Heaven,1 Chron. 16. 15. and in 1 Chron. 16. 15. Be ye mindful alwaies of his Covenant, the word which he commanded to a thouſand generations, even of the Covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his Oath unto Iſaac, and hath confirmed the ſame to Jacob for a Law, and to Iſrael for an everlaſting Covenant; ſaying, Ʋnto thee wil I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance. Mark; that he would give unto them the Land of Canaan: This muſt be remembred to a thouſand generations, and it muſt be a Law to Iſrael afterwards. Certainly this notes that God aim'd at more by the Land of Canaan than meerly to poſſeſs them of ſo much ground.
Further, Yet there are divers Titles that are given to this Land; it is called an Holy Land in Zach. 2. 12. and it is called a good Land in Numb. 14. 7. that which is tranſlated in your books exceeding good, is, very very good: it's a pleaſant Land in Ezek. 7. ult. a garden of Eden in Joel, 2. 3. a glorious Land in Dan. 11. 16. & 41. verſes. and the glory of all Lands, Ezek. 20. 15. and a goodly heritage Jer. 3. 19. Now (ſaith my text) They ſhall not abide in the Lords Land. Now from all theſe Titles we are not only to take notice of this: That it ſhould be a great Judgment of God to drive them out of ſuch a good Land.
And obſerve,Obſer. It is a great judgment of God, for God through the ſins of a people, to drive them out of a good Land. Truly ſome times, I ſuppoſe when you travel abroad where there are fair proſpects, you cannot but have ſuch a meditation, Oh! how vile are the ſins of this Land, that ſhould provoke God to caſt us out of ſuch a good Land as this is? And moſt of the Titles,England another Cana…. though not all, they may be given to our Land that was given to the Land of Canaan; and certainly if God ſhould proceed in his wrath to caſt us out, it would be a heavy judgment to conſider of, They laid the pleaſant Land deſolate. Howſoever wicked men may cry out of Gods ſervants that they are the cauſe of the trouble of the Land, yet certainly it is the wicked and ungodly that are falſe in the Worſhip of God,Corruptors of Gods worſhip the ruin of the Land. they are wicked men that lay the Land deſolate. Alſo we might here obſerve that, To be caſt out of thoſe mercies that God by an extraordinary providence hath brought to us, is a ſore and a grievous evil.
But now the main end that I name all theſe Epithites,Obſer. it is this: To ſhew unto you, the Excellency of the ſtate of the Church of God. The Reſt of Canaan was a type of the Reſt that God hath in his Church, and all thoſe that are Members of the true Church of God they have a ſhare in it, to rejoyce in; to enjoy God in his Ordinances, it is to enjoy that which is typified by all this.
Thou who art a Beleever,Uſe. 1. haſt a good Land, the Garden of Eden, The happineſs of Beleevers.a glorious Land, and that Land which is the glory of all Lands, there are abundance of excellent priviledges that do belong to the Church of God; and as it is a jugment to be caſt out of ſuch a Land as this was, ſo it ſets out the great judgment to be caſt out from the Church of God, or for God to deny to give unto us the bleſſ…g of his Church; you know what a great affliction it was to Moſes to think that he ſhould not come into that good Land,Uſe. 2. Oh! how did he pray to God that he might come into Canaan? Certainly it is that which we ſhould pray for, that we might live to come into Canaan that God is a bringing his People into: now let us not murmur as they did in the Wilderneſs, and their carcaſſes did fall in it, but let us go on and be as Caleb and Joſhua, of another ſpirit, and not fear our Adverſaries, but go on in Gods way, and the Lord will bring us into the good Land; it's true, we have deſerved to be cut off in the wilderneſs, but certainly God hath a Canaan for his People, a Canaan yet to come for his People, the Lord hath great things to do for his Church, and there are many expreſſions upon which ſome think that God even will make uſe of this Canaan yet for to be the place of his chief Majeſtie and glory that ſhall appear in this world; but however that be, yet the Lord hath a Canaan for his people that we may confide in. It follows.
But they ſhall Return to Egypt, and they ſhall eat unclean things in Aſſyria.
For the returning to that we have had before. But beſides that, they ſhall be brought to that poverty and miſery to eat unclean poluted bread, whereas before they had abundance: Peter would eat nothing that was unclean till God warned him, but the Aſſyrians would bring them unclean meat and bid them eat, they would ſay, We cannot, this is againſt our Religion, and againſt our Conſciences. Your Conſciences! what do we care for them, eat it or ſtarve, ſo they were forced to eat. Whence obſerve,
That it is a great miſery to be brought under thoſe men that will have no care, no regard of the conſciences of men.
But that which is eſpecially aimed at here, God would take away all notes of diſtinction between them and the Heathen, this was a means to keep them from mixing with the Heathen, but now ſaith God, All is gone, let them go (ſaith God) and eat unclean things, as for the Covenant with me it is wholly aboliſhed, I will own them no more than the very impure Heathen, they would make Leagues with the Aſſyrians, wel, they ſhal partake wth them and be filthy and unclean as he; and they defiled Gods Worſhip by mixing heatheniſh polutions with it, now God gives them up to all Heatheniſh uncleanneſs, as they were like the Heathens in inward uncleanneſs, ſo let them be (ſaith God) in outward uncleanneſs. There is theſe two Notes.
Firſt, Obſ. 1.Thoſe that will make Leagues with wicked men, it is juſt with God that afterwards they ſhould come and be inthrall'd in all the wickedneſs and abominations of thoſe wicked men. They were indeed at a diſtance from them before, but when once the peace is made, they come now to be all one with them.
But the main is this,Obſ. 2. That, when men are inwardly unclean, God doth not care for their outward cleanneſs. Thus many profeſſors of Religion defiling their conſciences, and becoming like the wicked in inward ſins, at length God leaves them up to themſelves that there ſhould be no difference between them and the wicked in their outward abominations. Have you not known ſome examples in this kind?
Laſtly,Obſ. 3. If it be ſuch a judgment to eat unclean things with the Gentiles, even meat to ſatisfie thier hunger, Certainly then it is a fearful evil for any of the Saints to partake with ungodly men in unclean wicked worſhip. There might be as much excuſe for this as one could imagin, why Lord (they might ſay) ſhall we ſtarve? True, they might no queſtion eat that which was unclean rather than ſtarve, but yet it was a great miſery that they were in, that they could have nothing to eat but that which was unclean: but now the other is, not only an affliction, but ſin, and indeed the moral of it is to ſhew the great evil that there is in joyning with any way of falſe worſhip; to joyn falſe worſhip it is a great evil, and an argument that when God leaves us to this, he diſclaimes us. Cyprian dehorts Chriſtians from communicating with wicked Miniſters, from this place: Ne ſibi plebs in hoc …andiat…r, & cum pro Hoſeam Prophetam comminetur & dicat cenſura Divina, &c. I do not ſpeak of not joyning in Worſhip, if there be unclean ones there, Miniſters, or People. And I am perſwaded if it be throughly weighed, there will no body be found to be of that mind; for it is impoſſible that any Church in the world but in time there will be ſome that are wicked which will be preſent: but this is not that that cauſes many to forbear, (not the preſence of wicked men) but find the uncleanneſs of the Worſhip, ſome things that was done actually there, that their conſciences told them to be ſin.
Secondly, Becauſe they could not do their duty as they ſhould, but if they can have liberty to do their duty, and the Worſhip be not polluted, I think upon ſerious conſideration there can be no queſtion made: although there ſhould be ſome that are unclean admitted, yet if there be in the Church any order and government, that the unclean may be caſt out, and libertie that every one may diſcharge his duty, as to go and admoniſh, and take two or three and then tell the Church, and ſo to deliver his own ſoul, no doubt but they may communicate.