An Exposition of Hosea 8-10, Exposition · Chapter 9 · Verse 6
VER. 6.
For lo, they are gone, becauſe of deſtruction.
But do you ſay to us, What will we do in ſuch a day? Why, we know well enough what to do, we have a way to help us; if all your threatnings ſhould befall us, yet we can have help: why, 'tis not like that all this miſery and diſolation that you propheſie of, it's not like that it will come ſuddenly; then ſurely we know what to do, we will get to Egypt, that's not far off; and if we cannot live here in our own Country, we will go to Memphis, that's a brave City and there we may live well enough; Many of us are Merchants, and Memphis is as great a place for Mercandize as where we live, and we will get thither.
Thus carnal hearts have alwaies ſome ſhifting thoughts and ſome plots in their heads thinking of waies to provide for themſelves,Obſ. 1. and indeed it's this that takes off the hearts of men from humbling themſelves before the Lord and making their peace with him,This hardens them▪ becauſe they think they may ſhift off Gods ſtrokes thus and thus, therefore they do not fall down with trembling hearts before the Lord, and cry unto him, Lord, what wilt thou have us to do? but they know what to do themſelves; and were it not for this, that their hearts were thus taken off by ſhifts, Oh! what humiliation would there be then before the Lord, what ſubjecting to him,Iſa. 57. 10▪ what ſeeking of him? Iſa. 57. 10. Thou art wearied in the greatneſs of thy way; yet ſaideſt thou not, There is no hope: thou haſt found the life of thine hand, therefore thou waſt not grieved. Thou thoughteſt thou couldſt tell what to do, therefore thou wert not grieved. When God doth intend mercy to men, he takes them off from their vain hopes, from all their ſhifting reaſonings, and then mercy is at hand. When the hearts of men are brought to this, to cry, Men and Brethren, what ſhall we do? and as Jehoſhaphat, We know not what to do: but our eyes are towards thee: I ſay, when mens hearts are taken off from all their ſhifts, and they come to this paſs; As for any thing in our ſelves we know not what to do, but only our eyes are towards thee; then is mercy at hand, and never till then. And therefore all the time that you are reaſoning thus in your own imaginations, all that while you are far from mercy.
For lo, they are gone to Egypt, becauſe of deſtruction.
The Prophet ſpeaks here of a thing as if it were done already. Although they were in Samaria, and in the Cities of Iſrael, yet ſaith the Prophet, Lo, they are gone to Aegypt: the wrath of God was too hot for them in their own Country, and away they are gone and got to Aegypt for a refuge.
Carnal hearts in ſtraits will rather make any thing to be their refuge than God. Obſ. 2.And my brethren, juſt theſe for all the world have been (I fear) and it may be yet are the thoughts of many among us; Why, (think they) Miniſters of God they threaten Judgments,Applied to England. that God hath a controverſie againſt us, and we ſee now ſome tokens of Gods wrath upon us; Well, let the worſt come that can, we hope to ſhift ſome way or other, we may get into Holland, or Germany, or France, or New-England, if the worſt come that can, I hope we may have time enough to get one way or other to make ſhift to live;We ſhould think of helping our own Nation, rather than of flying. and theſe back-doors that their eyes are upon, have made them leſs ſolicitous about, and leſs helpful in the great things that God calls all with a loud voice to joyn together with al their ſtrength, that they may deliver their own Land from that heavie wrath that hangs over you. Well, notwithſtanding mens thoughts are for ſhifting, it will prove that all will be vain. Saith God, You think to ſhift to this place and the other, you may be diſappointed, for Egypt ſhall gather you, and Memphis ſhall bury you, my wrath and ſore diſpleaſure ſhall purſue you thither. It's a vain thing for men to ſeek to fly from the preſence of God:When a man may fly. But certainly in ſome caſes a man may fly from danger: As in regard of mens Relations and Stations, they ſee that their work is done in one place, and God by providence opens them a door to another, though not out of diſtruſt, but if when God calls for further work here and there is no door opened by providence, but what's broken open by themſelves out of a diſtruſt and ſlaviſh fear only to provide for the fleſh, I ſay, ſuch may expect wrath to purſue them whereſoever they go, their ſafeſt places may prove to be their graves, Egypt ſhall gather them, (that is taken from the gathering of dead bodies) Memphis ſhall bury them: Memphis.Memphis was a principal city in Egypt that now is known by the name of Grand Caer, Grand-Caer.your Merchants and Marriners they know that City that here the holy Ghoſt ſpeaks of by that name; and then it was call'd Memphis upon the name as ſome think of one of the King of Egypts Daughters.The Pyramides there. A City very famous in Egypt for the Pyramides and the Kings Sepulchres that were there, and the City that ſtood very commodious for trafick becauſe it ſtood upon the River Nilus and there was multitudes of ſtreets,The number of the fleets. I am loth to name you the number for indeed it is incredible, only this thing is remarkable that generally all the ſtreets had at each end of them two gates ſo that they might be lockt up as a Tower; and it may be the holy Ghoſt may allude the rather to that, in ſaying, Memphis ſhall bury you, becauſe every place was ſhut up, and it's the ſame City that you reade of in the 19. of Iſaih.
Now ſay they, We will go to Memphis a brave place for trafick, and a very commodious City, a very ſafe City that hath all the ſtreets like ſo many Towers and we will go and help our ſelves there.Expoſ. Yea, but Memphis ſhall bury you ſaith God.
From thence the Note is,Obſ. 3. That it's a great affliction to be forced to leave ones own Country, and never to return again, but to lay our bones in a ſtrange Land. The Lord hath ſent many of his ſervants into other Countries to live among ſtrangers, ſome there are that have gone among ſtrangers, yet through Gods mercy they have not ſo gone but God hath given them libertie to return again,See Vindication in Anſwer to Mr▪ Edwards. and though their going hath been (as you know) much aſperſed of late, yet when more weighty work may give leave I make no queſtion but you will be fully ſatisfied ſo as you ſhall acknowledg a ſpecial hand of God even in their going. But here ſpecially the Jews did account it a great miſery to die out of their own Land.Buxtorf. Buxtorfious in his book called the Jewiſh Synagogue, Synagoga Iudaica.relates ſuch a Tradition that the Jews have, They do beleeve that the Reſurrection at the great day ſhall be at Jeruſalem of the Jews, that whereſoever any of the Jews have lived and died,A Iewiſh tradition. yet they ſhall riſe up at Jeruſalem, therefore when many of them that lived a great way off did begin to grow old they would leave their ſtation and go as neer to Jeruſalem as they could:per meatus terrae. for this is their Tradition, that their bodies ſhall come through paſſages of the earth all along to Jeruſalem, and that they may prevent the trouble of coming ſo far under the ground, therefore they remove their dwelling to dwell neer Jeruſalem. And this is the vanity of ſpirit that they are left unto. But though that be a vanitie, yet certainlie it's an affliction to anie to be out of their own Countrie, and there to live and die; but if it be a great evil to flie from ones own Countrie for fear of deſtruction, and to have the place they fly … be made as their grave, what a great evil is it then for men meerlie out of love for advantage to leave places where before they did or might enjoy communion with the Saints, to leave the Ordinances of God, to go into other places among Papiſts, and Heathe…s where they cannot have the freedom of Gods Worſhip? Now ſuch as theſe are ſhould find theſe places to be labyrinths of miſerable perplexity to them, it is juſt with God it ſhould be ſo, ſeeing they out of love to gain would thus venture themſelves, and therefore let men take heed of this how they go upon any private reſpects from places were Gods Worſhip may be had to places where they cannot enjoy it. It follows.
The pleaſant places for their Silver, Nettles ſhall poſſeſs them; Thornes ſhall be in their Tabernacles.
The word that is tranſlated pleaſant places for Silver,foreign Deſiderin argenti. it is, the deſire of their ſilver.
Firſt, It may have reference to this, to their furniture of ſilver, that nettles ſhall grow where they wear their fine ſilver things,Expoſ. 1. their fine Cupbords of plate, and houſhold ſtuff that they did take ſo much delight in, as in Lament. 1. 7. Jeruſalem remembred in the daies of her affliction, and of her miſeries, Lam. 1. 7.all her pleaſant things that ſhe had in the daies of old. Mark but theſe two things from this text, Jeruſalem in the daies of her affliction and miſerie. My Brethren, there may be daies of affliction, and yet no daies of miſerie, the Saints may meet with daies of afflictions, but not of miſery; the wicked when they meet with daies of affliction, they meet with daies of miſery; but the thing I note that text for is this, They ſhall remember all the pleaſant things that they had. Oh! they ſhall think then, what fine Cupbords of plate they were wont to have, and all their fine things; ſo here, here's a threatning that there ſhould nettles grow in the very place where their fine houſhold ſtuff ſtood, ſuch a place of the houſe where ſuch a fine Cupbord of plate was, all ſhall be ſo demoliſhed that perhaps Nettles and Thorns ſhall grow there.
And then ſecondly, The places where they hid their Silver, as you know in times of War men will hide their Silver, and they think they may come back again and have them, but ſaith God, you ſhall go far enough from them, and I make no queſtion but another Generation may find treaſures of ſilver in the Countries, in the midſt of Nettle buſhes and Thorn buſhes.
Thirdly, It is their delightful houſes adorned with ſilver, that were ſo glorious to their eyes, al now is gone ſaith God,foreign and Nettles and Thorns ſhall grow up, they ſhall Inherit, ſo the word is; you hope to leave theſe brave houſes to your children to inherit, but now ſaith God I have other Heirs for your houſes than your children, I have Thorns and Nettles to inherit them, for ſo the word is in the Hebrew, They ſhall inherit. It's a lamentable ſpectacle to ſee places where fair buildings have been that now Nettles and Thorns ſhould grow, as it is like to be if theſe Wars hold in divers places of this Kingdom, that was the complaint heretofore of Troy, Seges eſt, ubi Troja fuit.There was Corn grew where once Troy was, it was made a plowed field, but to have Nettles grow it is worſe, for where the plow goes there are inhabitants, but where Nettles and Thorns are that's a deſolate wilderneſs. Travellers tell us, that in manie places of Germany, Germany.when they go by where brave buildings were, there's nothing now but buſhes and nettles; the Lord deliver us from ſuch a heavy ſtroke as this is,Iſa. 32. 1… ▪ this is threatned in Iſa. 32. 13. Ʋpon the Land of my people ſhall come up bry…rs and thorns, yea upon all the houſes of joy in the joyous City. Would it not be a ſad ſpectacle to ſee ſuch a City as this to have the buildings overthrown and to have Nettles and thorns in your faireſt ſtreets come up?London. yet ſin is ſuch a ruinous thing as this. And then in Iſa. 34. 13. Thorns ſhall come up in her Palaces, Nettles and Brambles in the Fortreſſes thereof, Iſa. 34. 13and it ſhall be a habitation for Dragons, and a Court for Owls; the Owls they ſhal keep Court there. In our Courts we know what abundance of ſin was there, now the Owls ſhall keep Court there inſtead of theſe Courtiers that lived ſo bravely there formerly. Oh my Brethren! ſin is a leproſie that infects the doors of our houſes: there's a notable ſtory in 2 King. 25. 9. it ſaid of Nebuchadnezzar, 2 King. 25. 9.That he burnt the Houſe of the Lord, and the Kings houſe, and all the houſes of Jeruſalem, and every g…eat mans houſe burnt be with fire. There is a great deal of ſin committed in great mens houſes, and at this day how have the great men of the Land almoſt in all places ſhewed a ſpirit of Malignity againſt the work of Reformation, Oh how juſt with God is it that the houſes of theſe great men ſhould ſ…ffer; this that here is threatned in my text, and manie of them have been ſpoiled already, and if God give them not hearts ſpeedily to ſee the evil of their waies it's very probable that within a few years this text of mine may be fulfilled upon them,
They ſhall poſſeſs them.
It may be they think though the War did keep us from our houſes a while, nay though they ſhould be broken down, yet our Lands will hold, they cannot take away them. Nay ſaith God, flatter not your ſelves with thinking to come to it again, for you ſhall never come to them, for Nettles and Thorns ſhall poſſeſs it. And thus we have done with the ſixth Verſe, but a very little of the ſeventh Verſe. And ſo,