An Exposition of Hosea 11-13, Exposition · Chapter 12 · Verse 10
VER. 10.
I have alſo ſpoken by the Prophets, and I have multiplied viſions, &c.
THis is a further Declaration of Gods goodneſs to this people, and upbraiding them for their wickedneſs, Expoſ.they have had ſo much means; as if God ſhould ſay, They have not wanted the revealing of my Will, I have ſpoken by my Prophets, and multiplied viſions: Heb. 1. 1. ſeems to have reference to this, That God at ſundry foreign.times, and in divers manners ſpake in time paſt to the Fathers, by the Prophets; ſeveral ſorts of waies God reveal'd himſelf in former times. I have ſpoken by my Prophets.
There is not much difficulty in the words. The Notes briefly are theſe,
That it's God that ſpeaks by his Prophets; Though Prophets are mean, and the meſſengers of God mean, yet ſo Obſ. 1.long as they ſpeak to you in his Name, the Authoritie of what they ſay it is above any; They may be under their Auditors many waies, but the meſſage they bring it is above them; though they are weak, yet there's the power of God goes along with what they ſpeak, to make it good; and therefore you ſhall find when Chriſt ſent his Diſciples to preach, Go (ſaith he) and teach all Nations; but firſt he ſaith, All power is given to me in Heaven Matt. 28. 18, 19. obſerved.and Earth, then the words that follow are, Go ye therfore and teach all Nations; as if he ſhould ſay, All the power that is given to me ſhall go along with your teaching; it is the Lord that ſpeaks, the Lord Chriſt that ſpeaks in his Word by his Meſſengers; He that hears you, hears me; and he that deſpiſeth you, deſpiſeth me.
The Word doth little good til men come to apprehend Note.this, That it's God that ſpeaks by his Meſſengers, 1 Theſſ. 2. 13. the Apoſtle ſaith, That they received the Word, not as the word of Men, but (as it is in truth) the Word of God. That is obſervable of Samuel, God called to Samuel, and Samuel thought it had been Eli that ſpake, and all that time God would not reveal his mind to him, til at length Samuel gives this anſwer, Lord, ſpeak, for thy ſervant heareth. Mark, God would reveal his mind to Samuel then, and not before: So 'tis here, You come to the Word, and you come to hear the gifts of ſuch men, and ſuch a man hath Why men profit no more by the Miniſtry.excellent gifts, and abilities, and delivery, and ſuch kind of things; God reveals nothing to you, you go away and hear a ſound, and there's all, and no more is revealed to you than if you heard an Oration in a School; but when God ſhall be pleaſed to dart this thought into your minds, I am now going to hear that which is the Word of God Himſelf, the Word of that God that is my How to profit better.Judg, and that muſt be my Judg at the great day; now ſee whether God will not make himſelf known to you, that ſo you ſhal ſay, Methinks I never heard Sermon before in all my life, I have come and heard a Man preach, but I never heard God preach before, It was not as the Word of God, but as the word of ſuch a man. God expects that men ſhould tremble at his Word, and therefore look upon it as his Word.
Secondly, It is a great mercy to a People, for God to grant Obſ. 2.his Prophets among them to reveal his mind to them. What would all the world be but as a dungeon of darkneſs, were it not for the Prophets and Miniſters of God …ey are as the Light of the World, and the Salt of the Earth, the World would rot and be unſavorie were it not for Matth. 5. 13.the Miniſtry of the Word in the World; and ſo we find that when God-would make a ſpecial Promiſe to his People, he promiſes them, that they ſhall have their Teachers, in Iſa. 30. 20. And though the Lord give you the bread of adverſity, and the water of affliction, yet ſhall not thy Teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes ſhall ſee thy Teachers; Oh! here's a promiſe to a gracious heart. But to another it's nothing, What, Shall the Miniſtry of the Iſa. 30. 20. Noted.Word countervail the loſs of my eſtate? God doth not ſay, I'le take away from you your afflictions, Oh no, but your eyes ſhall ſee your Teachers; perhaps your eyes ſhall never ſee your Money, and Eſtates again, but your eyes ſhall ſee your Teachers. And we know when Chriſt was aſcended up on high, in his Coronation Day; Kings in their Coronation daies uſe to give great Gifts to ſhew their magnificence, then the Conduits will run Wine ſometimes. Now when Chriſt aſcended up to be crowned on high, What was the great thing that he gave in the world? He gave gifts to men, Some to be Prophets and Apoſtles, With Eph. 4. 8, 9, 10, 11.and ſome Paſtors and Teachers, that's the great gift of Jeſus Chriſt upon his Aſcention into Heaven and taking the Crown of Glorie, as if Chriſt ſhould ſay: Shall I give a magnificent gift to the world like a Prince, like the King of Heaven? I'le give gifts to men, I'le give them The Miniſtry a magnificent gift.Apoſtles, Prophets, Paſtors, Teachers, that's the great magnificent gift that Jeſus Chriſt hath given to the world, Oh! that we could learn to prize it. I remember I have read in Chryſoſtoms time, that the godlie men when he was ſilenc'd, they were ſo affected with it, that they had rather the Sun did withdraw his beams and not ſhine in the world, than that the mouth of Jo. Chryſoſtem Chryſoſtom how eſteemd in his Miniſtry.ſhould be ſtopt; They did ſo prize the Word of God by his mouth. Oh that men could learn to prize it more, at a higher rate. And you that are Citizens, ſhew your prizing of it in this one thing, Many of you here have your City, and your Country Houſes, But what little In choice of our habitations we ſhold have reſpect to a good Miniſtry.care is there for men to ſeat themſelves in places where they ſhall have faithful Miniſters of God to reveal the mind of God to them? If they come to ſeat themſelves any where, they ſcarce take it into conſideration to give a peny the more, becauſe of a faithful Miniſter, or a peny the leſs if it hath none; Oh! this ſhews the extream neglect of God, and of his Ordinances. How few Country Villages about the City were ſupplied with faithful Preachers? It's a great bleſſing of God to the world to have faithful Prophets.
Thirdly, God will take account of what becomes of the Obſ. 3.Word, Labor and Pains of his Prophets; for ſo he ſpeaks in a way of upbraiding of them, God will take account of all the Spirits that his Miniſters ſpend, of every drop of their ſweat, and of all their watchings in the night, I ſent my Prophets riſing early, and going to bed late, God will take account of all, and you ſhall know that there hath been a Prophet among you, the Miniſters ſhall be brought out to ſay and teſtifie: Lord, I was in ſuch a place, and I reveal'd thy mind thus and thus unto them in theſe and theſe waies, that they could not but be convinc'd of, and yet ſtill they continued thus and thus wicked.
Fourthly, It is a great mercy for God to declare his mind to Obſ. 4.men again and again; I have multiplied viſions, ſaith God: It were a merciemercy for God but once to tell us of his mind, and if we will not come in at firſt, for ever to caſt us off; but I have multiplied viſions, in Jer. 18. At what inſtant I ſhall ſpeak &c. God may juſtly expect that at what inſtant Chriſt is preached, that people ſhould come in, for indeed their Commiſſion ſeems to run very quick, Go, and teach all Nations: he that beleeves, ſhall be ſaved; he that beleeveth not, ſhall be damned. As if Chriſt ſhould ſay, There ſhall be quick work made with men; but yet the Lord is gracious to men, to multiply viſions one after another, to reveal his mind at one time, and at another time, the Lord is long-ſuffering: though our hearts be not mov'd at one time, yet ſtill he would try, and he would have his Miniſters to do ſo too, 2 Tim. 2. 25. Inſtruct with meekneſs thoſe that oppoſe themſelves, if God per adventure will give them repentance, to the acknowledging of the truth. It was a great aggravation of Solomons ſin, that he departed from God, after the Lord had appeared to him twice, 1 King. 11. 9. Oh! God took this ill, I have appeared twice to him, and yet he departed from me.
Oh! how may God upbraid us with this thing, that Uſe.not twice, but twenty, yea, an hundred times God hath appeared to us, we have had even the Viſions of the Almighty, ſome of you at leaſt; May not your Conſciences tell you, that at ſuch and ſuch a time you have had the Viſions of the Almighty, and yet you have ſtood out againſt them, yea, and at another time, and another time? Oh my brethren, the multiplying of Viſions is a great aggravation of our ſin in ſtanding out: It was the comfort of Paul at his Converſion, in Act. 26. 19. ſaith he, O King Agrippa, I was not diſobedient to the heavenly Viſion. Oh how happie were it for you if upon the firſt viſion your hearts would come in! Oh that you could but ſay ſo! Though it's true, I lived at ſuch a time, in ſuch a place in ignorance and darkneſs, I knew little of God, but the firſt time I came to hear the Word, wherein the Myſteries of the Goſpel were reveal'd, I bleſs God my heart came off then; ſo the Apoſile he bleſſes God for the effect that the Word had upon the Theſsalonians from the firſt day, even until that time. I multiplied viſions. And then it follows; I uſed Similitudes.
Now for that I will not trouble you with divers readings, or divers interpretations of thoſe words, I uſed ſimilitudes, Expoſ.It is a very ſtrange expreſſion, (we have it not that I know of in the Book of God, but here) to ſhew Exponit Deut in verbo ſimilitudinem ſui hoc eſt, pingit voluntatem ſuam Luth. in loc. Obſ. 1.the aggravations of mens ſins that they hearkened not to the Word, though the Word was brought to them in way of ſimilitude.
You may ſee here, That the Lord takes account of the manner of mens preaching, as well as the things they preach; and men may have their ſins aggravated, not only for ſtanding out againſt the Word, but againſt the Word ſo and ſo delivered. The main neceſſary Truths of God are made known to you all, yea, but ſome of you, have them made known to you in a more ſweet, woing, and Effectual preaching.winning way, and a more convincing way than others have, and God takes account, not only of the things you hear, but of the manner of it.
And Secondly, The revealing the Word by ſimilitudes is Obſ. 2.a very uſeful and profitable way; for it makes much for the ſetling of Truth, and the making Truth go to a mans heart before he is aware, the Truth conveyed in a way of ſimilitude takes impreſſion upon the memory; ſometimes ſpeak a Truth, and expreſs it in the way of a Simile, and many will go away and remembring the Simile, ſo come to remember the Truth. I remember it's reported of that Noble Marques, Marques Galeacias that had a great Eſtate, and was of Kin to the Pope, and yet coming upon a time but to hear Peter Martyr preach, and upon a meer Simile that he had, God ſtroke his heart, Pet. Martyr on John, 20. See the Life of Galeaci…n.and it was the means of his Converſion, the Simile was thus: Peter Martyr was preaching, and he had occaſion to ſpeak of this, Men may think very hardly of God, and his People, but this is becauſe they do not know him; as ſuppoſe a man a great way off ſees a companie of excellent Muſicians that are dancing, and there they are playing, and there's exact art in what they do, but he thinks they are a company of mad men, but (ſaith he) when he comes to draw neerer and neerer to them, and hears the melodious ſound, and obſerves the art that they uſe, then he is much taken and affected: And ſo it is with you, you are a great way off, and look upon the Waies of God a great way off, and ſo you think men mad, but could you but come to obſerve what excellencie there is in them, it would take your hearts, God bleſt ſuch a Similitude as this to that great mans heart, ſo that though his Wife and Children lay ſprauling at his feet, yet he came to Geneva and there continued a godly man all his What Similitudes ſhould be uſed, and how.daies.
But now Similies ſhould be brought from things known.1.
And we muſt not urge Similies too far neither, we muſt 2.take heed of a Luxuriant, wanton wit in urging of Similitudes.
And they muſt be very natural and plain, and proper, or elſe there will appear rather men in them than God.3.
And becauſe of this expreſſion here, learn you not to ſlight Obſ. 3.the Word when it comes by a Simile. You will ſay, This is but a Simile: but though it be, yet God is ſpeaking to thy heart in it.
And above al wth which I muſt conclude, Take heed when Obſ. 4.you come to the Word, and it may be you come to the Word where you hear excellent Similies, Take heed that you do not reſt in the pleaſantneſs of the Simile. As many men, they come to the Word to have their fancies touch'd, and pleaſ'd, … more than any thing elſe; do not play with Similies, look rather at what you can ſee of God in a Simile, than of what wit of man you ſee in them. And thus much for this Tenth Verſe.