Lectures Upon Hosea 1-4, Lectures 2 · Part 3
ANd ſo much concerning the puniſhment of the adulterous mother, the whole Synagogue & Church of Iſrael. In the next place he forewarneth her of the puniſhment of her children, verſ. 4. And I wil hauehave no pity vponupon her children; Verſ. 4 for they be the children of fornications. In which words are contained The expoſition.two things, firſt the puniſhment, & ſecondly the cauſe thereof. In the firſt we are to conſider, firſt, againſt whom this puniſhment is threatned, & ſecondly, the puniſhment it ſelfe.
The perſons againſt whom this puniſhment is denounced, are the children of the adulterous mother; And I will hauehave no pitie vponupon her children. Whereas he ſaith, And I will, &c. by this connexion he ſignifieth, that vnleſſe his adulterous ſpouſe whom hee had diuorced, would take away her fornications and adulteries by true repentance, he would not content himſelfe with her diuorce and ſpoile, but hee would goe forward in his courſe of iuſt vengeance, to inflict the like puniſhments vponupon her children.
Where as by mother, we are to vnderſtand in generall the whole Synagogue & Church of Iſrael, eſpecially their magiſtrates, ſuperiors & goueruours, both eccleſiaſtical and ciuil; ſo by the children we are to vnderſtand the particular members of this Church, eſpecially ſubiects and inferiours. For the Lord contenteth not himſelfe with a generall denunciation of his heauy iudgements againſt the whole Church; but he deſcendeth to particulars, and ſpecially applieth his threatnings to eueryevery particular member of this body, that ſo hee may bring the mother and the children, the whole body and the ſeuerall parts, ſuperiours and inferiours vntounto true repentance. Superiours when as they conſider, that not onelyonly they themſelues ſhall hauehave the greateſt meaſure of puniſhment inflicted on them, becauſe by their authority and example they hauehave bin the ringleaders vntounto al wickednes; but alſo that the poore people committed to their charge (whom they ought as tenderly to louelove as the kinde mother her deare children) ſhal through their bad example and ill gouernment, fall into the like ſins, & ſo be made obnoxious to the like puniſhmēts. So likewiſe inferiours may be drawne to repentance, when as they conſider that their following of the example of their ſuperiours, and obeying their authority in euil, will not priuiledge them frō Gods iudgements; but being partakers with thē in ſin, they ſhall alſo be partakers of their puniſhments.
And ſo much for the perſons. The puniſhment it ſelfe is, that the Lord will hauehave no mercy or pittie vponupon them; not that the Lord will vtterly and abſolutely exclude them from mercy, but onelyonly on this condition, if they perſeuered in their ſinnes without repentance: neither doth hee debarre them of all mercy in regard of their eternall ſaluation, but in reſpect of their temporary reiection, from being his people and children; as may appeare by the latter part of the chapter. The meaning therefore of theſe words is this, that as he had denied to hauehave pitie vponupon the mother, and had diuorced her, ſtripped her, and made her like a wilderneſſe, &c. ſo neither would he hauehave any compaſſion of the children to to ſpare them; but would bring vponupon them the ſame puniſhments which he had denounced againſt their mother.
And this is the puniſhment here denounced. The cauſe moouing the Lord to inflict it is expreſſed in theſe wordes; For they bee the children of fornications. In which words is contained a twofold cauſe of the childrens puniſhment: the firſt, becauſe they are the children of fornications; that is, the iſſue of an adulterous mother: or more plainely thus; becauſe they are members of an idolatrous Church, who by their gouernours ciuill and eccleſiaſticall are nuzled and nurſed, brought vp and inſtructed in idolatry and a falſe religion.
The firſt cauſe therefore why the Lord reiecteth the children, is in the mother; that is, in the whole Church, eſpecially their gouernours and rulers, both eccleſiaſticall and ciuill; becauſe by the former they were taught not a true, but a falſe and idolatrous religion; and by the other were not reſtrained from idolatry and falſe worſhip, and vrged to worſhip the true God after a true manner, but rather by their example inticed, and by their authority forced to forſake the true God and follow idols.
But here it may be demanded, whether the ſinne of the How God puniſheth the ſinnes of gouernours in the people.gouernours is a iuſt cauſe to mooue the Lord to puniſh the ſubiects. To which I anſwer, that there are two ſorts of puniſhments: the firſt corporall and temporall: the ſecond, ſpirituall and eternall. In reſpect of temporall puniſhments, it is iuſt with God to puniſh the ſinnes of parents in children, and of gouernours in the ſubiects; becauſe in reſpect of the whole body, they are parts and members belonging vntounto them as the chiefe and principall; and therefore whileſt the children and ſubiects ſuffer puniſhment, the parents and gouernours are puniſhed in them. 2. Sam. 12. 14. 24. 12. 17.2. Sam. 12. 14. & 24. 12. 17.
But in reſpect of ſpirituall and eternall puniſhments, the Lord doth not inflict them vponupon the children and ſubiects for the ſinnes of the parents and gouernours poſitiuely, vnleſſe they likewiſe partake with them in their ſinnes, and follow their wicked example; howſoeuer hee may iuſtly for Ezech. 18.their ſins, lay vponupon them priuatiue puniſhments, by withholding from them his grace, and the gifts of his holy ſpirit, which he is not bound to giuegive; of which they being depriued, runne into ſinne, and ſo make themſelues obnoxious to poſitiue puniſhments. Now theſe children of which the Prophet ſpeaketh, were not onelyonly borne of an idolatrous mother, but alſo they themſelues liued and continued in that idolatry in which they were bred and inſtructed.
And this is the more principall cauſe why theſe children are puniſhed, becauſe they liked and approued, imbraced and liued in the idolatry of their mother; for not ſimply to hauehave been the children and members of an idolatrous Church, nor to hauehave been brought vp and inſtructed in her idolatries, is a cauſe which moueth the Lord to reiect any; if afterwards they hate and forſake the idolatry of their mother, and louelove and imbrace the pure and ſincere worſhip of God. The which was the ſtate of many of Gods children in the common apoſtaſie of the Iſraelites; and is the ſtate of many who hauehave come out of the ſpirituall Babylon, being begotten vntounto God by the immortall ſeede of his word.
But theſe of whom the Prophet ſpeaketh, had not onelyonly in times paſt been, but preſently were the children of fornications; they were not onelyonly brought vp in idolatry, but ſtill they liked and liued in it: and this he implieth when as he faith; not that they had been, but preſently were the children of fornication.
And this is the meaning of theſe words. The doctrines to be obſerued out of them are theſe. Firſt wee may note, that That particular application is neceſſary in the miniſtery of the word.the Lord contenteth not himſelfe with a generall denunciation of his iudgements againſt the whole Church of Iſrael; but alſo applieth them ſpecially to the particular members thereof. The which example is to be imitated of Gods Miniſters, eſpecially conſidering that ſuch is the ſelfeloue, pride, hypocriſie, and ſecurity of men, that they will make no application of generall reprehenſions and threatnings vntounto themſelues, ſo long as they can ſhift them off, and apply them vntounto others. An example hereof we hauehave in the ſecure Iſraelites, Eſa. 28. 15. and in the Prieſts and Phariſies: Matth. Eſa. 28. 15. Matth. 21. 41.21. 41. yea Dauid himſelfe made no vſe of the generall parable for his humiliation till it was particularly applied, 2. Sam. 12. 7. And therefore becauſe that which is ſpoken to all, is 2. Sam. 12. 7.ſpoken to none; it hath been the cuſtome of all Gods true Prophets and Ambaſſadours, to make particular application of their general doctrines, to the ſpecial vſe of their own hearers: ſo Nathan to Dauid, 2. Sam. 12. 7. Peter to the Iewes, 2. Sam. 12. 7. Acts 2. 23.Act. 2. 23. all the Prophets to their ſeueral peoples, to whom they were ſent. And this duty is to be performed of all faithfull Miniſters, for they are Gods ſtewards, and therefore they are not to ſuffer eueryevery one to ruſh into the ſtorehouſe of Gods word, and to take what pleaſeth them; but they muſt giuegive eueryevery man his owne portion in ſeaſon; as it is, Luke 12. 42. Luke 12. 42.They are the Churches Surgeons to cure their ſpirituall wounds and ſores of ſinne; and therefore they muſt not onelyonly make good plaiſters, but alſo they muſt apply them to their ſores and wounds, for otherwiſe many are ſo ſenſeleſſe that they feele no paine, and therefore deſire no helpe; many ſo wayward and impatient, that they will rather let their ſpirituall wounds putrifie through ſecuritie and preſumption, then abide the cure, fearing the plaiſter more then the wound.
Secondly, wee may obſerue, that the idolatry and other grieuous ſinnes of the whole Church, eſpecially of the gouernours God puniſheth the ſins of gouernours in the people.both eccleſiaſticall and ciuill, being not repented of, do moue the Lord, not onelyonly to puniſh the whole body, but alſo the particular members; that is, ſubiects and inferiours, if not with ſpirituall, (as when they are not partakers with them in their ſinnes) yet at leaſt with temporall puniſhments; becauſe being one body, the ſinne of ſuperiours is not onelyonly puniſhed when the puniſhment is inflicted on themſelues, but alſo vponupon the inferiours, as being parts of them, and members of the whole body. But beſides corporall afflictions, they make them alſo obnoxious vntounto Gods wrath and eternall puniſhments, when as by their falſe doctrine, authoritie and euill example, they mooue and allure them, to imbrace their idolatrie and other ſinnes. An example wherof we hauehave in the papacie, where becauſe the whole Church is idolatrous, eſpecially their Magiſtrates and Cleargie, therefore priuate men being by their falſe doctrine, authoritie and example nuzled and inſtructed in idolatrie, are together with them diuorced from God, and ouerwhelmed in the common deſtruction. So that the firſt and more remote cauſe of this their puniſhment, is in the whole Church and gouernours thereof, the next and immediate cauſe is the idolatrie of eueryevery particular man, which himſelfe committed being ſeduced by the falſe doctrine and euill example of their adulterous mother. The conſideration whereof ſhould make ſuperiours moſt carefull to acquaint themſelues with Gods truth, and to imbrace and profeſſe his true religion, to forſake and deteſt all manner of falſe worſhip and idolatrie, and to auoid all other grieuous and open ſinnes; or if they hauehave fallen into them ſpeedily to repent of them; ſeeing hereby they do not only draw vponupon themſelues the heauieſt meaſure of puniſhment (for the mighty ſhal be mightily tormented) but alſo by their ſins not repented of, do make their VViſd. 6 7.ſubiects and inferiours which they ſhould louelove as their children and parts of their owne bodie, guiltie of their ſinnes, and obnoxious to their puniſhments: 2. Sam. 24. 17.2. Sam 24. 17. That it is not ſufficient to conforme our religion to the religion of ſuperiours.
Thirdly, ſubiects, inferiors, & priuate men may here learne, that in reſpect of their religion it is not ſufficient to conforme themſelues to the religion of their gouernours, nor in reſpect of their faith, to beleeue as the Church beleeueth, nor in reſpect of their manners to liue according to the example of their ſuperiours, but eueryevery one ought to informe himſelfe of Gods true religion, and to be aſſured out of Gods word, that he worſhippeth the true God after his reuealed will; and to leade his life not according to the example of others, but according to Gods precepts, with which he is throughly to be acquainted; for it will not excuſe vsus to ſay, that we hauehave bin ſeduced by falſe teachers, miſlead by ill gouernours, allured by the wicked example of ſuperiours, ſeeing eueryevery man is to liue by their owne faith, to bee directed by his owne knowledge, and to be approoued or condemned by his owne life and actions. And therfore the only priuiledge which he ſhall hauehave by the falſe religion, idolatrie and wicked examples of his ſuperiors, is, that hauing ſinned with them for company, they ſhall hauehave their company alſo in ſuffering puniſhment.
Laſtly, we may here obſerue, that the Lord will not reiect That former idolatrie repented of, doth not cauſe God to reiect vsus.vsus becauſe we hauehave bin the children of an adulterous mother in time paſt, ſo that we hate and forſake her fornications, and leauing her as an adulterous harlot, do cleaue vntounto our heauenly father; for it is not ſaid here that the Lord would exclude them from his merciemercy becauſe they had been, but alſo preſently were the children of fornications, that is, not onelie borne of an adulterous harlot, but alſo approouing and following her ſpirituall whoredomes. The conſideration whereof ſerueth for the comfort of thoſe, who hauing been borne and brought vp in poperie and idolatrie are conuerted vntounto the truth; for howſoeuer if they had continued with thir mother the great whore of Babylon, and committed Apoc. 18. 4.with her ſpirituall whoredome, they ſhould hauehave been forſaken, and ſo periſhed together with her; yet being now come out from Babylon, they ſhall not be partakers with her in her ſinnes and puniſhments, but being regenerate and borne anew vntounto their heauenly father, by the immortall ſeede of his word and Goſpell, they ſhall be exempted from her plagues, admitted as legitimate, and made capable of that heauenly inheritance which God reſcrueth in ſtore for all his children.