An Exposition of Hosea 4-7, Biblical commentary 1 · Chapter 4 · Verse 10
Verſe 10.
For they ſhall eat and not have enough.
Some would carry theſe words, They ſhall ſtill grow worſe and worſe in eating the ſin of my people, and ſo would refer to the eating of the ſin of the people in that ſenſe you heard before, that is, they ſhall never think they have advantage enough from the ſin of the people; they deſire the ſin of the people for their own advantage, wel, they ſhal eat their ſin in that reſpect, but they ſhall never have enough, they ſhall never be ſatisfied, but ſtill deſire that people may ſin more and more that they may have more advantage by their ſacrifices.
But I rather take it thus, more plainly according to the words, They ſhall eat and not have enough, howſoever they think to provide for themſelves by that which they get in ſuch a baſe ſinful way, yet they ſhall find no ſatisfaction unto themſelves in i…, they ſhall be deceived. The truth is, if they ſhould find ſatisfaction, it were a great matter, ſeeing they ſhall come to anſwer for it after wards; but they ſhall not only be judged for it afterwards, but for the preſent they ſhall find no ſatisfaction in that that they promiſed unto themſelves ſatisfaction in, They will get an eſtate perhaps, get money and get riches this way, and be brave in the world, but I will curſe that which they have got. Take goods that are lawfully got yet there is a vanity in them, a vanity in goods got by good means, though we have them we cannot enjoy them except God give us to enjoy them, God is the God of all conſolation, it is the mercy and goodneſs of God conveyed thorough creatures that can bring any comfort in the uſe of them. If a man ſhould think to fill his be…ly with wind, it were a poor ſatisfaction; but it were worſe it he ſhould open his mouth to fill his belly with air infected with the plague: When thou thinkeſt to ſatisfie thy ſelf with goods never ſo well got, it is but opening thy mouth to the wind, but when thou thinkeſt to ſatisfie thy ſelf with goods unlawfully got, it is opening thy mouth to draw in peſtilential air, there is no ſatisfaction there. Ecceleſ. 5.10. He that deſires ſilver ſhall not be ſatisfied with it. Howſoever men think with themſelves if they had ſuch an eſtate what brave lives ſhould they live; but when they have it they find it otherwiſe. Thoſe that hunger and thirſt after righteouſneſs ſhall be ſatisfied, but they that hunger and thirſt after any thing in the world they ſhall find it to be an empty thing unto them. It is true, there is a kind of ſatisfaction that God gives ſometimes unto wicked men, but it is a curſed ſatisfaction, a fearful judgment of God. Prov. 14.14. Wicked men ſhall be ſatisfied with their own waies, that is, they ſhall have enough of them; as when a man will go on in his own waies and he ſuffers much for it, we ſay, what have you not enough of it, enough of ſuch a courſe, ſo he ſhall be ſatisfied, he ſhall have enough of his waies, that is he ſhall find ſuch plagues and miſeries that follow them as he ſhall be ſatisfied, he ſhall be filled with them. It is ſpoken of an Apoſtate, a backſlider in heart, one that will apoſtatiſe from God and think to provide for himſelf better in the waies of his Apoſtaſie, he ſhall be ſatisfied but it ſhall be with his own waies.
And they ſhall commit whoredome and ſhall not encreaſe.
If we underſtand this of bodily whoredom, then the ſenſe muſt carry it thus, that God will croſs them in that, even in the way of their whoredom, they ſhall commit whoredom and not encreaſe. You will ſay what great judgment is that, Whoremaſters do not care for encreaſing? It is true now whoremaſters do not deſire encreaſe, only to ſatisfie their luſts, and in this thing they reſemble evil and wicked Miniſters as much as in any thing;Whoremongers & plauſable Miniſters alike as many Miniſters deſire only to pleaſe the fancies of their Auditors and never look after begetting any unto God; they are like harlots or whoremaſters in this, they love to pleaſe the fancies of men and their own fancies too, but to get children unto God, that they look not after; as whoremaſters & harlots when their luſts are ſatisfied, they have their ends, for to bring forth, that they care not for. This is now, but in former times, in the time when the Prophet did propheſie, encreaſing in a numerous of-ſpring was a ſpecial thing that all gloried in, therefore they ſought it any way, not only by marrying many wives, but by their concubine… and whores too. But God threatens to ſend out a curſe upon them that they ſhall not encreaſe. And for this it is very obſervable (for you may take it more general) Gods curſe upon a man in any thing he undertakes unlawfully, he can never expect to proſper in it;Obſer. that is the Note from it, Whatſoever a man undertakes unlawfully he can never expect to proſper in it. And that is very obſervable for this one particular concerning Sol…o… you know he had ſeven hundred wives and three hundred co…cubines a thouſand in all, yet we reade but of one ſon that Solomon Solomonle… b…hind him, and that ſon was but a fooliſh ſon neither, Re…ob…m, whom the Scripture calls a child when he was above forty ye…rs old, 2 Chron. 13 7. When Rehoboam was young and tender hearted, he had a childiſh fooliſh heart though a rugged and churliſh heart. Solomon was not bleſſed with a numerous progeny notwithſtanding he gave himſelf liberty to ſatisfie his fleſh ſo much as he did. But on the other ſide,Iſaac of al the fathers in the old Teſtament we reade of Iſaac from whom came the promiſed ſeed that were to be as the ſtars of Heaven and as the ſand of the ſea ſhore for nu…ber, yet he had but one wife, he took not that courſe that many of the Patriarche… did to marry many wives, but contented himſelf with one wife and yet from him came the promiſed ſeed ſo many as the ſtars and the ſand for number. From which we may infer that it is the beſt way for us to keep to Gods Ordinances, Uſe. we ſhall proſper more in what we would have, to keep to Gods waies than to go out into our own ſinful waies.
They ſhall not encreaſe] The words are read otherwiſe by ſome, Hierom Hieromhath this Note upon it, they have committed whoredom and have not ceaſt, ſo he reades it, his note upon it is this (I think that which hath been delivered unto you is the main ſcope, but I will only preſent what he notes upon it, and it is of good uſe) ſaith he, they have committed fornication & whoredom till they have ſpent all their ſtrength yet they have not ceaſt, their hearts are ſtil that way; juſt as it is with many old whoremaſters they have committed whoredome and ſpent their ſtrength in their young time, yet they ceaſe not, they have unclean hearts, their luſts boil within them notwithſtanding their ſtrength is ſpent. And if you reade the words ſo and then either take it for bodily or ſpiritual whoredom, they have committed whoredom and have not ceaſt, that is, they ſtill go on and on in the waies of Idolatry,Obſerv. Idolaters ſeldom come in and return.
Tarnovius he hath another expreſſion in the reading of it,foreign Non per rumpant eximent legibus aut paenis, they ſhall not break forth, for ſo the word in the Hebrew doth wel carry it, that is, they think to take liberty in their whoredom and idolatry, they break forth from Gods Laws and puniſhments and think ſtill to eſcape Laws and puniſhments, to break forth from al bonds whatſoever, no ſaith God, they ſhall not break forth, God will lay fetters upon them that they ſhall not break forth. But I take the firſt to be the more ſpecial, and ſo we ſhall leave that expreſſion, they ſhall commit whordom and ſhall not encreaſe. Why?
Becauſe they have left off to take heed to the Lord.
There is a great de…l of elegancy in this expreſſion.foreign They have left the Lord to take heed (ſo you may read the words, ad cuſtodiendum) to keep themſelves within any bounds of the Commandement of God. They run wild (as if the Prophet ſhould ſay) …nd have le…t off …o take heed of God or any of his … Perh…ps the… hav… not le… the Lord wholly, for they will wo…p God in ſome ex…ernal waies of worſhip, but God cares not for that, they have left the Lord in this to take heed of him. Though we think to follow the Lord in any external duties, if we leave to take heed of God in all his waies, he takes no notice of it: that may be one Note.
But the ſpecial thing is this, [They have left off to take heed to the Lord.] At firſt though temptation may prevail againſt a man, yet the Truth of God will be working in his conſcience (I ſpeak to one enlightned and a profeſſor of Religion, as theſe were) Though at firſt a temptation prevail againſt a profeſſor of Religion, yet he having an enlightened conſcience the Truth of God will be working ſtill in his conſcience and in his heart; but now if he ſtill give way to that luſt, at length his luſt will ſo far prevail as that he will wholly leave minding and regarding that Truth of God that is againſt his ſin and give himſelf fully up unto the waies of his own heart; and this mans condition is very dangerous. Oh take heed of this, take heed of this not taking heed; you that begin to decline and you find ſome ſecret luſt prevailing in your heart;Obſerv. wel, yet you have the Truth of God boiling and bubling in your hearts and will not let you go on quietly, but yet your luſts ſtrive againſt that truth, well, if this luſt be not mortified, if you give way to it that it continue a while, you will come to be weary of that truth that is againſt that luſt and you will turn your eyes from it, Uſe. and you wil leave off to take heed further to think of that which ſhould make againſt your ſin; and when you are come to this paſs your condition is very dangerous.
They have left off to take heed.] The way to keep the heart and life in order, in waies of obedience,Obſ. it is, to take heed to the Lord, that is the ſpecial Note, to take heed to the infinite glorious bleſſed Majeſty of the holy and great God, to mind God in his ſoveraignty, in his authority, in that infinite worthineſs that is in him of all obedience from all his creatures, to look upon God the only Jehovah, the high and eternal God: This is the way to keep our hearts and lives in order, to take heed of God thus, to have God in our thoughts and hearts and to heed him diligently and his waies.
But yet there is a further note from hence and that is eſpecially intended. The evil that they are accuſed of is, That they did leave off to take heed of God in point of worſhip, for that is the thing that God eſpecially charged them for, that they did corrupt his worſhip, and they did leave off to take heed of God in things of his worſhip, that is thus, that kind of worſhip that they thought to be moſt ſutable to their own reaſon and politick ends, that worſhip they ſet up; but now to take heed to God for the rule of worſhip, to look up unto God,obſer. that whatſoever they had in his worſhip ſhould be according to the rule he ſetteth, that they left off, they minded that no more now but altogether what was ſutable to their own ends. And that is an evil thing in any Kingdom that men ſhould leave off ſo to take heed; as it is almoſt come to that now. Uſe. I make no queſtion at firſt but that for the government of the Church the primitive Chriſtians had a ſpecial eye to the rule, to Apoſtolical inſtitution, but it is come to paſs I know not how, it is almoſt a general concluſion amongſt men, yea amongſt good men, amongſt Divines and good Divines, that we can ſcarce have a rule, a rule of inſtitution, they think it needs not at al, and we can find no ſuch thing at all in the word, and ſo they have quite left off ſo much as to examin things in the word: I ſay they have done ſo. It is an evil thing for any in matters that concern the worſhip of God not to take heed of Gods word in it; Though in civil things we are left to prudence and reaſon, but when we come to matter of worſhip we muſt take heed to the word, in every particular that is properly Eccleſiaſtical, that is properly Church-work, we muſt I ſay in every thing take heed to the Word of God. It is a notable expreſſion that Luther hath about this, It is not ſaith be ſo much in Religion to look at what is the thing as who commands it; and he citeth Seneca, Seneca ſaith he gives this rule, obſerve not who commandeth but what is commanded, but in the Church and in Religion it is to be turned quite another way, it is not ſo much Quid but Quis and Q…alis and Quantus, but the Devil ſaith he changeth this into quid quale quantum, that is, he changeth this who, and what manner of perſon, and how great a one commandeth; into this; what, what manner, and how great a thing. So that this is the reaſon why many deſpiſe ſome Ordinances in the Church, why what great matters are there in theſe things? So they look to the thing and not to the inſtitution; whereas did we look to Chriſt the Inſtitutor which we ſhould do, we ſhould look more to the inſtitution than unto the thing it ſelf. Let the thing commanded be never ſo low and poor, never ſo mean in it ſelf, yet the inſtitution muſt be honored. Take heed to God eſpecially in the point of worſhip. So we have done with the tenth verſe. It follows.