An Exposition of Hosea 4-7, Biblical commentary 1 · Chapter 4 · Verse 11
Verſe 11.
Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.
Still the holy Ghoſt envyeth eſpecially againſt the Prieſts; for their whordom, their wine and new wine did take away their hearts.foreign Take away, The words are tranſlated diverſly, either Take the heart, or, Take away the heart.
Take the heart.] So I find ſome turn it, and there is a good ſenſe of it, that is, theſe luſts do take poſſeſſion of their hearts. It is one thing for a man to be overtaken with a luſt, and another thing for a luſt to take a man. It is ſaid of the godly that they are overtaken, but it is ſaid of theſe that their luſts take them; but now when it comes to this that you do not only yeild to a temptation but a temptation takes you, when you are taken captive, whoredom and wine they have taken their hearts. So ſome.
But I rather think the other more proper, theſe luſts take away the heart. It is true, of any one luſt there is not one luſt harboured in the heart of a man but in time it will take away his heart, will eat out all the juyce and ſtrength and vigor of any thing that is in him. That is the reaſon that many profeſſors grow ſo ſapleſs, ſo heavy, ſo dull, ſo de…d in the way of Religion, there is ſome ſecret luſt or other that they have a haunt after and that doth take away their hearts, that now their hearts are like to dead beer, all their ſpirit and life is quite gone and their luſt hath eaten it out; And that, man is in a ſad condition whoſe vigor and ſtrength is gone and eaten out by ſome luſt in his heart.
But to ſpeak of theſe luſts as they are here ſet forth unto us, theſe two ſins, whoredom and drunkenneſs. I ſhall not ſpeak of the nature of the ſins, I have ſpoken ſomewhat of that in the beginning of the Chapter, but I ſhall only ſpeak of them in the expreſſion of the holy Ghoſt here, to ſhew you a little how theſe take away the heart.
Firſt, For both the ſins in general, as they are ſins of ſenſuality, joyning them both together. Only one Note firſt from the connexion, they left off to take heed of God in point of his worſhip, now it ſeems they are left to the ſins of whoredom and drunkenneſs; the Note therefore is, It is juſt with God that they that will not ſeek to ſatisfie their ſouls in himſelf they ſhall be given over to baſe filthy delights of the fleſh,Obſer. that they ſhall never have any other comforts but thoſe. Let them have thoſe comforts ſaith God, there is all the comfort that ever they ſhall find. So we reade in Rom. 1. that when they did not glorifie God as God he gave them up unto unnatural affections and unclean ſins.
Senſuality it is a beſotting ſin (that is the Note) ſenſuality either in whoredom or intemperancy in drinking.Obſer. Uncleanneſſe. You know how it took away the heart of Solomon Solomon(who was ſo wiſe) as that his wives did trun away his heart from God, and turned him to Idolatry. And ſo it did Sampſon Sampſonwho was ſo ſtrong, when Delilah had firſt taken his heart then ſhe took away his heart, for you know in the ſtory though ſhe ſought his deſtruction many times, he ſaw it apparantly that ſhe ſought his life, to give him up into the hands of the Philiſtines, yet for all this Sampſons heart could not be taken off from Delilah. The Scripture ſpeaks of the ſin of luſt for this moſt fully. Prov. 2.19. None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life; None that go unto the whore returneth, or as ſome would read it interogatively, do any return that go unto her? It is a rare thing for any one to return whoſe heart is taken with a whore, or ever to enter into the paths of life. The holy Ghoſt ſpeaks this, make of it what you will. And again 2 Pet. 2.14.2 Pet. 2 14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot ceaſe from ſin; Openedwhen as eyes come to be full of adultery they cannot ceaſe from ſin; their hearts are ſo taken off from all good. And Prov. 23.27 A whore is a deep ditch, and a ſtrange woman is a narrow pit; It is hard to get out of a deep ditch, eſpecially if the mouth be narrow too; thoſe that are got in there are like to Jeremiah that was put in the dungeon where there was no water but filth and mire ſo that he ſunk in the mire; and except the Lord ſend from Heaven long cords of his mercy, it is unlike they ſhould ever come out but they muſt die and periſh, and how many thouſands do die and periſh? Nothing ever deaded Davids heart more than that ſin of adultery; Pſal 51. he cries out Oh eſtabliſh me with thy free Spirit, as if he ſhould ſay, Lord I was wont to have more power over temptation, but now I am weak and quickly overcome, Lord ſtabliſh me. And as the ſin of uncleanneſs takes the heart away from God and from truth, therefore in that place of Peter verſe 18. the profeſſors were aſſured thorough the luſts of the fleſh unto much wantonneſs, even ſuch as had eſcaped, vertually eſcaped the pollutions of the world and from them who live in error; So drunkenneſs,Drunkenneſſe that likewiſe takes away the heart, wine takes away the heart exceedingly. When Solomon gave himſelf to wine, he took hold of folly at that time,Opened Eccleſ. 2.3.Eccleſ. 2.3 though ſomewhat of his wiſdom re mained, yet wine took way his heart in a great meaſure. He gave himſelf liberty (as appeareth by that Scripture, though we reade not of drunkenneſs) yet he gave himſelf liberty to ſatisfie himſelf with wine and then he took hold on folly. Thoſe that give themſelves liberty in drinking wine and ſtrong drink they are beſotted in their very parts,ſimile as you know by experience, they are as a ſnuff of a candle in a ſocket, drowned in the tallow, a while ſince it gave a good light over the room, but now being even drowned in the tallow there is nothing leſt but a little ſmoke and a ſtinking ſnuff and little or no light remaining; ſo manie men when they were young were like a candle upon the table that gave light to all about them, but now having given themſelves up to the ſatisfaction of that filthy and vile luſt of drinking,ſimile all their parts are become like a ſnuff of a candle in the ſocket, almoſt drowned in the tallow. Or rather they are become as a quagmire, we know if the husband man ſhould ſow never ſuch precious ſeed in a quagmire, what fruit will it bring forth? Auſtin hath this expreſſion, juſt as when the ground hath too much rain it grows miery and dirty and is not fit for ſeed, ſo do thoſe that ingulge themſelves in drink. Therefore in Ezek. 47.11.Ezek. 47.11. it is ſaid the waters of the Sanſtuary did not heal the miery places and the mariſhes,Opened miery hearts are ſeldom healed by the waters of the Sanctuary.Baſil, Serm. de Ebrietab. Baſil in a Sermon of his upon intemperancy, makes drunkenneſs as the Idols ſpoken of in the Pſalms, that have ears and hear not, and eyes and ſee not, and feet and walk not, it takes away their ſtanding and their underſtanding likewiſe, their very parts are taken away and they are left at liberty unto all kind of wickedneſs. How many are therethat were excellent when they were young, yet being taken with that luſt, how are they grown like Eſau that ſold his birthright for a meſs of pottage, ſo theſe will ſell Heaven for a cup of wine; yea they are more prophane than Eſau, for he was in a ſtraight, he came out of the field and be was very hungery and he thought he ſhould die if he had not the pottage, ſo that he ſold his birthright for a meſs of pottage out of a kind of neceſſity, which he might plead; but theſe will ſell their ſouls and Heaven and all meerly to pleaſe that humor, that luſt, venture the health of their bodies, the conſuming of their eſtates, the loſs of their friends, the ſhaming of themſelves, the ruin of their names and the damnation of their ſouls and all for a little drink. Oh how doth this beſot men that otherwiſe have excellent parts!
Well, But theſe two are applied here unto the Prieſts, and ſo we muſt make uſe of them eſpecially, That whoredom and Wine and new wine did take away their hearts, for theſe Prieſts (as before we have heard) they did reject the knowledg of God, and ſo left off the work they were appointed to do, to inſtruct the people, therefore the people were brought up in ignorance; now they leaving their office, their duty that they ſhould perform in the place they were ſet in, they gave themſelves up to ſenſuality, to whoredom and to wine. From hence this may be the note, That Miniſters when they are negligent in preaching uſually they grow ſenſual.Obſer. We find it ſo in experience, we need not go about to prove it. Have there not been many that in their younger time have been forward preachers, and when they have gotten livings and preferment, never minded their ſtudie and preaching any longer, but gave themſelves to ſatisfie the fleſh in uncleanneſs and filthy luſts and grew to drinking? do we not know ſome that have had excellent parts when they were young and having gotten preferment fell to drinking and uncleanneſs? People are but in an evil caſe when they have ſuch Miniſters. Eſa. 56.9. Ye beaſts of the field come to devour, yea all ye beaſts of the forreſt, what is the matter? the 12. verſe ſhews what kind of Prieſts and Prophets they had, Come ye, ſay they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill our ſelves with ſtrong drink, and to morrow ſhall be as this day and much more abundant; ſuch kind of Prieſts they had, and then all ye beaſts of the field come to devour, you lie open to all kind of miſery. Paul would have Timothy when he was weak drink a little wine for his ſtomachs ſake and often infirmity; he good man out of conſcience it ſeems would drink but water, though he were but a weak young man, yet for fear leaſt it might do hurt he would drink but water till he had a commiſſion from Paul; he was fain to exhort him to drink wine and yet it was but a little, drink a little wine. Oh thoſe in publique places eſpecially ſhould take heed of intemperancy. I have read of ſome Heathens that they have made it death for a King or a Magiſtrate to be drunk. It follows.