An Exposition of Hosea 4-7, Biblical commentary 1 · Chapter 4 · Verse 12
Verſe 12.
My people ask counſel at their ſtocks, and their ſtaff declareth unto them.
There is a little more difficultie in theſe words than in the former. Only firſt from the connection there is this uſeful Note,Obſerv That bodily and ſpiritual whoredom uſe to go together. Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart, and then, they ask counſel at their ſtocks, and their ſtaff declareth unto them. Firſt they are beſotted with theſe luſts and then they fall to the moſt groſs waies of Idolatry, for theſe words in this verſe ſeem to expreſs the moſt groſs and ſtupid Idolatry that ever was in the world, to ask counſel of their ſtocks, and their ſtaff to declare unto them; but when they had given up themſelves to the luſts of their hearts then they grew moſt ſottiſh in their way of Idolatry. Uſe. Therefore we are not to mervail though men that ſeem to be men of underſtanding yet will worſhip ſtocks and ſtones, as your Papiſts; why? they give themſelves up to their luſts and. then they grow to be ſ… and the moſt groſs Idolatry in the world will go down then. I remember I have read of one that law one go to Maſs and preſently after go to a houſe hard by where a whore was, he hath this ſpeech upon it: A lupanari maſſam tantum eſſe paſſum: that is, there is but one ſtep from the Maſs to a whorehouſe. Spiritual whoredom and bodily go together, their hearts are taken away by their whoredom, and they ask couſel at their ſtocks. Jewel Jewel.in his Apologie relates this that by very credible report ſearch being made in the yeer 1565. for harlots belonging to the ſtews in Rome, there was found in Rome to the number of 28. thouſand women of that ſort. Thus bodily and ſpiritual whoredom you ſee how they go to gether; 28. thouſand of ſuch kind of women found in one City,Rome in that City which we know is called the City of whoredoms, it is not only in regard of ſpiritual whoredom, Idolatry, but of bodily whoredom likewiſe, for thoſe two as I ſaid uſually go together.
Now for opening this, They ask counſel at their ſtocks, and their ſtaff doth teach them.
Their ſtocks,] That is their Images, God puts that contemptible name upon them; they ask counſel of them. And that is to be obſerved too, My people, there is the emphaſis; Mine by profeſſion, not wholly call off yet, yet theſe ask counſel at their ſtocks, their Images, which perhaps they beautified with Silver and Gold, yet God calls them their ſtocks.
And their ſtaff teacheth them.] Here is a peculiar way of Idolatry to be taught by their ſtaff. Vatablus and others interpret it thus, their falſe Prophet upon which they leaned as upon a ſtaff, and ſo they they think by ſtaff here is meant their falſe Prophets. But I rather think it is to be meant litterally, There was a kind of Idolatry which the Jews had and likewiſe the Romans after this, a way to ask counſel by the ſtaff, which the Prophet here charged them with, which they cald foreign or foreign Divinatio ex virgis, Divinatiō by ſtaves.divination by rods, or ſticks, or arrows, or ſtaves; And there were four waies by which they did divine by theſe. The firſt was to put arrows or ſtaves into a cloſe thing having the names written upon them of what they divined about, and then drawing out one or two, according to what they found written the ſtaves they determined any buſineſs; thus their ſtaff declared to them either good or bad; And thus Nebuchadnezzar ſeemed to do Ezek. 21.22.Ezek. 21.22. there Interpreters ſhew that the buſineſs was,Opened that Nebuchadnezzer being in doubt whether he ſhould war againſt Philadelphia or againſt Jeruſalem he took two arrows and wrote the name of Jeruſalem on the one and Philadelphia on the other …nd ſo came to divine which way he ſhould go. And this is the firſt way of declaring by the ſtaff. A ſecond was by caſting up ſtaves or arrows into the air, and according as they did fall, on the right hand or on the left, before or behind, ſo they did divine their good luck or their ill luck as they call'd it. A third way was this, they uſed to peel off the bark of ſome part of a ſtick and then caſt it up and divined according to which part of the pith either black or white appeared firſt. A fourth was (which we find in the Roman antiquities) that their Augures or South-ſayers uſed to ſit upon the top of a Tower or Caſtle, and the air being very cleer and fair without any clouds, having a crooked ſtaff in their hand which the Latines c…ll Li…uus, there they quartered out the regions of Heaven, ſo much as was for their purpoſe, & when they had quarter'd them out they did reach forth this ſtaff (having firſt offered ſacrifices and prayers to their gods) upon the head of a perſon or a thing they would divine for, and ſo they came to have good or ill luck to be ſhewed according to what at that time they obſerved in the Heavens, the birds flying &c. when that ſtaff was upon the head of the party. This the Romans did, and it is like they had it ſomewhat from the Jews, they did ask counſel of their ſtaff.
By all this we may ſee what poor waies Idolaters have had to know the mind of their gods.Obſ. When men forſake the right way of knowledg of Gods mind, what poor waies do they go to know the mind of God. Uſe. Oh by this how ſhould our hearts be raiſed up to bleſs God that we have ſuch a way to know his mind, that we have his Word, that we have his Son that come out of his boſom to declare the eternal counſel of his father unto us. Theſe are the poor waies that Idolaters have to know the mind of their gods.
Now follows the ground of all: For the ſpirit of whoredomes hath cauſed them to e…, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.
For the ſpirit of whoredoms.] Some would have it thus, that look as there are particular ſins, ſo there are particular Devils to attend upon them; As there is a devil eſpecially to attend upon Idolatry, another to attend upon whoredom, another upon drunkenneſs, another upon envy, another upon pride, another upon paſſion and the like; and ſo the ſpirit of whordom that is (ſay they) that devil that eſpecially attended upon this ſin cauſed them to er. But I think this not to be the ſcope, but this rather, the ſpirit of whoredoms hath cauſed them to er, the ſpirit, that is, that impetus of ſpirit that was in them; there is an impetus an ardency, a vigour, an activity of their ſpirits to ſuch a kind of ſinful way, it is that which hath carried them on and cauſed them to er. The Scripture oft ſpeaks of ſeveral ſorts of ſpirits, as ſometimes the ſpirit of perverſneſs, Eſa. 19.14. it is tranſlated in your books, a perverſe ſpirit, but the words are Spiritus perverſitatum, a ſpirit of perverſneſs, there is an impetus of ſpirit that hath cauſed Egypt to er in every work thereof. So the ſpirit of uncleanneſs Zech. 13.2. it is tranſlated in your books the unclean ſpirit, but it is foreign the ſpirit of defilements or uncleanneſs, ſo the ſpirits of lying, 1 King. 22.22. the ſpirit of error, 1 John, 4.6. He that knoweth God heareth us, he that is not of God heareth not us, hereby know we the ſpirit of truth and the ſpirit of error, that is, there is an Impetus, a ſtrength of ſpirit that carries men on unto ſuch an erronious way. Uſe. And the conſideration of that will be of mervailous uſe unto us. Let us look to our ſpirits my brethren,ſtrong inclinations of ſpirit. and conſider what ſpirit we are of, eſpecially when we are carried with an Impetus of ſpirit to a thing, that is, when we find an eagerneſs of ſpirit that way, to ſuch a thing we would fain have, let us then take heed to our ſelves: when you find I lay your ſpirits very eagerly and ſtrongly ſet upon ſuch a thing, examine then what ſpirit you are of, that it be not a ſpirit of luſt, of envy, of malice, as ſometimes there is in mens hearts when they are carried with a more than ordinary ſtrength after ſuch a way. There is many people when they find themſelves carried on with ſuch an impetus, and ardency, and fervency, they cannot endure that any body ſhould croſs them in it, no, but they muſt have it; As they in Samuel that would have a King, when they heard all the reaſons that could be to perſwade them againſt it, they would not anſwer one reaſon but held to their concluſion, No, but we will have a King, ſay they. So a man that hath a ſpirit of ſuch an evil, A ſpirit of envie, a ſpirit of error, a ſpirit of Antichriſt in him, a ſpirit of domineering in him, a ſpirit of crueltie, a ſpirit of bitterneſs in him, firſt he will ruſh upon ſuch a thing without examining of it, and further, if there come any thing againſt it, any truth, he ſlights it preſently and caſts it off and thinks there is nothing in it, why? becauſe he hath a ſpirit that carries him that way, and if the truth come more ſtrongly that he is convinced by it, yet he hath a ſpirit that carries him on, and though he meet with many difficulties in the way he will break through them all. Oh it is a dangerous thing when men have a ſpirit of errour, or a ſpirit of bitterneſs. You ſhall find ſome men that have much remaining of Antichriſtaniſme in them, do but ſpeak to them of any thing that concerns an Ordinance of Chriſt, of Chriſts inſtitution, of the will of Chriſt in the word, aſſoon as it is but mentioned, you ſhall not hear any anſwer to the argument, but you may perceive a ſpirit of bitterneſs, a ſpirit of envy, a ſpirit of frowardneſs and paſſion preſently to riſe in them. So in other things you ſhall find men, and ſome that have good things in them, that if you do but diſcourſe with them of ſome things that you know are according unto the mind of Chriſt, yet they have been brought up otherwiſe and have drunk in other principles, and they have a ſpirit of bitterneſs and anger and vexation that preſently will appear in them to caſt off any truth that is ſuggeſted unto them.
But let us labour on the other ſide rather to be acted by the Uſe 2 Spirit of God, the Children of God are led by the ſpirit. And it is true, the Saints of God have a Spirit of holineſs in them, as wicked men have a ſpirit of uncleanneſs in them ſo Gods children are carried on with a ſpirit of holineſs, the love of Chriſt hath taken hold of their hearts, and perhaps they are weak and cannot reaſon out the caſe with ſome ſubtill Sophiſters, but they have the ſpirit of Chriſt, an Impetus of ſpirit that carries them on. But take heed, the Spirit of Chriſt is joyned with much humility and holineſs; do not ſay you are carried with the Spirit of Chriſt and yet bitterneſs and pride is mixed with it; but if there be humility and holineſs, then perhaps though you cannot anſwer every objection of every Sophiſter yet there is the Spirit of Chriſt in you; that as wicked men have a byas upon their hearts that ſwaies their judgment, ſo the godly have a byas upon their hearts, the truth and love of God doth byas their hearts and carries them on with ſtrength in the waies of God; as the poor man,Fox Act. Mon. the Martyr that ſaid, I cannot diſpute for the truth, but I can die for it; There was ſuch a ſpirit of love in him unto Jeſus Chriſt that carried him on and made him ſavour and reliſh holy things though he could not diſpute for them.
We are to pray unto God that he would ſatisfie us not only Uſe. 3 in body and in ſoul but in ſpirit, that that Impetus of ſpirit may be ſanctified, for great things depend upon that Impetus, that force, that activeneſs of our ſpirits; almoſt all page missing fell down under the dreadful authority of thoſe commands, then it was well with them, but now you have got from under this, you do not fear Gods word as you were wont to do, you will not tremble at his commands as'you were wont, now you run wilde and frisk about in your own waies; Oh poor creature whither art thou gone thou art got from under the protection of the Lord.