An Exposition of Hosea 4-7, Biblical commentary 1 · Chapter 5 · Verse 10
VER. 10.
The Princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound; therefore I will powre out my wrath upon them like water.
BUT why is God ſo wrath with Iſrael?Conexiō. Have not the Princes of Judah provoked Him alſo?
Yea, for God here ſpeaks to them principally. It ſeems the people were not ſo bad, ſo ſinful as they, for in the next words he ſaith, That Ephraim is oppreſſed, and broken in judgment; becauſe he willingly walked after the commandement.
Firſt, Princes muſt anſwer to God for all their doings: Though they are above all men in power, and ſo are not ſo lyable to give an account to man as others are, yet to God they muſt, thoſe actions which are leaſt obnoctious to men, are much to God.
The Princes of Judah are like to them that remove the bounds. Obſer. 1
Are like.] That is, not ſo much in a ſimilitude, as reality: as 'tis uſual in Scripture to put the word, like, for the th…ng it ſelf, As thus, His glory was as the Son of God. The Princes of Judah were thoſe that removed the bound: by the light of Nature, and the Law of God it was a wicked thing to remove bounds; you may ſee it forbidden by the Law of God, Deut. 27.17.
It was a cuſtom among the Heathens, and the Romans, That Obſer. 2 if any man removed the bound, the antient Land-mark, if they were poor, they were adjudged to ſlavery, to dig in deep pits; if rich men, to be baniſhed and loſe a third part of their eſtates.
The Princes of Judah broke down the bounds in a Fourfold way.
1. They took away mens eſtates that were none of their own. God appoints men their bounds and eſtates, therefore 'tis not in the power of Princes to take them away at their pleaſure. It was not in the power of Ahab to take away Naboths Vinyard, nay, nor to force him to ſell it, though a King, he thought it too much to take it by violence; and Jezebel, though a cruel woman, yet would not take his Vinyeard without ſome coulor of Law. Therefore Princes have no right to the Subjects eſtates, and liberty for to take them away at their pleaſures; though ſuch principles of late have been infuſed into them by ſome, for which we at this day ſuffer ſo heavily. In Iſa. 1.23. Their Princes are ſaid, to be rebellious and companions of theeves. Now if all were their own they could not break bounds: We would think that they of all men ſhould not break bounds, for what is it they may not have if they would? I have read a ſtory in Plutarch, concerning Cyneas and Pyrrhus who was mightily ſet upon war with Italy, Cyneas ſpeaks thus unto him; What ſhall we get if we overcome the Romans? Saith Pyrrhus, We ſhall ſubdue our great enemy, and be made poſſeſſors of a brave Country. Cyneas asked him what he would do then? Saith Pyrrhus, Then we will ſubdue Affrica, Carthage, and Sicila: And what then? Then ſaith Pyrrhus we wil feaſt, drink and be merry. Cyneas anſwered, Why may you not do ſo now without ſheding ſo much blood, putting your ſelf to ſo much trouble and endangering your perſon. If Princes would keep within their bounds what hinders but that they may enjoy themſelves and their comforts with peace and quiet without the ſheding of ſo much blood.
2. They break all bounds: That is, They break all Laws and Liberties; they wil not be bound by Laws, ſaying thus, Laws were made for ſubjects, and not for Princes. And thus theſe Princes broke the bounds. Hence we may ſee what corruption there is in the hearts of men naturally, and this is furthered by evil Counſellors. I have read of Cambyſes who had a deſire to marry his Siſter, but queſtioning whether he might do it or no, he cals his judges together to give him their advice, they told him, there was a Law againſt it; but ſay they, Ye Princes of Perſia may do what you will: They were ſo far from diſwading him from that wicked act, that they gave him incouragement to it. And hath not our time afforded ſuch Counſellors to our Princes?
2. They break the bonds of Religion. Therefore Interpreters conceive that our Prophet Hoſea propheſied in Ahaz his time, when he provoked God ſo by Idolatry, ſetting up the abomination of deſolation. And this is the great breach of bonds, when people muſt provoke God. God hath ſet bounds to His Word, for His Worſhip and Service: Now take heed that you go not beyond thoſe bounds for any pretence of decency or comlineſſe, ſutable to the ſtate in which we live, and ſuch like. God hath given great liberty in Civil things for men to uſe, but none in hi… Worſhip and waies. Oh what evil have Popiſh Princes done in this thing, in removing theſe bounds! and this is the main reaſon which makes Papiſts ſo to labour for the upholding and ſetting up an arbitrary government, having thereby …ull liberty to break all bounds in Religion.
Laſtly, They brake the bonds of their own Covenants, and regarded them not: Theſe were the corruptions of theſe Princes, they brake all ſorts of bonds, Civil, Spiritual Covenanting bonds, nothing will keep them in.
But hath God left no means to keep theſe in bounds, Queſt. Princes as well as Subjects?
To this I anſwer: Yea certainly. Anſw. Thoſe who at firſt gave power for families and perſons to keep theſe, never tollerated the great ones to break them. The Law of Nature never gives power to deſtroy it ſelf, eſpecially in a Kingdom where there are defenſive & offencive means to be uſed againſt any means that the greateſt in power may raiſe againſt the Laws and Liberties of men; for there is no man who is a ſubject to the Prince, but is alſo to the State, and the State may deal with his inſtruments that he imploys either defencively, or offencively. Trajan after he was made Emperor put a ſword into his Officers hand to defend him while he defended the Laws; but if he did fail in his duty, gave the Officer leave to deale with him as a delinquent. It will be worth our pains and coſt if after all our troubles we can but get the Kingdom ſetled in its true rights and liberties, though our workmen who are making up our breaches through ſome negligence or miſcarriage ſuffer the wild beaſts to break in, yet let not us murmur, and repine, but be content, and bleſs God that we have means for to help our ſelves; few yeers ſince we thought our breaches to be ſo wide, that none could help, or deliver us; now then that God hath raiſed up for us helpers contrary to our expectation, bleſs God for them, and be content, let us ſtir up our ſelves and joyn with them for their aſſurance. If the Sea ſhould break in upon a Country, would you ſit ſtil or let any reſt quiet by you that would not ſtir to make up the breach? A Farmer is contented to ſuffer Cattel, and ſee them to run up and down in his ground while his workmen are making up his hedges, and fences for to keep them out: So our workmen are making up the hedges, let us be contented to ſuffer a while patiently. The truth is thoſe moſt complain of confuſions and diſturbances who have been moſt inſtrumental to make our breaches and diſtractions: and thus the Princes of Judah were, like them that break the bound, and for thus doing the Lord threatens in the following words, to powr out his wrath upon them like water. They have paſt their bounds in ſinning, and my wrath ſhall paſs its bounds upon them; they kept no bounds in ſinning, and my wrath ſhall keep no bounds in puniſhing. The Hebrews uſe to expreſs anger by a word that ſignifies,foreign going beyond bounds, noting thus much, that ordinarily in our anger we are apt to go beyond bounds and beſides the rule. The ſence then is, I will powr my wrath upon them in great abundance, like waters. The judgments of God in Scripture, are often ſet out unto us by this ſimilitude of water, as in Iſa. 28.17. Nahum 1.8. look as their anger ran like water, ſo my wrath ſhall run upon them until they are conſumed.
That Gods wrath is very hot againſt wicked Governours, ſuch as break the bounds of Religion, Laws, and Covenants: the Lord is much diſpleaſed againſt great ones when wicked, Numb. 25.4. the people of Iſrael committed a great evil in provoking God by their Idolatry, joyning themſelves to Baal-Peor, and the Lord ſaid, Take the heads of Iſrael. The people offended and it was by the encouragement of the Governors, therefore their heads muſt off, the people ſin and the Governors muſt ſuffer becauſe they reproved them not nor reſtrained them, but countenanced them.
Hence we may note, That we had need to pray much for Princes. Fearful are the examples which hiſtoriaans report of, concerning the judgments of God upon wicked Princes.
Leander in the diſcription of Italy reports of a cruel Tyrant, who perſwaded himſelf that he muſt give an account to no man, none could call him to an account for what he did; at laſt God gave him into the hands of the people, who ſtrip'd him naked, bound him upon a planck, and drew him through the ſtreets in the ſight of all the people, then made a great fire by him, and heated tongs red hot in the fire, when they had done thus, then proclaimation was made in the Market place, that ſeeing he had wronged ſo many, that he was never able to make ſatisfaction for the wrong he had done, therefore all that had ſuffered by him ſhould come and have a pull at his fleſh with the red hot tongs.
Another fearful example we have of latter times, concerning Charls the 9th, about the maſſacre in France, who at that time pretended great love and kindneſs to the Proteſtant party, invited them to a great marriage feaſt, and at that time by his Commiſſion, calls in thoſe bloody miſcreants, who cruelly murdered the Proteſtant party; there he broke bounds: but ſee how God met with him, in a moſt grievous diſeaſe, through the violence of which there ſpurted out blood from him in ſeveral parts of his body, ſo that he wallowed in his blood before he died. God powred out His wrath upon them in blood who in their life time thirſted after blood.
Secondly, The bounds of Religion and Laws, as they keep in obedience, Obſ. 2 ſo they keep out judgments. Pure Religion and good Laws as they are bounds to keep us in duty, ſo they keep judgments and wrath from us. And we ought to look upon Laws in both theſe notions, not only to keep us in order and duty, but alſo to keep out wrath; if we break our bounds, we muſt look that wrath ſhould break in upon us; therefore we had need to do as men that live neer the Sea, when the Sea breaks in upon them, they preſently leave all their other buſineſſes, and go about that. Our bounds are broken, and who is the occaſion of it the Lord knows, and wrath is broken in upon u… at our breaches, therefore let us now as one man ſet about the making up of our breaches.
Obſ. 3 Thirdly, God puniſheth according to mens ſins. They break the bounds, God breaks in with wrath upon them; are they reſolute in ſinning? God will be as reſolute in his judgments upon them; ſee that text Jer. 44.25. You have ſworn and vowed to your ſuperſtitions, and I have ſworn to bring judgment upon you, and it ſhall come to paſs. Therefore when judgments are upon us, Uſe. if we would have them removed, we ſhould diligently obſerve what ſins we are guilty of, which anſwereth to the judgment which is upon us; for many times we may trace the cauſe of a judgment by the ſin that we are guilty of, and if we ever look to have troubles removed, we muſt firſt remove ſin the cauſe of them.