An Exposition of Hosea 4-7, Biblical commentary 2 · Chapter 7 · Verse 5
VER. 5.
In the day of our King, the Princes have made him ſick with bottles of wine, be ſtretched out his hand with ſcorners.
THere is no prepoſition in, in the Hebrew, 'tis only, The day of our King. foreignThe people being leavened with Jeroboams Idolatry, they now make their acclamations in honor of their King,The day of our King and rejoyce in the way of their worſhip which they had from their King, which he & his Princes had ſet up, & would not regard the requeſts and petitions of ſome few who deſired it, might not be eſtabliſhed, and though they were bound in conſcience to go up to Jeruſalem, yet notwithſtanding the King would ſend forth his Edicts, to tell the people there ſhould be no more going up to Jeruſalem, but to Dan and Bethel, now at this they rejoyce and cry out, Oh the day of our good King which hath ſet his good people at liberty and eaſed us of our great journey to Jeruſalem! (to the danger of the Kingdom) and is an enemy to thoſe preciſe people.
This day of their King was either the day of his birth, or his coronation day, or the day in which he ſet up the Calves at Dan and Bethel. Now it cannot be imagined but that there was ſome murmurings amongſt ſome of the people, they were not all of a mind, to give their conſent to the ſetting up of the Calves, therfore they did it by a ſtrategem, with all the mirth and triumphing in the day of their King, pleaſing and pampering the fleſh, drowned al the diſcontents by this way of pleaſing the fleſh, cauſed all things to be carried before them. Or thus: If the people were not throughly levened, by this means, they would take this courſe; Come, we wil go ſet up our King, and magnifie our King, and this will prepare the people to receive any thing he enjoyns. Let the Citizens be in their gowns, and the Gentry in their bravery, and let the King be amongſt them, and ſhew himſelf courteous and loving to the people, and now let us cry out, Oh our good King! This is the day of our King.
Thoſe who carry this day to the day of his birth,Kings birthdays have this Note, That we never read in Scripture of any godly King that ever celebrated his birth-day, but of three wicked Kings, of Pharoah, Gen. 40.20. and of Jeroboam, in this text; and of Herod in Mark. 6.21. not that it is altogether unlawful to celebrate or obſerve a birth-day, or a coronation day, if it be obſerved with two Cautions.
So that it be not made as a holy day,wth what cautiō to be celebrated. ſo there be not put a holineſs in it; for God never gave that power to man, to ſet a day apart as holy for his uſe.
Then it may be here objected, Object. What, may not man ſet daies apart for Humiliation, or Thanksgiving? Yea, he may. Then what is the difference between Gods ſetting of dayes apart for holy uſes, and mans ſetting of daies apart for holy uſes?
The difference lies in this: Anſw. Time and things ſet apart by God for holy imployments and ſervices, beſides that they make the duties more holy, and the Ordinances more ſolemn and ſpiritual, than they are upon a day which man doth appoint, (for mans appointment puts no holineſs upon the duties which are done upon thoſe daies) there is a holineſſe in them when out of their uſe, as in Miniſters &c. but there no more holineſs in daies and times ſet apart by man for God, than there is holineſs put upon the paper which the Bible is printed upon; the Printer takes out ſo many reams of paper from his heap, and ſets them apart to print the Bible; now will any man think this paper is more holy than the reſt.
There may be a day kept, yet ſo, as God do not at that time call for ſome other duty or ſervice from us; man muſt not ſo tie himſelf by any inſtitution of his own as to croſſe Gods providence: as ſupoſe I have ſet a day apart for thanksgiving, at that very day providence may ſo fall out, that God may call for a day of humiliation; now if I ſhould keep a thankſgiving day and ſo croſſe providence, being cal'd to humiliation I ſhould ſin in the thing: Theſe two things being obſerved, I know nothing to the contrary but that it may be lawful to obſerve a day, a man may remember his birth-day in this kind, to be humbled for not doing the work we are called unto; ſo men married may at the revolution of the yeer bleſs God for the mercies they have enjoyed in that Ordinance entred into on that day: but how many are there who have little cauſe to remember either that, or their birth day? nay may they not rather with Job, curſe the day of their birth? Suppoſe you ſhould hear a voice from heaven this day that you muſt die and not live, that this muſt be the laſt day you ſhould live, tell me then, could you bleſs God for the day of your birth? would the thoughts of it be delightful to you? 'Tis reported of Philip the third, King of Spain, Philip the 3 of Spainwho lived ſo ſtrictly that he never committed any groſs crime, never committed any known ſin willingly, yet when he came to die, cries out, Oh that I had never reigned! that I had lived a private life in the wilderneſs; that I might not have the ſin to anſwer, for not doing the good, or hindering the evil which I might have done. It is a ſad thing when men come to die that they cannot look back with comfort to their lives ſpent, that they have not diſcharged their places: had Jeroboam kept his birth day in this manner, there had been no evil in it; but his keeping of it, was only to ſatisfie the fleſh, till he himſelf was ſick with wine: in ſuch daies Bachus, and Venus have the greateſt portions.
Obſ. 1 Feſteval daies are uſually made diſtempering daies, daies of provocation. It follows.
With bottels of wine.
This wine is like that in Deut. 32.33. Their wine is the poyſon of Dragons, and the cruel venime of Aſps: this wine of Aſps it makes the ſpirits warm, and the body ſick. Job knew the danger of feaſting, therefore when his children were a feaſting, he was in ſacrificing. They made the king drunk with wine. This was the way which they took to gain the King. And is not this the courſe which is taken now in our daies, to betray the young Gentry into baſe filthineſs? This was the plot of theſe Prieſts, firſt to make the King drunk, and then they could do any thing with him, could get any edict from him to ſerve their baſe ends and intentions, to ſuppreſs the preciſe people.
Drunkenneſs is an old Court ſin. See how the Prophet, Iſa. Obſ. 2, 28.1. fills his mouth, with woes and threatnings againſt the drunkenneſs of Ephraim; Wo to the Crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim. The Court, the Crown of Ephraim was at Samaria. A miſerable thing it is that thoſe which have the moſt opportunity for God ſhould ſpend their time in ſuch beaſtly vanities, and do to their bodies and ſouls as Richard the thirdRich. 3d to his brother, drown them in a Butt of Sack.
Drunkards courſes brings diſeaſes. Be not amongſt wine-bibbers, Obſ. 3 amongſt riotous eaters of fleſh,Drunkennes brings diſeaſes for the drunkard and the glutton ſhall come to poverty; how many are there which carry about with them the marks of their luſts, as Paul carried about him the marks of the Lord Jeſus; men will venture much for their luſts, but if Chriſt call them to ſuffer any thing for him, then they are tender and ſickly, but let their eſtates, healths, and credits ſtand in the way to hinder them in the purſuance of their deſires in ſin, they will break through them all: now a ſhame is it for a Chriſtian not to do more for God than theſe men will do for their luſts: Timothy is commanded to drink but a little wine, and that for his refreſhment, to help nature; but when men drink & make ſots of themſelves by it, what diſeaſes doth this bring men into?See Mr. Sa. Ward his wo to drunkenes. as the falling ſickneſs disfiguring their countenances making them to look more lik ſwine, than men, &c. The Scripture tells us that the Saints bodies are the Temples of the holy Ghoſt; do you think that ſuch a body as this, is like to be a Temple? no but rather like matter for the very ſinck of hell where all filth ſhall be fuel for everlaſting burning. How canſt thou anſwer the weakning of thy ſtrength by this luſt, when God deſerves all thy abilities? It may be thou wilt ſay, thou wert never dead drunk; but wert thou never ſo diſtemperd as to weaken thy abilities and make thee unfit for ſervice? how ſinful then is the practice of thoſe that drink others healths till themſelves are ſick through exceſs.
Drunkenneſs is vile in any, but moſt of all vile in Governors, men of place and power, Prov. 31.4. It is not for Kings to drink wine, nor for Princes ſtrong drink: It is not for them, and why? becauſe they are above us, and how can any man endure to be under drunken beaſts: they are gods, and how vile and abominable is it to have drunken gods?The law of Carth. Therefore the Carthaginians made a Law, that none of their Magiſtrates in the time of their Magiſtracie ſhould drink any wine.
Obſ. 4 It is much more vile to make others drunk, than to be drunk our ſelves; Therefore in Eſth. 1.8. the drinking was according to the Law, none did compel; for the King had appointed to all the Officers of the houſe that they ſhould do according to every mans pleaſure, none were compelled to drink more than they were willing; you may think they expreſs a great deal of love to you, in drinking to you, and preſſing you to drink, and when they have overcome you, then will they laugh at you, and make you a ſcorn, eſpecially if they can get you who are profeſſors of Religion to be overtaken. Therefore you had need above all men to take heed of this ſin, for if you fall, Religion ſuffereth, and the Name of God is evil ſpoken of by your means; therefore Chriſt bids his Diſciples themſelves to take heed of ſurfeting and drunkenneſs. Therefore you that are profeſſors had the more need to take heed of this ſin, and mind this exhortation of Chriſt.
Obſ. 5 That drunkenneſs is vile at any time, but eſpecially when we pretend to praiſe God: When God ſhall ſhew thee mercy, and thou pretendeſt to praiſe him for it, and then take liberty to be exceſſive in the creature, this is moſt abominable: we have had many daies of thankſgiving to praiſe God for his mercies, if we have been exceſſive in the uſe of the creatures, be humbled, 'tis an ill requital of God for his mercy. It follows.
He ſtretched out his hand with the ſcorners.
foreignThe Septuagent tranſlate this word [Scorners] by divers words, as,
foreignFirſt, Peſtilent people; ſo in Pſal. 1.5. Therefore the ungodly ſhall not ſtand in the judgment, nor ſinners in the Congregation of the righteous; becauſe every ſcorner is a plague to the family, place, and town where he lives. Prov. 22.10. Caſt out the ſcorner and contention will go out, yea, ſtrife and reproach ſhall ceaſe.
Hierom tranſlates theſe words, caſt him out, that is,eijce pirtilentem de conſilio. caſt him out of your counſels, let him have no part of advice with you.
Again, The Septuagent tranſlate it,foreign one without underſtanding, becauſe ſcorners are fooliſh and ſilly men, Prov. 21.11. When the ſcorner is puniſhed, the ſimple are made wiſe.
Thirdly, they tranſlate it pride, foreign.becauſe ſcorners are proud men, Prov. 1.3, 4. God reſiſteth the proud, Prov. 21.24. Proud and haughty ſcorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath.
Fourthly, they turn it by, untamed, unpuniſhed, Prov. 19.29.foreign: wanton, ſtripes are prepared for the backs of ſcorners: Becauſe they go unpuniſhed they grow ſcorners.
Luther tranſlates the word mockers and flowters,foreign, by a word ſignifying evil men, becauſe ſcorners are ful of al kind of evils. and interprets falſe teachers that delude the people, and deprave the Scriptures, and this kind of ſcorning by perverting the Scripture is the worſt kind of ſcorning of all others, it is moſt abominable, Job, 20.14. The meat in his bowels is turned to the gaul of Aſps, the word in ſuch mens ſpirits as theſe are, is turned into bitterneſs; theſe ſcorners, who were they? the Nobles and the Princes, the Officers in the Court, theſe were the men which ſcorned at the people for going up to Jeruſalem to worſhip, what fools are theſe which will loſe the Kings favor, their places at Court, their honors and preferments, and all for a meer circumſtance, and a trifle as they thought; and this was at the time of their feaſts and jovialities when they might both harden the hearts of the King and people; now he ſtretched forth his hand to them, that is, 1. He encouraged them, and gave them his hand to kiſs; how unlike is this unto God of whom Job ſpeaks that he will not give his hand to the wicked, to malignants. Again, 2.Job, 8.2… to ſtretch forth his hand is to put forward any work, or further deſigns on foot, as Herod furthered their wicked deſigns of the high Prieſts and Scribes in perſecuting Chriſt, by countenancing them, he ſtretched out his hand to ſcorners.Acts 12.1 Scorners ſuch as are the baſeſt kind of people, as fidlers, common jerves &c. as if he were a common companion for them, he put off all Princely dignities and made himſelf an aſſociate for the baſeſt of men, that could but any waies further his deſigns.
Obſ. 1 The firſt Note from hence may be this, That ſuch Courtiers which live ſenſually, are for the moſt part great ſcorners. Experience proves this.
Obſ. 2 Times of feaſting are uſually times of the greateſt ſcorning, and contemning all Religion; then they think there is none live ſuch brave lives as they do, when they are throughly heated with wine, then they have a flout and a ſcorn for every one, then God himſelf is reproached by them, & his Saints had in diſgrace, Pſal. 35.16. With hypocritical mockers in feaſts; they gnaſhed upon me with their teeth. There are many which carry things very fair in the eyes of the world, who ſeem to be Chriſtians, yet when they come in place among ſcorners they have a ſcorn, a flout, and a private jeer; theſe are odious in Gods ſight. Where is there more ſcorning and ſcoffing than in Princes Courts, and great mens Tables? If a Court Chaplain had but heard any thing of a Puritan, or of a private meeting, was it not their muſick? Thus they informed the King, that they were none but a company of preciſe fools, giddy headed people, and the King he received this news with joy, it made him merry, and he gave them thanks for their pains; Oh how far is this below a true Princely ſpirit!
Obſ. 3 That the right way of worſhip is by carnal hearts accounted a very ſlight thing: and Gods people who ſtand for Gods Ordinances in their purity are looked upon as people who ſtand for incities and trifles.
Obſ. 4 It hath been the old way of the Devil to hinder reformation by raiſing up men of peſtilent wits to ſcorn at Religion: and this way the Devil prevails very much, when he cannot prevail by perſecution, he gains much this way; men that are of any ſpirit cannot endure ſcorning, therefore we reade of mocking to be a cruel perſecution in Heb. 11.36. And others had tryals of cruel mockings. And Iſhmaels mocking is ſaid to be perſecution. In the primitive times they would ſet up an Aſſes Head, and a book by it, to ſhew that they profeſſed to learn, and yet were as ſimple as an Aſs. I have heard of a Scholer in Queens Colledg, who profeſſed he had rather ſuffer the torments of Hell than endure the comtempt and ſcorn of the puritans. And this is the Devils old way; but men will not be jeered out of their inheritance, and God will ſcorn ſuch ſcorners, Prov. 3.34. That place is famous in Lament. 3.62, 63. The lips of them that roſe up againſt me! behold their riſing up and their ſiting down, I was their muſick. What then? Render them a recompence according to their works, give them ſorrow of heart thy curſe unto them.
Kings while their hearts are againſt Religion, ſhall never want Obſ. 5 wits to further their deſigns in this.
It is a ſad thing to that Kingdom when their Princes give their Obſ. 6 hands to ſcorners, and to deny it to the people of God; it was a happy and bleſſed time with that people in 2 Chron. 35.1, 2, 3. verſes, when the Prophets of God were encouraged by the King himſelf. It follows.