An exposition of the prophecy of Hosea begun in divers lectures upon the first…An exposition of the prophesie of Hosea begun in divers lectures vpon the first…

Again, For their mother hath plaid the harlot, consider this word For, as having reference to the reason why they are children of whoredoms, for their mother hath plaid the harlot. The observation is,

Again, For their mother hath plaid the harlot, consider this word For, as having reference to the reason why they are children of whoredomes, for their mother hath plaid the harlot. The observation is,

Children usually go according to their parents, which way their parents go, commonly the children go. It is a usual thing where there are profane parents to have profane children, if the parents swear to have swearing children, if the parents be superstitious to have superstitious children; if parents be scorners of Religion, to have children scorners too: we find it true in experience, in that new nick-name that is brought up on the godly in room of the former, it is as frequent in the mouths of children as in others, because children go according to what their fathers formerly did: I will give you one notable Text of Scripture for this, it is 2 King. 2. 23. When Elisha the Prophet was going up to Bethel, there came forth little children out of the City and said unto him, Go up thou bald-head, go up thou bald-head. The thing that I note it for is this, that not only the children did it, and so were destroyed, (for two she-bears came out of the wilderness and tare 42. of them) but what children were they that did this? If you observe the Text, you shall find that they were the children of Bethel; and what place was that? That was one of the places where the calves were set up, and it was a place of much superstition, and the children were as superstitious as their parents: A place that had the name, the house of God, but a place exceedingly abused, and no place did more degenerate from the name then it, it was a Bethaven, a house of vanity and wickedness. It was the place that was most superstitious, and those were the children that scorned at the Prophet: But we need no other proof but only experience, yet there is one notable Scripture further for it,