Lectures upon the four first chapters of the prophecy of Hosea Wherein the text…Lectures vpon the foure first chapters of the prophecie of Hosea Wherein the text…

Now the sins for which especially the Israelites were ¹rejected, were, first, their gross idolatry whereby they had forsaken God, and betaken themselves to the service of idols; and secondly, their obstinacy and impenitency in their course of rebellion, from which they would not be reclaimed, neither by Gods bountiful benefits, nor by his severe threatenings, nor yet by his chastisements and more grievous punishments, which first like a tender father and after like a just Judge he inflicted on them, but rather grew worse and worse, and more and more intolerable in their wickedness. For this is the last course and means which the Lord useth for the conversion of a sinner, which when it will not prevail, he giveth them over as being past all help, seeing they are past all grace. If the skilful surgeon find that healing salves are not fit to heal a deep festered wound, he useth drawing corrosives and the lancher, but if he seeth the part diseased, notwithstanding all good and fit means used to be past cure, he will no longer lose his labour and cost, but cutteth it off. The gracious Judge, when he hath for the offenders first fault, given him some fatherly admonition, or threatened some severe punishment; if he offend again, he punisheth him with a whip, or with a burning iron; but if all these chastisements and punishments will not reclaim him, he condemneth him to exile or death, as being past hope of amendment. And so the Lord, when he seeth that neither the healing plaster of his gracious promises, nor the sharp corrosive of his threatenings and punishments will cure a people of the deep festered sores of sin; when he seeth that neither admonition nor gentle chastisement, nor severer punishment will restrain the sinner from outrageous wickedness, then doth he cut and cast them off as men of a desperate estate and past all cure. And this was the estate of the Israelites in this place; and of the Jews, of whom the Lord complaineth, Esa. 1. 5. and of Pharaoh, Saul, ²and many others.

Now the sinnes for which especially the Israelites were ¹reiected, were, first, their grosse idolatrie whereby they had forsaken God, and betaken themselues to the seruice of idols; and secondly, their obstinacie and impenitencie in their course of rebellion, from which they would not be reclaimed, neither by Gods bountifull benefits, nor by his seuere threatnings, nor yet by his chastisements and more grieuous punishments, which first like a tender father and after like a iust Iudge he inflicted on them, but rather grew worse and worse, and more and more intolerable in their wickednesse. For this is the last course and meanes which the Lord vseth for the conuersion of a sinner, which when it will not preuaile, he giueth them ouer as being past all help, seeing they are past all grace. If the skilfull surgeon find that healing salues are not fit to heale a deep festered wound, he vseth drawing corrasiues and the lancher, but if he seeth the part diseased, notwithstanding all good and fit meanes vsed to be past cure, he will no longer lose his labour and cost, but cutteth it off. The gratious Iudge, when he hath for the offenders first fault, giuen him some fatherly admonition, or threatned some seuere punishment; if he offend again, he punisheth him with a whip, or with a burning iron; but if all these chastisements and punishments will not reclaime him, he condemneth him to exile or death, as being past hope of amendment. And so the Lord, when he seeth that neither the healing plaister of his gracious promises, nor the sharpe corrasiue of his threatnings and punishments will cure a people of the deepe festered sores of sinne; when hee seeth that neither admonition nor gentle chastisement, nor seuerer punishment will restraine the sinner from outragious wickednesse, then doth he cut and cast them off as men of a desperate estate and past all cure. And this was the estate of the Israelites in this place; and of the Iewes, of whom the Lord complaineth,