ON HOSEA MV.-VERSE 9. 281 vomit him up again, God speaks unto him, chap. ii. 10. 2. To direct him unto them as the end, to be taught by them to seek the Lord, and wait on him in the way of his judgments, to be more penitent for sin, more fearful, and watchful against it, to study and practise the skill of suffering as christians, according to the will of God, that he may be glorified, Psa. xciv. 12. cxix. 67. 71. Zech. xiii. 9. Isa. xxvi. 9. Heb. xii. 11. Deut. viii. 16. 1 Pet. iv. 16. 19. So likewise for blessings ; there is a double know- ledge of them, one sensual by the flesh, the other spiritual in the conscience. The former is but a brutish and Epicurean feeding on them without fear, as Israel upon quails in the wilderness, as swine which feed on the fruit that falls down, but never look up to the tree whereon it grew ; to use blessings as Adam did the forbidden fruit, being drawn by the beauty of them to forget God ; as our prophet com- plains, Hos. xiii. 6. But spiritual knowledge of blessings, is to taste and see the goodness of the Lord in them ; to look up to him as the author of them, acknowledging that it is he who giveth us power to get wealth, and any other good thing, Deut. viii. 17, 18. Psa. cxxvii. 1. Prov. x. 22. and to be drawn by them unto him as their end, to the adoring of his bounty, to the admiration of his goodness, to more cheerful- ness and stronger engagements unto his service ; to say with Jacob; He gives me bread to eat, and rai- ment to put on, therefore he shall be my God, Gen. xxviii. 20. He giveth me all things richly to enjoy ; therefore I will trust in him, 1 Tim. vi. 17. Cata- logues of mercy should beget resolutions of obedience, Josh. xxiv. 2. 14. Again, we have here a singular commendation of the doctrine which the prophet had delivered unto the 2A3
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