The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 300

I. Ae AN UNFORTUNATE INrrERtTOR OF WRONG. Upon Hoshea and his age there came down the corrupting inauence of no less than eighteen princes, all of whom were ~teeped in wickedness and f&natica.l idolatry. The whole nation had beoome completely immoral and idolatrous. This kin-the last of the lsraelitish-it is said "did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as the kings of Israel that il>ere before him." If one shade better than his predecessors, he was, notwithstanding, a man whose character seems unredeemed by one single virtue. H is one of not only the ~mm_onest, but the most perplexing, facts in history that one generation comes to ,nheriJ., to a great extent, the character of its predecessor. The thoughts, the principles, a°;d the spirit that animated the men of the past, come down and take possession of the mmds of the men of the present. Though the bodies of our predecessors are moulderint in the dust, they are still here in their thoughts nod influences. This is an undoubted fact. It sen·es to explain three things. 1. The vital connection between all the membera of the race. Though men are countless in number, and ever multiplying, humanity is one. All are branches of the same root, members of the same body, links in one chain. None can be affected without affectiug others; the motion of one link propagates an infiuence to the end of the chain. None of us liveth unto himself. Solemn tbou"ht I Our very breathings may produce ripples upo11. the mighty lake of existence, which will spread in ever-widening circles to the very shores of eternity. There are mystic springs connecting us with the universe. Can we move without touching them? Can we give a touch that will not send its vibrations along the arches of the boundless future? The effects of a man's influence, either for good or evil, will be determined i.Jy his moral character. A bad man is a moral curse; the influence that streams from him will be moral poison. A good man, under God, is a blessing; his influence, like the living waters, will irrigate and beautify the mental districts through which it flows. 2. The immense di.ffirulty of improving the moral condition of the race. . There have been men in eve1y age and land who have "striven even unto blood" to improve the race. Poets have depicted the charms of virtue, moralists have reasoned against wrong, martyrs have died for the right; and during the last eighteen centuries, throughont Christendom, the best men throughout all communions have struggled hard to bring the world's mind under the supreme reign of the true, the beautiful, and the good. But how miserable has been the result I Evil is everywhere the dominant force-dominant not merely in markets and governments, but even in Churches. Those of us who have lived longest in the world, looked deepest into its moral heart, and laboured most zealously and persistently for its improvement, feel, like Sisyphus in ancient fable, struggling to roll a large stone to the top of a mountain, which, as soon as we think some progress has been made, rolls back to its old position, and that with greater impetuosity. Scripture everywhere recognizes this difficulty, and speaks of the work as a "race," a "battle," a "crucifixion." I question whether the world is morally much better than it has ever been. 3. The absolute need of super- human agency spi,ritually to rede,em the race. Philosophy shows that a bad world cannot improve itself, cannot make itself good. Bad men can neither help themselves morally nor help others. If the world is to be improved, thoughts and infiuences fro!11 superhuman regions must be transfused into its heart. Moral goodness must co_me m a new form, and ply new agencies. Herein is the gospel: "When we were without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." IL As A GUILTY WORKER OF WRONG. Hoshea and his people were not only the inheritors of the corruptions of past generations, but they themselves became agents in propagating and perpetuating the wickedness. See what is said of Hoshea. here. "'!'he King of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea." '!'his is only one specimen or develop- ment of this man's wickedness. See what is said of his people. "'!'he children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, which bad brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh King of Egypt, and had feared other gods." So that while they were the inheritors of a corrupt past, they were at the same time guilty agents in a wicked present. Strong as is the influence of the past upon us, it is not strong enough to coerce us into wrong. Gracious Heaven has endowed every man with the power of thought and resolve sufficient, if he uses it, to rise above the infll1ence of the past, and to mount into a new moral orbit of life, He bas the power to stand on the firm rock of his own individuality, and to say to the swelling sea of oa. xvn. 1-41.] THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. 347