(oh.viii. 9, 10), "hired lovers 11,mong the nations "-appealed either to Aeeyria or Egypt for that aeeietance which they ought to have asked from the Lord. To these consequences the echiem inaugurated by Jeroboam the son of Nobat had inevitably led. And, though thie eepa.ration was now of long standing, and had been accepted for ages ae an accomplished fact, for which no remedy was likely to be forthcoming, Hosea cannot view it unmoved ; it ie a ein in hie eyes, and calls for punishment. He looks forward indeed vaguely to a healing of the echiem ; but he hae no formal revelation to on this subject, and speaks rather ae his longings lead him, than as foretell a future union of the nation under one head ( eh. i. 11 ; he success and prosperity of Israel, and her temporary immunity reign invasion, had never led to a reformation or improvement of n; the notion of a national repentance and a general purification of ip did not occur to rulers or people ae feasible or desirable ; and when ble befell them, instead of seeing therein the punishment of their sin a motive for conversion, they were only alienated further from Jehovah, d more• bent on departing from the national devotion to the one God. ,hey would not see that the wrath of God was ready to fall upon them, and that their only hope lay in averting his judgment by reversing the policy of many years and turning with their whole hearts unto him whom they had virtually rejected. Such was the condition of Israel when the Spirit of the Lord moved Hosea to utter hie warnings, rebukes, and prophecies. We may trace the varying fortunes of Israel in his different addresses. Prosperity, declension, ruin, are severally depicted in his pages. In the two great divisions of the work, the first part (eh. i.-iii.) plainly was written during the lifetime of Jeroboam, and the rest of the book falls into the later years of anarchy and immorality; the former declaring how the way for the judgments of God was being pre- pared by the laxity, idolatry, and luxury that prevailed, the latter containing threats, denunciations, and exhortations, intermingled with some happy promises to comfort the pious amid the announcements of the punishment whose arrival they had already begun to feel. The book is rather a summary of Hosea's teaching during his long ministry, than an orderly collection of his addresses. It seems to have been gathered into a volume in the beginning of Hezekiah's reign, and committed to writing in order to impress its leading thoughts on his contemporaries. Whether the prophet removed to J udeea in the latter part on his life, and there wrote the substance of his prophecies, is uncertain. It seems probable, at any rate, that the collection soon found its way into the southern kingdom, and was there preserved among the records of the prophets when Ephraim was overtaken by ruin. 'l'he ane.lysis of the latter division, which is the chief portion of the work, is very difficult, and many commentators have given np the task as hopeless, while others have divided and subdivided in a way and on a plan of which we may be quite Bure the author knew nothing. The book commences with a symbolical riction. To show the anfaith- iv INTRODUCTION TO
fulneBB of Isr&el a.nd the wonderful long-snffering of God, the prophet is made to perform a, pnblic 8.()t which wonld demonstrate the two truths in the mollt pie.in e,nd emphatic manner. He is bidden to ta.ke as wife one Gomer, an unchRBte wome.n, or one of such a character that she would be likely t.o prove unfaithful, e,nd t,o have children whose legitimacy might well he questioned. From this union a.re born three children, whose names are significe.tive of the fate of the people. He then announces the chastisements which God is about to inflict, which will bring a recognition of sinfulness and a return to the Lord, who will, in consequence, make with theme, new covenant of peace a.nd righteousness ( eh. i., ii.) ; and by another symbolical adion, wherein the adulteress is separated from all intercourse, are shown the infidelity of Israel and her coming captivity (eh. iii.). This first :{>art gives the key-note to the whole book, the rest of which is only an expansion and elaboration of the facts and threats previously announced. The corrup- tion and idolatry of Israel are sternly condemned, the' destruction of the kingdom is foretold, and the pious are briefly comforted with the hope of eventual rest.oration ( eh. iv.-xiv.). The three stages of the connection with Gomer represent the feeling of God for the unfaithful Israel: there is first the hatred of the sin, and its stern denunciation; there is next the punishment of it in degradation and misery; and lastly there is pity for the repentant and assurance of ultime.te pardon. As there is no logical connection between the several portions of this section of Hosea's prophecy, it is impossible to draw out a regular argu- ment for it. We can give only a. summary of the contents of these" scattered leaves of a sibyl's book," as Bishop Lowth calls them. The prophet begins by denouncing the universal immorality of these "children of Israel," and their idolatry promoted by the priesua, which led infallibly to moral outrages. Judah is warned not to participate in her sister's sin (eh. iv.). He turns to the priests themselves, who are only a snare a.nd a cause of ruin instead of being wholesome guides, and npbraids them and all the chiefs who thought to escape punishment by invoking foreign aid, but who by this means only rendered it more inevitable (eh. v.). In view of the chastise- ment threatened, he calls on the people to repent and t,o turn t,o the Lord, who punishes in love (eh. vi. 3). He dilates on God's long-smfering and the various ways in which he has tried to lead them to better things. But in vain ; all ranks and classes are corrupt; the very leaders are the chief offenders, and Judah follows in their train. They had learned heathen morals, they fly t,o heathen aid, they seek not protection from the Lord : therefore" woe unto them I" (eh. vi. 4-vii. 16). They have rejected the covenant, set up princes for themselves, and worshipped Jehovah under unlawful symbols; and retribution shall come upon them by foreign inva- sion, the ruin of their cities, and captivity (eh. viii.-ix. 9). In order to show that the vengeance is richly deserved, the prophet recounts the bless- ings which God has poured upon them and the ill return which they have made. and announces the overthrow of the centres of idolatry and cruel THE BOOK OF HOSEA.. V