The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 57

thing that draws away our thoughts and affections from God, or that occ1lpies that place in our head that belongs to him, is o.n idol-not so rude as the ima"'e of wood, or stone, or metal, but not less perilous, not lees pernicious, not less insidious. Let us beware of following such lovers; let us beware of spiritual harlotry, and of shamefully pursuing wealth, or fame, or power, or pleasure, and of turning aside from God I VI. PROSPERITY REGARDED AB THE BEBTOWMENT OF IDOLS. Israel in time of plenty forgot the important lesson that her prosperity ea.me from God. Her sottish stupidity was only equalled by her ingratitude, when she attributed all she had to those miser- able idols on which her heart was fixed, and of which she showed herself so dotingly fond. Put by Jehovah into the possession of such a lifesome land, of food in abun- dance, of raiment-garments inner and outer-and of the luxuries as well as the comforts of life, she forgot-basely forgot-that she continued a pensioner on his providence and blessed by his bounties. Bad enough and base enough as such ingra- titude was, it was still worse to transfer her love and her gratitude to idols dumb such as blinded nations fear. How unspeakably mean it was for Israel to form such a low estimate of religion as to value it according to the worldly advantages to be derived from it, or in proportion to the selfish interests served by it ! How much worse still to depend on idols for such advantages, and in hope of furthering those interests ! • Vera. 6-13.-The pains anti penalties that areatta,chedto sin. In the Book of Judges it is stated once and again that, when the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, he delivered them into the hand of their enemies. " They forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of the spoilers that spoiled them;" "The children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord . . . . And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin King of Canaan;"" And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord : and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian." I. THE DIFFIOULTIES PLACED IN THEIR WAY. First there is a hedge, which no one can crush through without risk of painful lacerations. God frequently draws round sinful pleasures, as a fence, severe sufferings to warn men against their indulgence. But when all restraints are cast aside, and men will force their way through all such fences, there is another mode of Divine operation which opposes 11.n insurmountable barrier to men's lusts. If a hedge may be broken through, a wall cannot ; if a. hedge fail to check men in their on ward career of sin, a wall will effect the purpose. ll thorns in the flesh do not deter men from sinful gratifications, a wall is raise<l up that cannot be passed over, when, through failure of bodily strength, the crippling ol worldly resources, the removal of opportunity or occasion, or otherwise, those gratifi- cations become impossible. The sorrows which Israel suffered by their idols and idolatrous alliances were only the hedge, and served merely for a partial and passable fence ; the wall was a. complete separation between them and their sins. II. THE DEFEAT OF HER DESIGNS. The most vigorous pursuit fails, the most minute search is frustrated. For years and centuries the Hebrew race has had their eye, directed to a temporal Messiah, who would lead the armies of his people, fight their battles, triumph over all enemies, and raise them to the highest pinnacle of human greatness, and their nation to a proud pre-eminence among the kingdoms of the earth. We know the result. God has hedged up their way and walled up their path. So, too, with sinners in general. God often seeks by cross providences to withdraw man from his purpose. He places thorns and snares in the way of the froward, making the way of sin difficult, sometimes impossible, so that they follow after their beloved lusts but do not overtake them, and seek them but cannot find them. How different with the search after gospel grace I It is " ask, and ye shall receive ; seek, and ye shall find." III. THE DETERMINATION AT LENGTH ARRIVED AT. The disappointments which Israel meets with bring them to a sense of sin and its sorrows. Having long and eagerly sought satisfaction in the pursuits of the world and in the pleasures of sense, they are forced at last to acknowledge their mistake. Such things do not and cannot satisfy; they are husks that starve but do not support a hungry soul; their idols cannot succour them in the time of need. They recall the early history of their nation, aud, contrasting the past with the present, are con'l"inced of the better clays tl.ia&  64 'fHE DOOR'. OF HOSEA. LoH, n. l-'-23.