The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 80

m. TBAT'l'HE CONJUNCTION IS TEMPORARY. Amos, who was contemporary with Hosea, and like him was a prophet of the ten tribes, describes the conjunction well and indicates the necessity of the separation: "Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near; that lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the :flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; that chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of music, like David; that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed." 1. The separation is certain. There is no mirth for the sinner either in moral conviction, death, the judgment-day, or in the scenes of :final retribution. "If you will not take away sin from your mirth," says an old writer, "God will take away your mirth from your sin." 2. The separation will be solemn. It is said that Pope Adrian exclaimed when he was dying, "0 my soul, where art thou going? Thou shalt never be merry any more." " I will cause all her mirth to cease," says God. CoNCLUBION. Confound not mirth with happiness I The brightest gleams of mirth are but the rays of rushlights; only visible in the dark, and that must go out. Happi- ness is a quenchless sunbeam; it streams from the eternal Father of lights. Happiness will follow holiness for ever; mirth will only1 like the ignis fat1J11J,s, flare about sin for a short time at most, then go out, and there 1B pitch darkness.-D. T. Vera. 12, 13.-The prosperity of the wicked. ".And I will destroy her vines and her fig trees, whereof she hath said, These are my rewards that my lovers have given me : and I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall eat them. .And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her ear-rings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, •ith the Lord." These verses lead us to look upon wicked man in three aspects. I. As PROSPERING IN THE WORLD, "I will destroy her [i.e. idolatrous Israel] vines and her fig trees." Vines and fig trees stand for prosperity. There is a synecdoche here: vines and fig trees mean all outward prosperity. Wicked men are allowed to prosper on this earth; they are often more successful iD worldly enterprises than the CJ!, II. 1-23,) THE BOOK uF HOSEA. 77