The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 114

produce in farnfanlts in the life. Thus it was with Israel. Debauchery and drunken- ness, and t.his to an extreme degree, had darkened the understanding, hardened the heart, paralyzed the will, and sea.red the conscience. In this enfeebled state of their intellec~ual and moral powers, they had recourse, in cases of doubt or difficulty, not to the high priest, or prophets of God, or Divine Word, for guidance and direction, but to their images of wood or idolatrous divining staff. I. SIN LEADS TO BIN. If sorrows love a train, sins like a series. How often the culprit endeavours to conceal his guilt by lying, and thus adds one sin to another! Lewdness and intemperance, as here intimated, frequently go band in band. Since, then, sins are so linked to 1 ea.ch other, our safety a.a well as· our doty is to resist the very beginnings and buddings of evil in the soul. Every time sin is indulged the power of resistance is weakened, until men become the prey of the evil one; and, after a few weak wrestlings of the spirit against the flesh; the heart is easily taken captive. An effectual way of avoiding vice or any vicious course is to practise the opposite virtues. This is vastly more t:han forming a, theory of virtue in oiie's thoughts; for, as Butler has shown, "from ou,very 'facul_ty of ha.bits passive'.impressions, by being repeated, grow weaker," but "practical habits are formed and strengthened by repeated acts." II. THE FOLLY OF BIN. The stupidity of which Israel gave evidence is traced to a spirit of whoredoms. The ruach, or spirit, in this passage somewhat resembles the personification of A~ by the Greeks, which in Homer denotes the infatuation or spirit of error that prompts to crime, then the crime committed, and also the punishment that overtaJrn~ criine. In the allegoric representation of Ate by Homer she has different and apparently contradictory attributes: as infatuation, taking possession of the mind; _and blinding its faculties through passion. She has tender feet, does not tread on the ground, but moves gently and no.iselessly over men's heads, surprising them in their unguarded moments, to their unspeakable injury. Again, in the commission of crime her gait is marked by strength of body and firmness of step and strong excite- ment, while in the punishment of crime the retribution is sudden, powerful, an,l certain. In these two capacities, that is to say, the perpetration of crime and its punishment, she is vigorous and· firm of step. 'l'o the spirit of whoredom as an evil spirit of infatuntion, like this Greek Ate, bewilderingly misleading men to the per- petration of evil and making them obnoxious to punishment, the prophet traces Israel's stupidity in consul.ting idols and similar means of divination on the one hand, and their sin in departing from God, the loving Husband and rightful Head of his people, on the other. Thus the spirit of whoredoms may be compared with similar Scripture expressions, such as a spirit of jealousy, a lying spirit, an unclean spirit; or it may rleriote the vehe~_ent spirit with _which men, bent on idolatry and adultery-adultery both in the spiritual and carnal sense-were hurried along; while the faithlessness of the adulteress fitly represents the spiritual infidelity of Israel. III. ZEAL CONTRARY TO KNOWLEJ;JGE. The peoplo of Israel fancied that they were worshipping God on the high hills arid under the tall trees; but this was ignorant will- worship, or worse. , Go~ bad appoi.nted Jerusnlem as the place of his worship, and had commanded sacrifices l\nd incense to be offered there, and n6whera else. 1. The mul- tiplication of altars .apd memorials elsewhere,· however praiseworthy •Israel might imagine it, was really a violation of the Divine command; and so God regarded it, for "behold, to obey is better than eacrifice, and to hearken than the fat o[ rams." Will- worship niay have a show of wisdom in it, and may be well meaning, yet it is will- worship all t):te same. If we will worship God acceptably, then it must be iu the pince he ~I\B appointed and in the manner he has himself prescribed. Mountains have often been .associated with sacred service and sacred scenes. Thu~ the sacrifice of Isaac was f to, be on ~o~ntnfn; ,the gf\'.ing of th~ Law was on a mountain; the temple was  112 THE BOOK OF HOSEA. [oR, lV, 1-19,'