The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 129

not., there is & moral abjectness of the most terrible description~ "No truth I " A people without reality, not only living in fictions, but their very life I\ lie. "Nor mercy!" No arts of beneficence performed, and the very spirit of kindliness extinct. .A II tenderness and genial feeling burnt out. " Nor knowledge of God I " 'l'ho gn•atest, the holiest, and the most beneficent Being in the universe utterly ignored, 2. P,:,sitively. The absence of these great virtues gives rise to tremendous crimes. (1) There is prefanity. "By swearing." Whore Gudis ignored, all reverence is gone I the sentiments of sacredness can never exist in a heart "without Gud." (2) 'l'horo isfalselwod. "And lying.'' God is the foundation of all realities; and est1t1.ngemont from him is a universe of lies. (3) There Is cruelty. "Killing." What is .. Jife t0 a mnn who has no truth, or mercy, or knowledge of God? It is a cheap and worthless thing; and the work of the assassin and the warrior becomes natural to him. (4) There is dishonesty. "And stealing." Rapine and plunder become- rife: he who respects not the claims of Gud will have but little respect for the claims of man. (5) There is incontinenr;e, .. Ootnmitting adultery." Domestic sanctities invaded aild the Di,ine institution of marriage outraged. (6) There is murder. "Blood touchoth blood." An cxpn,ssion that means a profusion of sl,mghter, as in the case of massacres, insurrections, and national wnrs. "Blood toucheth blood;" the streams of crimson gore run from the slain and mingle together. "It was a.bout this time that there was so much blood shed in gra.spin~ at the crown : Shallum slew Zecharia.h, and Mena.hem 6lcw Sballum; Pekah slew Pekahia.b, and Hoshea slew·Pelmh; and the like bloody work it is iikcly there was among other contenders, so that the land was polluted with blood (Ps. C'i'i. 38); it was filled with blood from one end to the other (2 Kings xv, 16)." Such are the coITUpt people here portrayed. Alas, that there should be so much in modern England like unto this gbll.!'tly and revolting picture ! II. AN EX.POS'l'ULATING GoD. "Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land." Of all controversies this is the most awful. A controversy between men and men, between individuals, Churches, nations, is sometimes very awful, bnt nothing approaching to this, c' 1. It is a just controversy. Many of men's controversies are most unrighteous, but this is just. Ras not the great Ruler of the universe a right to contend against profanity, falsehood; cruelty, etc.? They are repugnant to his nature; they are detrimental to the interests of his creation. 2. It is a continuous controversy. It began with the first sin, has continued through all preceding ages, and is on now as strong as ever. 3. It is an unequal controversy. What are all human intellects to his'! Sparks to the ,s~n~ 'l'he sinner has no argument to put before him. He cannot deny·his •sins; they a.re too palpable and patent. He cannot plead accidents, for sin has been the law of his· life·. He cannot plead compnlsion, for he is free. He cannot plead some merit as a set-off, for he has none. No, in this controversy he must be crushed. -" Julian strove a great while against the Lord, but at length he was forced to acknowledge, with his blb~d cast up in the air,' Vicit;ti Galilcu, vicisti l' ''l'hou hast conquered, 0-Galilean, thou hast conquered!'" CoNcLUSION. Is this controversy going on with youJ It is held in. the couit' of conscience, e.nd you must know of its existence and cbaracter.-D. T. • • •1<,' Vers. 3-5.-.A te,·ri'ble deprivation. "Therefore shall the land mourn, ·and every one that dwelleth therein .shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away. Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another : for thy people are as they that strive with the priest. 'fherefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother." These words lead us to comider a lamenta:ble deprivation -a deprivation that comes upori the· people in consequence of their heinous iniquities. Two remarks are suggested concerning this deprivation. • I. It is a deprivation both of .MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL GOOD. 1. Of material good. (1) A deprivation of lw.dth. "Every one· that dwelleth therein shall languish." 'l'ho physical frame loses its wonted elasticity and vigour, ancl succumbs to de~ay an,t deprei.sion. " Languish" like a dying man on his couch. Sin ie inimical to the bo,lil_y health a11d vigour of men and nations; it insidiously saps the constHutlon; (2) A deprivation of tbe mrans of subsistence. "'l'he beasts of the field, and with the fowl~ CII, lV, 1-19,] THE BOOK 01<' HOSEA. 12i