The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 146

we read that EBRu "found no place of repentance, though he sought It carerully with tears; " or, according to the Revised Version, " even when he e.fterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected (for he found no place of repentance), though he i;ought it diligently with tears." In one of our Lord's parables-the pnrnble of the ten virgins-we road that after those who were ready had gone in with him to the rnan-iage, "the door was shut." This brief sentence is in one aspect of it among tho most impressive and solemn in the whole Word of God. The sentiment conveyed by it is somewhat, indeed much, akin to that of the statement of the prophet in reference to Israel. I. IT IS IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THE NATURE OF SUCH WITHDRAWAL, The loss of earthly friends or their esLrangement from us is much to be deplored; how much sadder it is when we forfeit the favour of Heaven, and God withdraws himself! On earth friends may, from misconduct on our part, or misconception on their part, or misrepre- s~ntation on the part of some intermeddler, or misapprehension of one kind or other, shut the door against us, or we may shut the door against ourselves. But however such an event is to be regretted, still a proper understanding may reopen the once friendly door, or time may unbar it, or the kindly interposition of mutual friends may again open it; or, failing all this, another door may be opened in its stead, and other friends replace those whose friendship has been lost, or even better friends may be raised up in their room. But when the Lord shuts to the door and withdraws himself, no interposition shall unbar it, no time reopen it, no explanation ever fling or force it back; nothing shall ever be able to remove the bar that closes it. Once shut, it is shut for ever ; once closed, it never opens; once locked, no key can enter its wards; once bolted, that bolt remains an everlasting :fixture. II. IT IS WELL TO REFLECT ON THE TIME WHEN Gon WITHDRAWS HIMSELF ANU IS NO LONGER TO BE FOlTh"'D. There may be some difficulty in ascertaining the precise times when God withdraws himself and is no longer found. 1. One thing, however, is abundantly certain, that in the case of sinners who live and die in sin, impenitent and unpardoned, this withdrawal takes place at death; for there is neither knowledge nor device in the grave. Then the day of grace is concluded, then the time of probation ends, then the means of salvation terminate, then the space for repentance is past, and God has for ever withdrawn himself. Death seals the sinner's doom irreversibly; the last opportunity is gone, and for ever; prayer is then powerless and penitence hopeless. There remains only the dooming, damning sentence," I know you not whence ye a.re." Hollow-hearted hypocrites ye must have been, workers of iniquity, and nothing more and not.h.ing better, false professors, fruitless fig trees, cumbering and cursing the rich vineyard soil. Children of God ye never were ; I never owned you as such ; I cannot do so now. And thus he withdraws, leaving them to their fate. 2. But even before death this withdrawal may take place, at least in a certain sense. We are warned in Scripture that the Spirit will not always strive. To the Israelites of old he swore that they would ne\'er enter into his rest, and so a whole generation of them was excluded from the land of promise; in reference to which the inspired penman utters the solemn warning, " Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief"(" disobedience," Revised Version and margin). In this very book God's abandonment of Ephraim and consequent withdrawal are affirmed. "Ephraim is joined to his idols: let him alone." Let us, then, beware of provoking God to withhold or withdraw the gracious influences of his Spirit, and thus leave us to judicial blindness. Let us beware of sinning away our day of grace, and in this respect outliving it. 3. We would not venture to limit the mercy of God, or set bounds to his sovereign grace. " While the lamp holds out to burn The vilest sinner may return." But God at any moment may withdraw the breath of his Spirit, or withhold the oil of his grace, and the lamp go out in everlasting darkness! Pusey makes a. very interesting distinction, as follows: "The general rule of his dealings is thi~:. that when the tiwe of each judgment is actually come, then as to that judgment 1t 1s teo hte to pray. It is not too late for other mercy, or for final forgiveness, so long as m&n'e state of probation lasts ; but it is too late as to this one,". CJI, V, 1-16.] 'l'IIE BOOK OF HOSEA. 145