The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 155

truth, till nothing is left of the old fabric of faith and hope. Therefore pray, " Clea.nse thou me from secret fauHs." IJI. 'fHAT THE TEMPTATION TO THE DISTRESSED IS TO FIND HELP m MAN RATHER THAN IN Goo. (Ver.13.) The "sickness," or inward disease, refers to moral corrup- tion; the " ':'~und,''. cnusod by a blow from wi_tJ:10ut, to nationa_l weakness resulting from wars and poht1cal disasters. The first recogmt1on of these evils produced this effect- " Then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to King Jareb." Not two persons but one referred to here. Jareb (equivalent to "the warrior") is Hosea•~ epithet for Assyria's king. An account of this incident is given in 2 Chron. xxviii. 19, 20, where it is expressly stated that Assyria "helped him not." The sin and curse involved are pointed out in Jer. xvii. 5, 6. How ready we are to follow Ephraim in this! We involve ourselves in difficulties by our folly and self-seeking, and then try to disentangle ourselves by force or fraud. Examples: A nation bound by cords of its own weavfo,. cuts its way to deliverance by the sword. A man in business becomes embarrassed by overtrading, and tries to right himself by further speculation, which ruins himself and others. A Church fails of the outward prosperity it seeks, and resorts to unhol v methods to win transient success. This was the temptation our Lord endure<l and conquered (Matt. iv. 8-10): "All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall dowu and worship me." APPLICATION. To those in sorrow about sin. Beware of getting rid of your anxiety by plunging into gaiety or companionship, but pray to the Father who seeth in secret. Resist the temptation to trust to outward observances, to self-improvement, etc., instead of falling at the feet of him who says, " Come unto me, all ye that la.hour and a.re heavy laden, and I will give you rest." For none a.re the words (eh. vi. 1) more intended than for you, "Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he ha.th torn, and he will heal us; he ha.th smitten, and he will bind us up."-.A.. R. Ver. 15.-The a.ffUction of God's withdrawal. Jehovah here threatens to withdraw his presence from his people, until, conscious of their weakness and loneliness, they return to him. In the affliction of the seventy years' captivity many did seek him. After that night of darkness the dawn of a. new day brought a. few gleams of hope, and some bestirred themselves" early" to find mercy with God (see Dan. ix. 3--6). I. THE OAUBE OF THIS AFFLICTION is to be found in unrepented sin. 1. The unwill- ingness of God to send trouble to his creatures is constantly insisted on in Scripture. "He is very pitiful, and of tender mercy;" "Judgment is his strange work,'' its object being to show the need we have of the mercy be proffers. Evidences of the loving- kindness of God to his creatures reveal themselves more distinctly as we study their condition and circumstances. Illustrations from insects, birds, and beasts, in their relations to food and hab!tAt.ion. Example in provision for every child of man. The babe is cast in its helplessness upon us. We are to shield it, to foster its life, to foresee and provide for its wants. This is as much for our good as for the child's good. We learn thereby to conquer ourselves, to exercise frugality and diligence, and the rough nature is softened by the touch of tiny tender fingers. In the ways of Christ " a. little child shall lead them." Then, a.s life develops, pleasure is found in the sights and sounds of nature, in the exercise of ea.eh faculty, etc. " Lord, when I count thy mercies o'er," etc. 2. There are seeming contradictions, howeve:r, to the loving-kindness of God's rule. 'l'he helpless racked with pain, the innocent born to a heritage of shame, the noblest and most useful snatched away by death, etc. Hence heathen philosophy believed in two antagonistic deities. Trace the belief in ancient philosophy and in modern idolatry. Holy Scripture declares there is but one God, concerning whom we read, "I form the light, and create darkness : I make peace, and create evil: I tha Lord do all these things" (Isa.. xiv. 7). The boldness of that conception stamps it as Divine. We know not the effect on other worlds and beings of the conflict waged here between good and evil. We cannot judge God from what is seen in this tiny fragment of his universe. A sea-anemone in its pool feels the rush of the tide over it and all around it, and its subsequent and certain withdrawal. lf it could think, it would argue that the ebb and flow of the tide was God's law for all life. It knows nothing of fair fertile fields and busy cities, where the moaning of the sea. is never heard, Our knowledge of God's method and character from what is around us is as  154 THE BOOK OF HOSEA, [OH, V. 1-15.