The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 220

hea.r Cl~ri~t•s gospel preached,_ it is dutiful also to obey his other. precepts; as, e.g., to "do this IIl remembrance of him," and,•• whatsoever we do, to do all in the N rime of the Lord Jesus.'' ·' III. 'I'm; SPIRITUAL OONDITION OF MANY TRUE CHRISTIANS. Indeed, we micrht almost l'ay, of all. For where is the believer whose spiritual condition sntisfies his o,;n enlight- ened convictions as to what he ought to be~ Our personal deficiencies abound· and these are due either to our moral ignorance or to our moral supinenoss.' 1. Our Ch1'is- tian character lacks thorou.ghuess. The process of sanctification is designed to renew us "in the whole rna.n," and yet we know that in fact a holy character is never perfected in this life. Every believer has within him a mixture of good and' evil, and the purer he becomes he is the more ready to acknowledge the imperfection of his nature. Many true Christians, however, do not co-operate with God's Spirit so earnestly as they micrht in striving to rid themselves of indwelling sin. They carry with them that Laod1c~a~ lukewarmness which the Lord abhors (Rev. iii. lG); their Christian character, in want- inl! thoroughness, is like "a. cake not turned." 2. It al3o lacks all-sidedness, A man may be a true believer for a lifetime, and yet neglect entirely to bring.some important departments of conduct into contact with the fire of Divine grace. ·He-may try to res:ulate bis domestic affairs by the law of Christ, and forget all the while to subject his business concerns to the same law. Some good men trust God .absolutely about their son ls, but only partially about their temporal affairs. Some are ~ealous workers in the cause of Christ, but would rather a.void putting money into his treasury; while others seldom refuse to give a subscription, but give it on the understanding that they are not to be expected to take any personal trouble. Now, if we distinguish in this way between one duty and another, bor h of which are equally binding, what are we but '' a cake not turned"? To avoid such defects, we must enlighten conscience and stre11g;then its authority; and expose our whole nature, in spirit and soul alid body, to the fire of gospel truth and grace.-C. J. T"er. 9.-" Grey hairs." In Scripture these are sometimes associated with sentiments of honour and reverer,ce, for they suggest the thought of ripe wisdom and venerable piety (Lev. xi.x. 32; Prov. xvi. 31). Here, however, they are v.iewed simply as pr~J]lo- nitions of old age, and of a.11 old age, besides, that was premature. There is a lesson in_ our text, taking it ev:in in its most literal sense. 'l'he believer's first grey Ii.airs should remind him that the grace of God will enable him to "grow old gracefuUy.''. I!ut th~ "grey hairs'' .spoken of in this verse are, of c:ourse, figurative. We may consider the text in connection with- L THE DECLINE OF NATIONS. Its primary reference is to " Ephraim," and to the symptoms which Ephraim showed-0f approaching national ruin. Hut the whole Bible, and especially the Old Testament, is full of teaching about the decadence of nations. The Hebrew prophets point to "the giant forms of empires on their way to ruin/' Hence the priceless value of their writings to the Christian patriot, and to the devou~ ~tudent of history. \Vhat are some of the "grey hairs" which forebode nationl,!.l decay? L Idolatry. The northern kingdom had departed from God, first in worship- ping Jeroboam's calves, and afterwards in serving the idol-deities of Phamicia. • And now, in his time of political need, Ephraim was looking for. help to Egypt and Assyria (vers. 8-11), instead of returniug to Jehovah as his •Portion. '!'his" grey hair" led quickly to the degradation and ruin of the kingdom. So, still, those nations that will not serve the Lord our God shall perish, and be utterly wasted. 2. Immo- rality. A people may increai;e greatly in civilization and intellectual culture, and yet be sprinkled all over with this "grey hair." Ancient Greece, when it was .the land of art and poetry and philosophy, was morally all the while a mass of corruption. Rome, durinu the first ceutury of the Christian era, was even worse, Juvenal calls it "a filthy°sewer," and Seneca" a cesspool of iniquity." When immorality is rampant, it marks the commonwealth a.s moribund, and forebodes its "decline and fall." 3. Vicious lux1111'1J. It was e. sign of decay 'Vhen Ephraim began to" live deliciously,'' ljke ancient Tyre a1Jd Babylon (.A.mos vi. 3, et seq.). In the paimy days of the Roman com,mon- wealth the Romans were brave, hardy, and victorious; but under the Empire the inner life of the people was gradually eaten away by the canker of luxury.. Our own nation, aud e.ll the great Anglo-Saxon communities at the present time, need to gu_ard against  .· THE BOOK OF HOSEA. 219