of ~he reading of God's Word; aversion to religious conversation; the prckrnce of the eo01ety of the worldly to the wciety of God's people ; neglect of the ~aactuary ; a light, depreciating way in speaking of religious earnestness, etc. 3. The progress of spiritual decay is often not noticed by the sinner himself. It comes on gradually. '!'here is an unwillingness to look closely into the spiritual state. The power of spiritual perception gets lost. III. SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS, Ephraim did not know, and would not be warned. Darkness had blinded his eyes. "The pride of Israel" testified to his face, but Ephraim understood neither (1) the plain speaking of the prophets; (2) the si"'ns of internal decay; (3) the voice of external judgments. "For all this" be would ~ot return to God. Sin is blindness, fatuity, folly. The worldly conformist speedily becomes blinded. 'l'he god of this world blinds him, and he is willing to be blinded (2 Cor. iv. 4). He "cannot see afar off, and bath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins" (2 Pet, i. 9). "He knoweth nothing," says Pusey. (1) "He knoweth not the tokens of decay in himself, but hides them from himself; (2) he knoweth n0t. God, who is the Author of them; (3) he knoweth not the ea.use of them, his sins; (4) he knoweth not the end and object of them, his conversion; (5) he knoweth not what, since he. knoweth not any of these things, will be the issue of them, his destruction."-J. 0. Vere. 11-16.-Ephraim's flight from God. Every sinner may read a warning in the words here addressed to Ephraim. I. FLEEING FROM Goo. (Vers. 11, 12.) The wicked "say unto God, Depa.rt from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways" (Job xxi. 14). They thernselve:; try, though vainly, tci escape from God. They would fain put a. great distance between him and them (Jonah; the prodigal). 1. Fleeing from God is sin. It is an attempt on the part of the creature to establish an independence which the Creator does not allow. Even the attempt at such flight God must check and punish. 2. Fleeing from God is folly. It is foolish (1) because it is an attempt at the impossible; and (2) because, if the wicked could succeed in the a.ttempt, it would still be to their own hurt. Abandoning God, the soul is doomed to the pursuit of vanity. It cannot rest in itself, for it is not self-centred; but neither can it rest in the creature, for the creature is constantly proving itself a false support. Besides, life without God ha.s no longer a proper aim. The soul is thus smitten with restlessness; its movements become vague, method less, erratic. "They call to Egypt ; they go to Assyria." It. flits from one object to another, and finds repose in none. Existence is a succession of new trials, and a series of new disappointments. 3. Fleeing from God is destruction. God declares that when the sinner flees, he will pursue (ver. 12). No matter how lofty their soarings, he will spread his net for them, and bring them down. He bas forewarned them of this, and they will find it true. Jonah found, when MJ tried to escape, that God's net was spread for him. Every sinner will find the same. The net which God spreads for the haughty, would-be independent ones is that of his punitive justice. Their pride will end, as all evil ends, in destruction. II. F ALBE DEALING WITH GOD. (Vers. 13-16.) A main part of the charge against Ephraim is falsehood (vers. 1, 3). The falsehood is primarily falsehood towards God. We have here three phases of it. 1. Insincerity in repentance. "They have not cried with their heart, when they howled upon their beds," etc. (ver. 14). The insin- cerity of their repentance wns evinced: (1) By the very noise they made about it- " they howled," etc. (2) ~y their unabridged ind1:1lgence jn sin: ''. They a.ssemble themselves for corn· and w1De, and they rebel aga1Dst me.' They msulted God by lying protestations of a desire to return to him, while openly dishononring him by their wickedness. It is not loud outcries, but changed actions, which show the realit_y of repentance (Matt. iii. 8). 2. Speaking lies against God. (1) God had attested his willingness to redeem, hut thoy alleged that he would not do_ so. "I would redeem them, but they speak lies against me" (ver. 13). It was easier to profess doubt of God's Word than to fulfil the moral conditions necessary for the secur1ng of the bless- ing. (2) God had shown himself their trne Helper-" I instructed and strengthened their nrms "-yet they plotted alliances with heathen powers, disown in~ his past goodness. "They imagine mischief against me" (ver. 15). Thus, doubly, they made 'l'HE BOOK OF HOSli:A, [OR, Vlll:, 1-14.
God a liar. But their whole life and worship was a denial of his Word. They gain• said the Word sent them by the prophets, denied his angel at their sins, c\rnnged hie truth into a lie i11 the worship of the calves, etc. 3. Faithlessness in pronu·~e.q, Even when. for a brief moment, they seemed wishful of amendment, thl'ir go,,dness ,lid not last (eh. Yi. 4). Their promises were broken. They did not keep faith with God, They were as "a deceitful bow" (ver. 16). The deceitful bow: (1) Holds ont 1• promise. The person who shoots thinks he can depend npon it. It seems a bow that will serve his ends. (2) Suggests an aim. The use of a bow is to drive the arrow to the point aimed at. God had an aim in the calling of Israel. It was his desire to reach that aim through the obedience of the nation. He has an aim in our own creation, calling, and moral discipline. (3) Proves treacherous on trial. It either does not shoot at all, or sends the arrow but a little way, or turns it off in a different direction from that which the shooter mtended. In any ce.se, it proves not to be depended on. Confirlence cannot be placed in it. It deceives and disappoints. Israel had thus repeatcrlly disappointed the expectations raised by repentances and vows. III. A LAUGHI~G-STOCK TO MEN. (Ver. 16.) "'l'his shall be their derision 1n the land of Egypt." Their princes had nsed boastful language-" the rage of their tongue." Once their pretensions were exposed, they wonld becorne a mockery to those for the sake of whose friendship and help they he.d deserted God.-J. O.