The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 433

me.n, and loads us naturally to revert to the infancy of our ra.ce. 1. Eej,,re the Fall. When we picture to ourselves, as far as the Scripture record enables us the place of our first parents in the state of pristine innocence, we think of that lovely garden "planted eastward in Eden;" of its trees and shrubs; of its fruits and flowers· of the rivers that watered it; of its unclouded sky; of the genial warmth of the glori~us sun fructifyin" and beautifying it; of the dews that refreshed it; of man its caretaker and cultivator': ?f his plea~ant position in that paradise, _Placed there as he ~as to dress it and to keep it. To this must be added the =munwn of the creature with the Creator so close so cordial, and so confidential as that communion then must have been. If Enoch after sin and Satan had done their worst, still walked with God; if Abraham was calle:1 not only the father of the faithful, but the friend of God; if God spake face·to face'with Moses, as a man speaketh with his friend ;-we may form some faint idea, a;d it is only a faint idea, of that heavenly communion which man there enjoyed with his Maker as he walked in the garden in the cool of the day. 2. .After the P'all. We know how the scene was changed-suddenly and shockingly changed. We have seen a. picture designed to represent the change which sin introduced into Paradise, and the wreck which iniquity wrought. In one pa.rt of the picture a.11 is beauty, all is loveliness; the sky is clear, earth beneath is charming; above, below, a.round, everything appears inexpressibly gay and grand and gorgeous. Man is the monarch of all; every bird of every wing is subject to him, every animal of every species is submissive to his sway, even the most savage beast of prey owns his sovereignty. The lion crouches at his feet, he strokes the tiger with his hand. But no sooner has he tasted the forbidden frui~ than the sky is clouded, lightning flashes with fearful fury, the elements are a.t war with l;iim. The animals, lately so meek and mild, rise in rebellion against him-the lion opens his mouth in wrath, the tiger is wild with fury. Our first pa.rents themselves, shivering with horror, shuddering with fright, a.re hurried out of Paradise. A flaming sword prevents thejr_ return, and guards on every side the tree of life. Such is the painting referred to, and it pictures a. dread reality. It points out how man fell, ancl how far he fell from hjs state of. primeval bliss, of fellowship with the Holy One, and of Divine favour. 3. The cause of such a fall. Iniquity was the ea.use, as we here read of Israel," Thou hast fa.lien by thine iniquity." In that iniquity there were various elements; when ana.lyzed it is found to be ma.de up of several component parts. There was the lust of the flesh, for the tree was good for food; there was the lust of the eye8, for that tree was pleasant to the eyes ; there was the pride of life, it was a. tree to be desired to make one wise-"Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil" There was, in short, rebellion against the mildest authority; there was disobedience to the most reasonable command. 4. Consequences of the Fall are seen in posterity. When we read the records of the ancient nations of heathendom, even the most enlightened and polished, we cannot fa.ii to be convinced of the deep degradation into which man by iniquity had fallen. In Egypt, the cradle of civilization, men worshipped animals and plants, and even reptiles. In Greece, with all its boasted intellectual superiority, resthetic tastes, and fine arts, men worshipped a. host of fulse gods, deified men, and even impersonations of the lowest passions and worst vices that agitate the human heart; while of Athens itself it was said that you could as easily find a. god as a. man in that celebrated city. In Rome men multiplied gods, for, in addition to the national divinities, they readily admitted into their pantheon the gods, however monstrous and motley, of the nations which they conquered. Among the people of Israel in the prophet's time the great besetting sin was idolatry with all its foul accompaniments. ~n heathen lands_ a.t the present day it is still the same; multitudes bow d?wn to stocks and stones, and call these vanities gods. Can anything afford clearer evidence of the fearful fall of our race than this sottish idolatry of ancient and modern heathen, as also of the Hebrew people, though so highly favoured with the written Law, besides that wh,ich they had.in common with their heathen neighbours? 'V( e forbear_ to ~peak of the gross impurities and shocking immoralities that go ~and-m-han_d with 1~ola.try. q, Illustrati<m oft/le Fall. Of manifold illustrations wh1c~ the su_bJect admits t~ke :that of a stately tree. Its dimensions are mighty and ma.gmficent-1ts_ top ~aves ~1gh in air,. ite branches spread far around, its leafy honours are luxuna.nt, its foliage umbrageous; it claims or seems to claim supremacy over a.11 the f?rest_ tree~. But the axe is la.id to its root. You beg the woodman to spare that tree. It 1s va.i.n, however; he  THE BOOK OF HOSEA. [OH, XIV, 1-9,