The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 434

h11.R m11rle np his mind, and it is doomed to fe.11. Blow e.fter blow 11 struck; the sturdy Afr.,k(·s arc red on bled; at length the root la giving way, the top l1 nodding, the tree topplcR to its fall. One creak, one crash, e.nrl the goodly tree is prostre.te; ruin spreads the grnnnd. Ere long the bre.nchcs wither e.nd the leavca decay. Whe.t e. contre.st between the.t tree flourishing in the ste.tclinCBB of its strength e.nd tho lovelin8811 of its life, and that Mme tree felled to the earth, its leaves stripped off, its bre.ncbee lopped, the whole a sad emblem of decay, e. solemn memorial of destruction I Such is the contr11.Bt between man in hie original purity, while standing by fe.ith, e.nd man e.t the present de.y fallen by iniquity. 6. G1·eatness of the Fall. When the great Roman dlcte.tor be.d usurped the liberties of hie country e.nd changed the republican form of gov'lmment to the imperial; when be he.d overcome e.11 opposition, conquered e.11 enemies, and fully gained the me.stery; when be be.d reached the summit of popularity and power ;-just then the daggers of the conspirators smote him to the earth. He fell e.t the foot of bis great rive.I's statue. The friend who spoke his funeral oration and improved the occasion did justly magnify that fall, exclaiming, e.s well he might, "Wha.t a fall was there, my countrymen I" But what, e.fter all, is the fall of the we.rrior, or hero, or emperor, even from the pinnacle of bis fame e.nd of bis fortune, compared with the fall of an immortal &0ul by sin, dragged down int;i the deep pit of perdition? The sight of the fallen warrior, as be eat amid the ruins of Ce.rthage, has furnished a subject for men to moralize on, while bistori11.ns have commented on the fact; and it is indeed sufficiently impressive. The harmony that existed between the person and the place was noces- sa.rily striking e.nd even startling; the fate of the one was so like that of the other, the downfall of the one was so similar to the desolation of the other, that we scarcely know which of the two is more entitled to the tear of pity or sigh of sympathy-the degra- dation of the chieftain or the destruction of the city. Yet greater far are the degradation and desolation which the blight of sin brings upon person or place. 7. PractiaJI, W1UJideratiom. We need not travel far for proof of our fallen state ; we do not need t.o go be.ck t.o our first parents except for the purpose of tracing the evil to its founte.in•hea.d; we need not visit pagan lands, whether past or present; we do not require t.o quit the lands of Christendom. The condition of the Hebrew people e.s set forth by the Prophet Hosee. is one that often repeats itself in the experienees---some of them sad enough-of everyday life. How many have fallen by iniquity around us I How ma.DY are falling by iniquity at our very doors, on this side and on that I How many have we known t.o begin life well, but they fell by iniquity I The wrecks of the fallen are strewn on the right band and on the left. Some fall by drunkenness, some by lewdness, some by want of rectitude and right principle, some by what the world callii uDHteadiness. If the sword slays its thousands, iniquity slays its tens of thousands. 8. Pera<YJ'U1l, duties. Several personal duties of much importance may be learnt from this part of the subject; these may be expressed in Scripture language as follows: "Let him that standetb take heed lest he fall;" "Give diligence t,o make your calling e.nd election snre ; for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall ; " " Beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness." Aleo pity the fallen; try to lift them up; pray for the ba.ckelider who bas fa.lien ha.ck from the position he seemed to have attained, and seek to restore such a one in the spirit of meeknees. IV. THE RETURir OP THE PENITENT. Many motives, and those of the most powerful kind, urge the sinner to return to God. 1. There ie the character of the invitation. It is an earnest one, a precious one, and a glorious one. It is the gospel re-echoing through th~ past and resounding about us at the 11resent. This invitation proves the height, e.nd depth, e.nd length, and breadth of the Divine goodness. 2. There is the Author of the iCtvitation. It proceeds from the Friend whom we have treated so ungratefully and so ungraciously; he comes after us, as it were, calling and entreating us t? return ; he promises us a hearty welcome when we do return; he assures us that hie heart and hearth and home stand open t.o receive U8; hie arms are stretched out to embrace us. 3. 'fhere are the persons invited. The vilest e.re subjects of this invitation; the oldest, the worst the most wicked, are comprehended; they are otfered present pardon, they are assur;d of instant forgiveness, and all without money and without price: "The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And Jet him that heareth say, Come. And let him tLat is athirst come. And wboeocver will, Jct him lake the Wiitcr of life freely." Oh, OH, XIV, 1-lJ.] THE BOOK OF HOSEA. 437