The Pulpit Commentary — Hosea — Section 443

Bimilarly the grace of the Spirit "cometh not with observation" (Lnke xvii. 20). Jt work& on in secrecy, and ber,omes visible only in its beneficent results upon cbarncter o.nd life. 8. Abundant. In :1:'ale~tine t~e _dew is~ COf>iom as to compenRate t<, some extent for tho abeonce of ram. rhe Divine dew, 10 hke manner, is often seen to 1:,e most abundant, especially in e. time of religious revival. The work of the Spirit may influence for much good an entire Church, or even II whole nation eo aR to enrich its life ae a Christian community. 4. Penetrative. The dew pier~e~ the soil and insinuates iteelf into the fibres of evITT:y herb and plant; so the Hl)ly Ghost using the Divine Word," pierces even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit" (H~b. iv. 12), and searchee through the whole nature of man, to purify and bleee it. 5. Gi11en daily. "'l'he grace of God, like the dew, is not given once for all, but ie day by day waited for, and day by day renewed. Yet doth it not pass away, like the fitful goodness of God's former people (eh. vi. 4), but turns into the growth and spiritual substance of those on whom it descends" {PU8ey). 6. RefreaMng a;n,d, ferti1izing. The dew pro- duces verdure and fruitfulness. So the constant presence of the Holy Spirit within the soul and in the Church is essential to spiritual freshness and usefulness. The clauses that follow (vers. 5-8) show that this is the main point of the emblem as employed here, and trace with exceeding beauty of poetic diction the results of the Lord's gracious activity when he comes "as the dew." He shall so come in "the laat days "-blessed be his Name I-" unto Israel," i.e. to hie ancient people; and not t.o them only, but to the whole Israel of God, of every nation, who follow spiritually in the footsteps of Abraham. LEBBONB. 1. Apostasy is a malignant soul-malady, which, if not arrested by the great Healer, will lead to :final perdition, If we would be preserved from it, we must avoid habits of backsliding. 2. What a. ground of hope to the penitent, and of comfort to the believer, is the "freeness" or spontaneity of the Divine love I 3. The absolute dependence of the individual and the Church upon the work of the Holy Spirit.-C. J. Vera. 5-8.-Retwrn to God: its ultimate remlts. These are like the effects of the dew of heaven upon garden a.nd landscape. They are, in fact, the results of the Di vine influence which God the Holy Spirit bestows upon returning penitents. The imagery of the pa.aaage is borrowed from the vegetable kingdom, and reminds us of that of the Bong of Solomon. The prophet employs a combination of emblems-the lily, the cedar, the olive, the corn-field, the vineyard, because it requires them all to furnish an adequate picture of the blessed outcome of religious revival. This representation shall yet be realized in the spiritual future of the Hebrew nation. " Ephraim," now so sadly blighted, shall be dowered with " double fruitfulness," and thus verify the presage of hie ancient name (Gen. xii. 52). The promise is fulfilled also, even now, in the case of every Christian Church, and of every gracious heart, which "returns unt.o Jehovah,u and receives a fresh baptism of hie Spirit. The rich and blessed r0Bults of revival a.re-- I. GROWTH, " He shall grow as the lily" (ver. 5). There are various plants of the lily species found in Palestine which are remarkable, not only for their beauty, but for their rapid and luxuriant growth. The tall lilies, to whose brilliant colours the Lord Jesus pointed his disciples (Matt. vi. 28, 29), possess also much vitality and pro- ductiveness. So is it with the Church that has been watered with the copious dews of God's good Spirit. Haw rapidly the infant Church grew after the outpouring on the day of Pentecost I What multitudes turued to the Lord in the times of the Heformation ! What numbers do still in every season of revive.I I And so also is it with the indi- vidual soul when the garden of its graces is daily wetted with the heavy heavenly dew. It ma.kes rapid progress in its upward growth. Each of us may profitably ask himself, " .Am I growing in grace? Are my Christian faith, and love, and patience, o.nd diligeace, and holy zeal larger thl\n they were ten or twenty yea.rs ago?" II. STRENGTH. He shall "strike his roots as Lebanon: his branches shall spread" (vcrs. 5 6). The lily both grows and multiplies rapidly; but it is not an emblem of stability for its stalk is frail and its root slender. 1'o find an image of fixedness and forceful ~cserve, the prophet goes to the cedar of Lebanon. This tree. is far-~amed for its strength and stateliness. It is very de~ply rooted_; and _from it~ mam trunk numerous branches spread out horizontally, tier upon tier, until the diameter of the coi:ppa.ss of ground which the tree covera is even ~reater than its height. In like 446 THE BOOK OF HOSEA. [OH, :I.IV, 1-9,