"Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone." These words have been taken as setting the seal of doom upon souls now living on this fair earth. They have been so explained as to send despair to many a heart. Take the following exposition by the gentle-hearted Matthew Henry, as a fair sample of what has been written upon this text: "Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone. Let no man reprove him. Let him be given up to his own heart's lusts, and walk in his own counsels. It is a sad and sore judgment for any man to be let alone in sin; for God to say concerning a sinner; He is joined to his idols, the world, the devil and the flesh; he is incurably proud, covetous, or profane; an incurable drunkard, or adulterer; let him alone; conscience, let him alone; minister, let him alone; Providence, let him alone; let nothing awaken him till the flames of hell do it."

Such an interpretation, to say the least of it, presents a very forbidding aspect. To harmonize it with those other Scriptures which plainly teach the willingness of God to save the guiltiest sinner is a feat surpassing the highest dialectic skill. No common mind could identify as one, the God who spurns from him this offending child, saying, "Let him alone," and the God whose heart-yearnings over this very prodigal voice themselves in the tender words, "How

shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim ? Mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together." * There is one presumptive mark of correctness which the interpretation referred to fails to reveal-harmony with the moral convictions of humanity as to what is right. That it is based upon an entire misconception of the text, we proceed to show.

The first question to be considered is, "To whom does God here speak?" A plain answer to this question not only produces a rift in the clouds, but clears away the whole cloud-bank of difficulty that has settled down upon the text. Evidently the prophet Hosea was not told to let Ephraim alone. If he received such instruction he was mindful to disregard it. Unceasingly did he beseech Ephraim to repent of his sins, and turn to God. There can be no doubt that the injunction, "Let him alone," was given to Judah. A study of the context makes this abundantly evident.

The ten tribes had hived off under Jeroboam and formed themselves into a separate kingdom. The wily usurper Jeroboam, seeing that if he was to maintain his power over the rebellious

*Hosea xi. 8.

tribes, he must prevent them from assembling at Jerusalem as had been their wont, reasoned thus: "If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam, king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam, king of Judah." In order to strengthen his hold upon them he revived the ancient calf-worship, with which they had become familiar in Egypt. Taking counsel of his evil confederates, he made two calves of gold and said unto the people: "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt. And he set one in Bethel, and the other in Dan." Cut off from the worship of Jehovah in Jerusalem, the people of Israel soon forgot the God of their fathers, and followed after strange gods. In the expressive language of the text they became joined to idols -in love with them-wedded to them.

Now Judah, although tainted with idolatry, was in the main true to God. The prophet, drawing a contrast, says: "Ephraim compasseth me about with lies, even the house of Israel with deceit, but Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful among the saints." And in the text under consideration, God, through his faithful servant Hosea, exhorts the people of Judah to

let Ephraim or Israel alone, lest by keeping company with him, they become infected with idolatry. Again he says: "Though thou Israel play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend, and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Bethaven." How needful this expostulation: The men of Judah were neighbors, and kinsmen to the men of Israel; and the Lord knew that if once they began, under cover of friendship, to attend their idol festivals they would be ensnared. Hence he, in effect, says :-"Go not upon the devil's ground; turn away your faces and your feet from these places of vanity! Ephraim is glued to idols, let him alone! Do not keep company with him or he will make you as corrupt as he is himself."

A very practical lesson, this. The only safe course for any one is to shun the society of the ungodly; "to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness." "Evil communications corrupt good manners." Nothing is more ruinous than evil companionships. "Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not even go across it, turn from it and pass away."

This is a very different thought, however, from the one which has been too frequently extorted from these words. When rightly understood, this text gives no countenance to the fearful

doctrine that when wickedness reaches a certain point God leaves men to themselves—gives them up to perish hopelessly in their sins; that when the need is sorest he cuts the soul adrift and abandons it to its fate; that when sin abounds grace diminishes, until it fades completely out.

There is thus no warrant furnished by the text before us for leaving the most notorious sinner alone, in the sense of ceasing to make him an object of reforming effort. This is exactly the thing which the Christian ambassador is not to do. Down to the dying moment he is to stand beside the sinner telling of the mercy that stoops to receive the fragments of a wasted life; telling of the blood of sprinkling, and challenging earth and hell to show a sin it cannot cleanse.

In the treatment of a peculiarly aggravated type of a transgressor-one who has come within the circle of Christian discipleship, and has previously wronged a member of the Christian brotherhood-the rule laid down is, "Restore such an one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself lest thou also be tempted." But should the wrong-doer prove unrelenting, should all efforts to win him back prove abortive, what then? "Let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican." Does that mean, "Spurn him from you; let him feel the fire of your indignation; let him be given up to walk unhindered