Hosea 4:7 As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame. It is not an unmixed blessing to be born with a silver spoon in one's mouth, for we all need the benefit of the struggle. I knew a man who commenced business on a small scale, and at that time he attended the chapel twice every Sunday. The business increased rapidly, and he attended chapel once a Sunday, and then once a month, and now he spends his Sundays in a house-boat on the river, and has lost all taste for sacred things! He is the miserable slave of his gold — he worships it by day and dreams of it by night- and one would not be surprised to hear of his seeking his euthanasia in suicide! A man alone with his money is a sorry sight, for his heart is petrified, his spirit materialised, and his life poisoned. The gold mines of Peru helped to wreck the fortunes of Spain, for men abandoned honest work, and became avaricious adventurers. Excessive luxury and avarice are the sure forerunners of national decadence, and we Britons must be on our guard against it, or the fate of Spain will be ours. Life is qualitative rather than quantitative, and our prosperity will spoil us unless we give to soul-culture the first and highest place. As Seneca says: "One of the most serious calamities which can befall any man is not to know something of adversity." (J. Ossian Davies.) Parallel Verses KJV: As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.WEB: As they were multiplied, so they sinned against me. I will change their glory into shame. |
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