October 4

They do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek him for all this. - Hosea 7:10.

HOW various and how numerous are the means which God is providing, and which he perpetually employs, as the preventions of sin and the excitements to holiness, or to induce men to seek the Lord their God! Of these, we may mention, first, The profusion of benefits, to draw men to God, “by the cords of love, and the bands of a man,” in nature, in providence, in grace; local advantages, commercial advantages, civil advantages, intellectual advantages; mercies new every morning; the day laden with his benefits, and on the wings of every hour a display of his patience and forbearance; all his works praising him, and calling upon us to do the same; never leaving himself without witness, in that “he is continually doing us good, sending us rain and fruitful seasons, and filling our hearts with food and gladness;” the earth filled with his riches, and the year crowned with his goodness. And, notwithstanding they are thus favoured, “yet do they not seek the Lord their God for all this.”

Secondly, The Scriptures in our own hands and in our own tongue. “What advantage hath the Jew, or what profit is there in circumcision? Chiefly because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.” We are indulged, and indulged in a much higher degree in this view. “To us is the word of this salvation sent,” and sent in its completest form; for we have, in addition to Moses and the prophets, the evangelists and the apostles. We have the blessed volume, containing the glad tidings of salvation, filled up with doctrines, precepts, promises, motives, principles, and addressed to every passion in the human bosom. And yet, notwithstanding, “They seek not the Lord their God for all this.”

Thirdly, The Gospel ministry, so that men can not only read the word, but hear the “words of eternal life.” They have the advantage of the living address of man to man. Yes, life has been periled by accident, so that there was but a step between them and death. And then sickness has seized them, and drawn them down to the very gates of the grave, through the bars of which they looked into an awful eternity, and shuddered and said, “Oh, spare me, that I may recover strength before I go hence and be no more!” and yet they do not seek the Lord for all this. Strange infatuation!

Fourthly, The power of conscience. Some men find that “the way of transgressors is hard,” and that it is very difficult to go on in sin as they have done: conscience has waylaid them, like the angel with the drawn sword, threatening Balaam. Conscience has said to that man, “Durst thou adventure? There is destruction in that course; there is death, there is hell, in that course. You are going to wade through the dearest blood of your soul, to plunge yourself into perdition. Oh, pause! Oh, forbear!” But he goes forward, in spite of his reflections afterwards! Notwithstanding all this remonstrance of conscience, “they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek him for all this.”

Then, fifthly, The various addresses, reproofs, admonitions, and encouragements, derived from their various connections. Yet “they seek not the Lord their God for all this.” Lastly, We may mention afflictions. Sometimes their schemes are broken off, even the thoughts of their hearts. Sometimes their worldly substance is decreased in order to induce them to seek in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Sometimes death comes into the family, and bears off “the dear delights they once enjoyed and fondly called their own.”