vently, exhibit a strong spiritual feelings, and profess for a season to " seek Christ," and be a different man. And yei all this time his heart may never be touched at all ! Take away the peculiar circumstances that affected him, and he may possibly return at once to his old ways. He sought Christ " in vain," because he sought Him from false motives, and not with his whole heart.
Unhappily this is not all. There is such a thing as a settled habit of resisting light and knowledge, until we seek Christ u in vain." Scripture and experience alike prove that men may reject God until God rejects them, and will not hear their prayer. They may go on stifling their convictions, quenching the light of conscience, fighting against their own better knowledge, until God is provoked to give them over and let them alone. It is not for nothing that these words are written, — u Then shall they call upon Me, but I will not answer ; they shall seek Me early, but they shall not find Me : for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord." (Prov. i. 28, 29.) Such cases may not be common ; but they are possible, and they are sometimes seen. Some ministers can testifj'' that they have visited" people on their deathbeds who seem to seek Christ, and yet to seek in vain.
There is no safety but in seeking Christ while He may be found, and calling on Him while He is near,— seeking Him with a true heart, and calling on Him with an honest spirit. Such seeking, we may be very sure, is never in vain. It will never be recorded of such seekers, that they " died in their sins." He that really comes to Christ shall never be " cast out." The Lord has solemnly declared that " He hath no pleasure in the death of him that dieth," — and that »' He delighteth in mercy." (Ezekiel xviii. 32 ; Micah vii. 18.)
We learn for another thing, hew ivide is the difference between Christ and the ungodly. Our Lord says to the