the extent and causes of men's supineness.
Hos. v. 4. They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God : for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the Lord.
WHEN we exhort men to duty, they plead their inability to perform it ; but their inability is, in fact, a want of inclination to serve God. Many things there are which they do not, though confessedly within their power. Of this the prophet complains in the words of our text, and traces it up to its true and proper source.
His words lead us to consider,
I. The extent of men's supineness —
Little need be said to shew that the generality do not " turn to God." They are scarcely sensible of their apostasy from him. They regard serious and vital religion as over-righteous preciseness. They do not so much as " frame their doings to turn unto him"—
They do not consider their ways —
[This seems a reasonable duty, and within the reach of any man : every prudent man does it with respect to his tem- poral affairs ; nor can there be any excuse for neglecting it in
more important concerns. Indeed it is not possible to turn unto God aright, unless we have first discovered wherein we have turned from him. But men do not choose to search the records of their own conscience ; they find it more pleasant to rest in the presumption that all is well. To this effect God himself testifies respecting them3 — .]
They do not abstain from open violations of God's
law —
[This is undoubtedly a step, which, every one that turns to God will take ; nor, though this is more difficult, is it beyond the power of an unregenerate man : though he cannot refrain from the love of sin, he may from the commission of it. Many actually do deny their appetites, from prudential motives ; yet few, if any, will impose the same restraints from a regard to God, or manifest the disposition recommended to them by Elihub— .]
They do not avoid the means and occasions of sin —
[They have found the company of ungodly men to be a snare to their souls0, yet wTill they not withdraw themselves from their society. From many other things have they ex- perienced a most baneful influence, yet will they gratify them- selves in all their wonted indulgences. In temporal matters they see the wisdom of fleeing from temptation d, yet they account it needless to shun the means of spiritual defilement ; but if they desired really to turn to God, could they evade the force of that question e — ?]
They do not use the means of obtaining true con- version—
[They cannot but know the necessity of meditation and prayer : they are well assured that an attention to God's word and ordinances is a principal mean of spiritual advancement, yet any book is more pleasing to them than the Bible, and any employment than prayer : in seeking worldly advancement they will use the means with diligence, but all labour is deemed superfluous in the concerns of the soul.]
They not only do not thus frame their doings, but
they will not —
[Not all the promises of God can allure, or threatenings alarm them : they are deaf to the voice of conscience, and the
a Jer. ii. 36. b Job xxxiv. 32.
c Exod. xxxiv. 12. Prov. xxii. 25.
d From the course, or the gaming table. e Prov. vi. 27.
1149.] CAUSES of men's supineness. 33
dictates of God's Spirit. The language of their hearts is like that of the Jews of oldf — .]
They, on the contrary frame their doings to turn as far as possible from God —
[Would consideration help them ? They banish it, with all books or conversation that might lead them to it. Would the turning from known sin ? They indulge in it. Would the avoiding of the means of sin ? They will rush into temptation. Would the using of the means of grace ? They account them a servile drudgery. If they wished to injure their spiritual interests as much as possible, consistently with a good name among men, they could not adopt a surer method : the whole of their conduct unequivocally declares the language of their hearts g — .]