p. 75 | Inquiring Saints by Nevins

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Mar 6, 1879

Inquiring Saints.

By Nevins

I was asked the other day whether I had had any recent meeting for inquirers. I replied that I had not—that there were few inquiring sinners in the congregation; and I judged the reason to be, that there were few inquiring saints. "Inquiring saints! that is a new phrase. We always supposed that inquiring belonged exclusively to sinners." But it is not so. Do we not read in Ezekiel 36: 37: "Thus saith the Lord God, I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them"? By the house of Israel—that is, by his people. You see that God requires and expects his covenanted people to inquire. It is true that saints do not make the same inquiry that sinners do. The latter ask what they must do to be saved, whereas the inquiry of Christians is: "Wilt thou not revive us again?" It is a blessed state of things when the people of God are inquiring. It is good for themselves, and it has a most benign influence on others. When the people of God inquire, presently the impenitent begin to inquire. That question: "Wilt thou not revive us?" is soon followed by the other: "What must I do to be saved?" Yes, when saints become anxious, it is not long ere sinners become anxious. The inquiry of three thousand on the day of Pentecost, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" was preceded by the inquiry of the one hundred and twenty, who "all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication." Generally, I suppose, that is the order. First saints inquire, and then sinners; and whenever, in any congregation, religion does not flourish, one principal reason of it is, that the saints are not inquiring. They do not attend their inquiry meeting appointed for them. The saints' inquiry meeting is the prayer meeting. In that Christians meet together to inquire of the Lord "to do it for them"—that is, to fulfill the promise about the new heart and the new spirit, of which he had been speaking. Now, when this meeting is crowded and interesting—when the inquiry among Christians is general, and earnest, and importunate—the sinners' inquiry meeting usually becomes crowded and interesting.

Oh, that I could make my voice to be heard by all the dear people of God on this subject! I would say: You wonder and lament that sinners do not inquire; but are you inquiring? You wonder that they do not feel; but do you feel? Can you expect a heart of stone to feel, when a heart of flesh does not? You are surprised that sinners can sleep. It is because you sleep along-side of them. Do you but awake, and bestir yourselves, and look up and cry to God, and you will see how soon they will begin to be roused, and to look about them, and to ask the meaning of your solicitude. Oh, that the saints would but inquire!--Nevins.