View source for These "lovers" of ours'

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<p>&quot;I will run after <strong>my lovers</strong> and sell myself to <br />
  them for food and drink, for clothing of wool <br />
  and linen, and for olive oil.&quot; Hosea 2:5<br />
  <br />
  Here is the opening up of what we are by nature, <br />
  what our carnal mind is ever bent upon, what we <br />
  do or are capable of doing, except as held back by <br />
  the <strong>watchful providence</strong> and <strong>unceasing grace</strong> <br />
  and <strong>goodness </strong>of the Lord. <br />
  <br />
  <strong>These &quot;lovers&quot; of ours</strong> are our old sins and former <br />
  lusts which still crave for gratification. To these <br />
  sometimes the carnal mind looks back and says, <br />
  &quot;<strong>Where are my lovers</strong> that gave me my food and <br />
  drink? Where are those former delights that so <br />
  pleased my vile passions, and so gratified my <br />
  base desires?&quot; <br />
  <br />
  These lovers, then, are . . .<br />
  the lust of the flesh, <br />
  the lust of the eyes, <br />
  and the pride of life;<br />
  all which,<strong> unless subdued by sovereign grace</strong>, <br />
  still work in our depraved nature, and seek to <br />
  regain their former sway.<br />
  <br />
  But the Lord, for the most part, mercifully interposes, <br />
  nor will He usually let His children <strong>do</strong> what they gladly <br />
  would do; or <strong>be</strong> what they gladly would be. He says, <br />
  &quot;therefore I will block your path with thorn-bushes; I <br />
  will wall you in so that your cannot find your way.&quot; <br />
  (Hosea 2:6) <br />
  <br />
  The Lord, in His providence or in His grace, prevents <br />
  our carnal mind from carrying out its base desires; <br />
  hedges up our way with thorns—by which we may <br />
  spiritually understand pricking of conscience, stings <br />
  of remorse, pangs of penitence—which are so many <br />
  thorny and briery hedges that fence up the way of <br />
  transgression, and thus prevent our carnal mind from <br />
  breaking forth into its old paths, and going after these <br />
  former lovers to renew its ungodly alliance with them. <br />
  <br />
  A hedge of thorns being set up by the grace of God, <br />
  our soul is unable to break through this strong fence, <br />
  because the moment that it seeks to get through it,<br />
  or over it, every part of it presents a pricking brier or <br />
  a sharp and strong thorn, which wounds and pierces <br />
  our conscience. <br />
  <br />
  What infinite <strong>mercy</strong>, what surpassing <strong>grace</strong>, are hereby <br />
  manifested! Were our conscience not made thus tender <br />
  so as to feel the pricking brier, we can hardly tell what <br />
  might be the fearful consequence, or into what a miserable <br />
  abyss of sin and transgression our soul would fall. <br />
  <br />
  But <strong>these lacerating briers</strong> produce remorse of soul <br />
  before God; for finding, as the Lord speaks, &quot;that <br />
  when she runs after her lovers, she won't be able <br />
  to catch up with them. She will search for them but <br />
  not find them,&quot; there comes a longing in her mind <br />
  for purer pleasures and <strong>holier delights than her <br />
    adulterous lovers could give her</strong>. And thus a change<br />
  in her feelings is produced, a revolution in her desires. <br />
  &quot;Then she will say, I will go back to my Husband as <br />
  at first, for then I was better off than now.&quot; <br />
  <br />
  The idea is of an adulterous wife contrasting <br />
  the innocent enjoyments of her first wedded <br />
  love—with the state of misery into which she <br />
  had been betrayed by base seducers. <br />
  <br />
  And thus the soul spiritually contrasts its former <br />
  enjoyment of the Lord's presence and power—with <br />
  its present state of darkness and desertion. &quot;Where,&quot; <br />
  she would say, &quot;are my former delights, my first joys, <br />
  and the sweetness I had in days now passed, in knowing, <br />
  serving, and worshipping the Lord? Ah! He was a kind and<br />
  loving husband to me in those days. I will return to Him <br />
  if He will graciously permit me, for it was better with me <br />
  when I could walk in the light of His countenance, than <br />
  since I have been seeking for my lovers, and reaping <br />
  nothing but guilt, death, and condemnation.&quot;
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