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Christ. We must therefore come to God by him, relying upon his mediation; as ever we would expect to partake of falvation and happinefs in the fruition of God. Heb. vii. 25. He is able to fave unto the uttermoft them that come unto God by him, feeing he ever liveth to make interceffion for them. God, and every good thing is to be fought, for the fake of Jefus Chrift. Dan. ix. 17. Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy Jervant, and his fupplications, and caufe thy face to fhine upon thy fanctuary which is defolate, for the Lord's fake. Our dependance must be upon the merit and interceffion of Jefus Chrift, for all our fuccefs in feeking God. And in this way of faith in Christ, we thall speed.

Anfw. 6. They fhould feek God conftantly. They fhould feek God, not only for a time, but hold on in feeking God. Pfal. cv. 4. Seek the Lord and bis ftrength, feek his face evermore. Though they do not presently find God, yet they should not give over seeking God.' I fhould be far from them to fay as he did, 2 King. vi. 33. Why fhould I wait for the Lord any longer? God is moft worthy to be waited upon, and waited for: and if after all our waiting we at laft find him, it will make us full amends for our patience and pains in feeking him. Sinners then should not give way to any difcouragement; but fhould continue to feek God, in hope of finding him. And if they do perfevere in feeking God, they may be fatisfied, that God will be found of them. Haf. vi. 3. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord. By knowing, here is meant fuch a knowledge as is accompanied with the enjoyment of God: fo the following words do intimate, Then fhall be come unto us as the rain, as the latter and the former rain upon the earth. Let us therefore patiently wait on God in the way of diligent feeking of him and we may hope, it will not be long before we shall find him. Pfal. xxvii. 14. Wait on the Lord be of good courage, and be shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I fay, on the Lord. Matth. vii. 7. Ask, and it fhall be given you; feek, and ye shall find, knock, and it shall be opened to you.

PROF

PROP II. There is a Time, wherein finners may find God, if they feek him. Solomon fays, To every thing there is a feafon. Eccl. iii. I. There is a fit and proper feafon for the doing of every bufinefs. This is true in reference to feeking and finding God. There is a feafon wherein he may be fought, fo as to be found. Luk. xix. 42. This thy day, a day of gracious vifitation; ( 44.) a Time, wherein the redeemer visited them, was near to them, and might be found of them. Here it may be enquired,

Queft. When is it a time, wherein finners may find God, if they feek him aright ?

Anfw. 1. In general, The time of life, is a time wherein God may be found, if finners feek him.---After death, the time of finding God is come to a perpetual end. But as long as life lafts, God will be found, if he indeed be fought aright. Some that have lived in the neglect of God, even till old age, have yet upon their humble feeking God, found him a merciful, fin pardoning God. Yea, in the laft days of life, even, on a death-bed, fome upon their penitent feeking of God, have found him. Though the repentance of fuch is feldom true, yet when it is fincere, they do certainly find mercy with the Lord, and their fins fhall be forgiven. A&t. iii. 19. Repent, that your fins may be blotted out. If God give repentance, be will give remiffion of fin. A&t. v. 31. And, Whofo believeth with the beart, whether fooner or later, he believeth unto righteousness, and fo to the Javing of the foul. (Rom. x.. 10. Heb. x. 39.) Sinners may in their very laft hours be really penitent; or elfe it would be in vain to pray with them, and for them; in vain to ufe means for bringing them to repentance, and in vain for them to feek God: nay, it would then be no fin in them, to defpair. And if they are really penitent and believing, they fhall affuredly be faved. The penitent thief went from the cross to paradife. Luk. xxiii. 43. This day, &c. It is horrid, to fuppofe, that God will damn a believing repenting finner... Yet however, none, upon this apprehenfion,

prehenfion, fhould defer their repenting and clofing with Chrift, till a dying, hour. This is moft wicked prefumption, and is likely to end in obftinate unbelief and final impenitency and ruin.

Anfw. 2. More particularly, There are fome Special feafons of life, wherein God may be found, if finners Jeek unto him. Such as are born and brought up under che gofpel, have fome fignal opportunities in their lives, which if they do improve unto the feeking God, they will be in a fair and most hopeful way to find God. For instance,

1. The time of youth is a fpecial feafon, wherein finners may find God, if they feek him. Solomon calls upon young perfons, to remember their creator in the days of their youth. Eccl. xii. 1. In their early years, they fhould be mindful of their Maker, fo as to feek him and call upon him, for pardoning mercy, and converting grace. Thus did Jofiah; 2 Chron. xxxiv. 3. While he was yet young, he began to feek after the God of David his Father. He fought God betimes and fo should all young ones do. And if they do thus in the beginning of their days, fet themselves to feek after God, they have the greatest hope and profpect of finding him. So David told his fon Solomon, who was a young man. I Chron. xxviii. 9. Thou Solomon my fon, know thou the God of thy father, and ferve bim with a perfect heart and a willing mind:---if thou seek him, he will be found of thee. Yea, God has made a very gracious promise to young ones in particular. Prov. viii. 17. They that feek me early, fhall find me. Early feekers of God are of all perfons moft likely to be fuccefsful feekers and if they be right feekers, they fhall never feek bis face in vain. If any in all the world may look for welcome entertainment with God, young penitents may. For God is exceedingly well-pleafed with their early feeking of him. Surely then there is no better feafon wherein to feek God, than the time of youth. O that young perfons would be perfwaded to make the trial, and fee whether they fhall not find God and obtain favour with

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him, if they feek unto him in earneft. O pray daily to God, to bless you, to give you an intereft in Chrift, to pardon the fins of your youth, to keep you from fin, to give you an heart to know God, to believe in him, to love and ferve him. If you thus feek God while young, you will never repent of your fo doing. This will make your after-life more fweet and comfortable to you. Whereas, if you neglect to feek God while young, you will bitterly bewail it hereafter. If God give you an heart to repent, you will now be filledwith grief and forrow for the fins of your youth: but if you die in impenitency, you will mourn at the laft, in that place, where is weeping and wailing for ever and ever, without remedy.

2. The time of the Spirit's ftriving with finners, is a fpecial feafon wherein they may find God, if they seek him. The holy Spirit does frequently act and move upon the hearts of finners, elder, as well as younger, under the gofpel. It is his work to convince of fin. Joh. xvi. 8. And how often are finners brought under convictions by the holy Spirit ? They are many times convinced in their confciences, that they should no longer reftrain prayer before God, but should feek to him for pardon, grace and falvation. Such fins of omiffion their confciences do check and condemn them for. Now, by fuch convictions, the Spirit of God is knocking at the door of their hearts. And when they are under fuch convictions as thefe, it is then a special season to feek God. When the Spirit is thus ftriving with us, God is in a particular manner near to us, and then is a fuitable opportunity to call upon God. And if we do cherish fuch holy awakenings, and are thereby carried unto God, we may then hope that God will be found of us. Had Felix and Agrippa fought God when under fuch convictions, it might have been well with them. God is never more likely to be found of us, than when we comply with the gracious calls of his Spirit, to feek his face. The holy Spirit is a meffenger from God and Chrift, to acquaint us, that

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God would have us to feek him, and that he is ready to be found of us; and if we hearken to the voice of this divine meffenger, God will hearken to the voice of our prayer. We read of fome, who, upon the convictions of the Spirit, wrought by the word, did forthwith feek after falvation, and saving grace was bestowed on them. A&t. ii, 37, 41.--Take heed then of refifting the motions of the holy Spirit on your fouls, left he fhould ceafe ftriving with you, and God thould go far away from you. Whatever the means be, whether the word, ordinances, or providenees, when convictions are begun, take care you don't ftifle an awakened confcience. I Theff. v. 19. Quench not the Spirit. Thus for our fecond Propofition.

PROP. III. Sinners fhould be concerned, to feek God in this time wherein he may be found. This is intimated in the text as a matter of the greatest importance. And therefore it is urged and pressed upon finners by an ingemination or doubling of the expreffions; feek him,----call upon him; while be is near, while he may be found. And certainly, if there be any thing that requires our greatest care and concern, it is that of feeking God fo as that we may find him.----Two or three reafons may here be mentioned, why finners fhould be concerned to feek God while he may be found.

Reaf. 1. The first reafon may be taken from the great bleffedness of finding God. To find and enjoy God, is the only true happiness of the reasonable creature. The fruition of him makes us compleatly and eternally bleffed. He is an infinite good, a full fountain of goodnels. If we have God for ours, we are most happy perfons. (Pfal. cxliv. 15) If we find him, we find every good thing, that can be imagined, or defired. Nothing can be wanting to us, if we have him who poffeffes all things. Now does it not infinitely concern us, to fecure to ourselves this infinitely bleffed God for our portion? What can be worth our minding in comparison

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