The Excellency of Christ, Section 10
SECT. 10. Chriſt muſt be ſought ſpeedily.
3. ANd that you may find Chriſt (as hath been ſhewed) in the Law and Goſpell, … D…latatiō S…k Chriſt while he may be found ſpeedily.you muſt ſeeke him while he may be found, as it is written, ſeeke the Lord while he may be found, Eſa. 55.6. which ſaying of the Lords Prophet plainly intimates that there is a time when he may not be found of ſome, who ſeeke him too late; where fore as they that gather roſes take their time, and looke out for them in the ſummer, when they may have them: ſo doe you looke out for Chriſt n…w in theſe warme ſummer dayes of the Goſpell, which ſhines ſo fairely and fully among us; yea to d…y ſeeke him as it is written, Heb. 3▪7. To day if ye will heare his voice, harden not your hearts; for you know not how ſoone you may be taken from the meanes, or the meanes from you; and whether the Lord will then be found of you, when lying upon your death beds, you cannot heare his word, after you have deſpiſed it a long time in your beſt health: As for Gods people, they may be ſure (as I told you formerly) that they ſhall alwaies find Chriſt in the winter of adverſity, as well as in the ſummer of proſperity, and upon their death beds eſpecially, yea after death, but you cannot be certaine of it, that you ſhall find Chriſt at laſt, when you would, becauſe you did not anſwer his call when he would. See Prov. 1.24.25. late repentance may ſpeed, but early repentance is ſure to ſpeed, ſaith *Perkins in Gal.one; and I ſay ſo too of ſeeking after Chriſt, adding witha…, that however late ſeeking after Chriſt: I am ſure it ſpeedeath ſo rarely, and ſo ſeldome, as that I can read but of one that ſought him ſo late, and found him, and that is the thiefe upon the croſſe, and none elſe beſides him; for God loveth not ſuch night-birds, Levit. 11.19. he forbiddeth his people the Jewes to feed on bats or flindermice, *Cyr. in Lev. 17.and thoſe twilight birds ſignified putters of, and prolongers of repentance, and of ſeeking after Chriſt, who thinke to flutter confuſedly about Chriſt, and repentance in the evening of their withered yeares, and in the night of their latter end; ſo as that eaſily you may conceive how welcome moſt of them are then to Chriſt Heare what a great ancient *Aug. bom. 41. …erepaenitentibus.Doctor ſaith of ſuch, if a man will in his laſt neceſſity obtaine repentance, and ſo departeth, I confeſſe we doe not deny him what he poſtulates, and deſires, but we preſume not neither that he dieth well; whether he goe hence ſecurely and ſafely I cannot tell, quoth he, and ſo he concludes at laſt, Vis ergo à dubio te liberare, &c. wilt thou therfore deliver & free thy ſelf from doubting, repent while thou art in health: Thus he of repenting, and ſo ſay I touching ſeeking after Chriſt, will you free your ſelves from the doubt whether Chriſt will welcome you at laſt, after ye have waſted your beſt time, and his beſt time, wallowing in ſinfull and ſenſuall delights, then ſeeke after him, now to day, without delay, and ſay not either as they in Hagg. 1.2. the time is not come for us to come to Chriſt, it is too ſoon yet, to morrow, to morrow; For God *Non quaerit Dous dilation…m in voce corvina, ſed co f…ſſionem in gemitu columbino. Aug. in Pſal. 102.ſeeketh not after a dilation in the voice of the crow, but an humble confeſſion and groming after Chriſt in the voice and ſighing of a dove, whoſe tune is, Now, Now; and not as the voice of a crow, …o morrow, to morrow; nay come, you ſhall not go hence, but you ſhall promiſe firſt, and reſolve within your ſelves, that as God ſhall enable you, ſo you will now forthwith think upon this matter ſeriouſly, and ſeek after Chriſt in the Law and Goſpell earneſtly; and that you will labour for faith induſtriouſly, praying to Chriſt for faith inſtantly, that ſo you may carry away Chriſt at laſt moſt happily, to be ſaved by him eternally; I know the devill will be loth to let you go ſo, and to way theſe things, wch belong to your peace, he will rather ſolicite you to ſtay and tarry a little longer with him, as Laban would have ſtayed Iacob to be his drudge for a longer time; but doe you not hearken unto him, nor be perſwaded by him, to ſtay a day or an houre longer with him, to be his ſlaves as you have been, no; but rather hearken unto the Lord Chriſt, who in his word did now appeare unto you; and as once he appeared unto Iacob, ſaying, (as hee ſaid then, Gen. 21.3.) Come unto me, and ſo conſequently, come away from Laban; I ſhould ſay Satan, for he doth but oppreſſe you, but Ile eaſe you, yea come preſently, quickly, ſaith he; for …e ſpeaks in the preſent time, Come, without delay, manè, or early, which is Gods adverbe, whereas the Devill ſaith, mane, which is his verbe, that is, tarry: well if I were but able to pull you away from this cunning deceiver of your poore ſoules, and to enſtate you in Chriſt this d…y, you ſhould not tarry with him one moment longer; but it is God who muſt draw you, as it is written, Ioh…. 6.44. No man can come to me, except the father which hath ſent me, draw him, Iohn. 6.44. And therefore as the ſpouſe of Chriſt did once pray for her ſelfe, Cant. 1.4. draw me, and we will run after thee: ſo will I pray for you, Lord draw thoſe who of themſelves cannot goe, that they may come to Chriſt, even as many as belong to Chriſt by the unalterable decree of thine eternall predeſtination.
I for my part can but perſwade you, and it may pleaſe God to bleſſe my perſwaſions, and to make them effectuall unto your poore ſoules, who can tell? and therefore;