The Usefulness and Excellency of Christ, Section 10
SECT. 10.
Christ must be sought speedily.
3. ANd that you may find Christ …. Dilatatiō Seek Christ while he may be found specdily.(as hath been shewed) in the Law and Gospell, 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; wherefore 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 day 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 withall, that however late seeking after Christ: I am sure it speedeth 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, 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 *Cyr. in Lev. 17.Doctor saith of such, if a Aug. hom. 41. de vere paenitentibus.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 senfuall 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 Deus diletionem in voce cor vina, se… 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 groaning after Christ in the voice and sighing of adove, whose tune is, Now, Now; and not as the voice of a crow, to 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 he 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 day, you should not tarry with him one moment longer; but it is God who must draw you, as it is written, Iohn. 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;