thither? Dost thou seek him at "his table," where his death is solemnly commemorated? In these Christ is wont to be found: And his enemies had so much policy as to seek where he "frequently resorted," John xii. 2, 3. Certainly then, if thou art his friend, thou art so wise as to endeavor so to do, and especially since he commands thee so to do, John xv. 14. 1 Cor. xi. 24.

4. Art thou willing to forego and part with every thing for Christ? I mean to deny thyself of whatsoever is inconsistent with thy having of him; of whatsoever stands in competition with thy finding this pearl? Canst thou indeed say with the blessed apostle, Phil. iii. 7, 8. "But what things were gain unto me, those I counted loss for Christ; yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ." If thou valuest any worldly thing above him, thou dost not aright seek him: But if he be most precious to thee, and thou seekest him as such, thou wilt not seek him in vain, he will be found of thee.

5. How do you endeavor to conform yourselves to Christ? Is it your care to steer the same course that he did? Do you labor to walk even as he walked ? It is a vain pretence to say you seek Christ, if you go a contrary way. It is certain you will never find him out, if you do not tread in his steps. As some quickscented creatures, in pursuing their prey, will exactly follow the track where it has gone before them; so those who do sincerely and aright pursue an interest in Christ, will be as careful to imitate him as to enjoy him. Is there the same mind in you as was in Christ? Are you followers of him as dear children? This will be, if you are sincere seekers of him, and this will denominate you such seekers of him.

6. And lastly. Are you resolved to seek him notwithstanding all the opposition and discouragements which you may meet with in this affair? Though others may deride you herefor, are you determined to say with David, 2 Sam. vi. 21, 22. "If this be to be vile, I will yet be more vile." If Christ should seem to flee from thee, and go further off the faster thou advancest towards him; if he should seem to conceal and hide himself, the more, the nearer thou pressest to him: Yet art thou resolved to go on seeking him whom thy soul loves? Yea, to seek him though it should be long ere thou find him. Go on, poor soul, thou seekest him and shalt find him. By these things, let persons who are in their early days examine and see whether they have sought, or do indeed seek the Lord Jesus Christ.

Use II. Of EXHORTATION in two words.

First, to those who are in their early days. Secondly, to those who are come to years.

Exhor. I. To those who are in their early days.

You have requested me to give you a short discourse at this time. I have not denied you. I have now a request to you, and I can take no denial: It is that you would approve yourselves early seekers of Christ. You have (as you have heard) abundant encouragement with respect to your finding him. Let me exhort and charge you to seek him presently, and not to sit down satisfied till you find him. And oh! that I knew what further argument to urge, that might possibly prevail with you to set about and persevere in this matter. God is my witness, I would do any thing within my power, to bring you to a real interest in Jesus Christ. I will just offer a few things to your consideration.

66

1. You are undone without an interest in Jesus Christ. You have been often told how that you are by nature in a perishing condition, and that there is salvation in no other. That there is no other name under heaven, whereby you can be saved, but that of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Acts iv. 10, 12. He is the way, the truth, and the life," John xiv. 6. "Without Christ, and without hope," Eph. ii. 12. If you miss of him, you must go into remediless perdition. It is true, the most of you have been baptized, but alas, this of itself will not save you: Though you may pretend to a near relation to Christ, by virtue of the gospel covenant yet if you refuse to seek him, and remain unregenerate, he will say to you hereafter, as Matt. vii. 23. "I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

2. The Lord Jesus Christ is willing to be found of you, and to bestow himself upon you. There are a multitude of texts in which we may read his unquestionable readiness to be ours, with all his benefits. See Prov. ix. 1. Isa. lv. 1. Matt. xi. 28. Isa. vi. 37. John vii. 37. Rev. xxii. 17. with many other Scriptures. Our blessed Saviour does not mock the soul in these invitations and offers: But we may depend upon the reality of them.

3. You must seek him if you would find him, and be really interested in him. It is true, we read, Isa. lvi. 1. "I am found of them that sought me not." But this does not at all exempt you from seeking of Christ. Though God prevents us with his grace, may find persons, and ofttimes does when they think little of him: Yet seeking is the way to finding, Matt. vii. 7. God seeks us first by his preventing grace, but yet he makes seeking of him a necessary medium in order to his gracious manifesting of himself to us.

4. He takes special notice how long you neglect your duty in this kind. He sets down every year, every day; yea, hour, and minute that you abide in your sins, and abuse the riches of his goodness. He therefore says, Ps. iv. 2. "O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? How long will ye love

vanity," &c. And cries, Prov. i. 22. "How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity," &c. And denounceth a wo unto Jerusalem for her delaying, Jer. xiii. ult. "Wo unto thee, O Jerusalem, wilt thou not be made clean, when shall it once be?"

5. After a while (and you do not know how soon) your finding time will be over. Your harvest will be past, your summer ended. Now Christ calls you, if you will not hearken to him, you will in a little time, call and seek to him, and he will not hearken to you: That will be verified upon you, Zech. vii. 13. "Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried and I would not hear, saith the Lord of hosts." I beseech you read and meditate upon that, Prov. i. 24-28. "Because I have called and ye refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded.... Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but shall not find me."

6. And lastly. Consider what you will find by finding Christ: And this is all good: It is stored up in him: By finding of him thou wilt come to be possessed of all that is desirable; of all spiritual blessings: for the Father blesses us with all spiritual blessings in Christ. Thou wilt find the mercy of God, the forgiveness of sin, the consolations of the Spirit, and eternal life, by finding Christ. Prov. viii. 35. "He that findeth me findeth life." 1 John v. 12. ." He that hath the Son hath life."

Object. Possibly some of you may say, I would comply with this exhortation, but I cannot tell how to deny myself the pleasures of youth: If I set upon a seeking of Christ, I must cast away all my transgressions, else I cannot rationally hope to find him; my iniquities will separate between him and me; my sins will hide his face from me, that he will not hear: And I do not know how to part with these as yet; to flee youthful lusts.

Answ. 1. Are the pleasures of sin more dear to thee than thy precious soul? Wilt thou expose thy soul (which is of more worth than the whole world, Matt. xvi. 26.) to endless misery, "for the pleasures of sin which are but for a season?" Heb. xi. 25. Oh! how will conscience upbraid thee hereafter? If thou art not brought off from this, how will it aggravate thy damnation in the bottomless pit? How will it rend thy heart with raging grief, to think, that for the gratifying a few lusts, you must go without God, Christ and happiness, and undergo an extremity of misery forever. This will be the certain punishment of those who will not forego, but retain their pleasant or profitable sins, even a most extreme and everlasting torment.

But,

2. Let me assure you, that you will find better pleasure in Christ, than this you speak of, to delay your seeking of him. For his kingdom consists in righteousness and peace, and joy in the

Holy Ghost. Oh! what are the pleasures of sin to the pleasures of religion? Not worthy to be mentioned with them; the former have a sting attending of them; they will be bitterness in the latter end; the end of that mirth will be heaviness; if ever you seek Christ so as to find him, you will find this to be true; but the joy and pleasure of religion is true and real, and will lead to that, Ps. xvi. 11. "Thou wilt show me the path of life, in thy presence there is fullness of joy, and at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Ps. xxxvi. 8, 9. "They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house, and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures; for with thee is the fountain of life. In thy light shall we see light."

Exhort. II. To elder persons, such as are past the time of youth, and are come to riper years; but yet have not to any purpose been seeking of Christ.

Let me beseech you Now to seek him, delay no longer. It is high time for you to awake out of sleep. It would have been much better, if you had sought Christ early: But better late than not at all: And therefore as you ought not to defer, so you ought not to despair. Do not say, that "your hope is lost." Ezek. xxxvii. 11. This would be worse than all the rest. It is bad for persons to say, It is too early, (though most are ready to think, if not to say so, in their youthful time :) But it is worse to say, It is too late. Have a care therefore of this: be humbled that you have sought Christ no sooner and better; justify him though he should never be found of you; but yet seek him, search for him with all your hearts and resolve, that if you perish, it shall be seeking of Christ, and looking to him: And did you ever read or hear of any that were lost in this way?

To conclude. There are some in this assembly who are early seekers of Christ. Who can in some measure say with the Psalmist, Ps. xxvii. 8. "When thou saidst, seek ye my face, my heart said unto thee, thy face Lord will I seek." I shall shut up all with one word to you: Be very thankful to God for his directing, influencing and assisting you unto this. It is God that has wrought in you, "both to will and to do, of his own good pleasure:" Say then, as Ps. xvi. 7. "I will bless the Lord who hath given me counsel." 1 Tim. i. 12. "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me." And persevere seeking of Christ: If you have found him you will seek him still, and the more you seek him, the more you will find in and of him. Hosea vi. 2. "Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord." And you do not find so much of Christ, as your souls pant and thirst after, yet do not be discouraged, God will support you in seeking

if

of him : "If your souls follow hard after him, his right hand will uphold you," Ps. lxiii. 8. All your seeming distances from Christ shall work for your good, and what you come short of, as to finding him here on earth, shall be most abundantly recompensed and made up in heaven, where all the early seekers of Christ shall be with him, forever with him, which is best of all. AMEN.