. . 3 Offieking Gods face. \ are like a deccitfull bowe ; th.lt is, when a man · . rurnes to the Lord, but not for h:mfelfe, he will re– turne againe, and ftarc afide like a broken bowe; for if he attaioe thofe ends for which he fought the Lord, his feeking isat an end. See this in Am~eziAh, 2 chron. l) . he went farre in obedience, but yet he did not {eeke the LDrdin it ; he wascontent to lofe an h1mdred talents, and to fend backe the l{raelites he had hired therewith (which was fuch a triall as even a good man might have failed in it) yet he did not feeke the Lordin this, he was per– fwaded, that if he had taken the lfraeliter along with him,he fhould have loft thebattell,which was his chiefeftend in that action; hebeleeved the Pro– phet fo farre, and fo fought his fafety alone, and bccaufe he fought not theLord, therefore he held not out i hut when he was put to other tryails, to new temptations, and fawanother wodhip, it plea– fed him, and he lefc the Lord j and .ftarteda fide like A brokenhowe: as a bowe that is rotten (though o– the{twife faire) when an arrow is drawne to ihe head ; and fo many .brought up in good families, when they come into new company, and tryalis, th-ey fall away, becaufe they fought not the Lord himfelfe. ·If you doe net [eelte theL~:rdfor himfelfe, you doe not love him, and then all your labour is loft: . for all the prornifes are made to thofe that love God, Cant. I. the two firfl: verfes, Becaife ofthe (4• . VONr ~~thy oyntments ; thy. name i! M OJ11tment eow– rtdf~rth, therefore doe the Virgins love thee, that is, rake thofeWhich doemuch for the Lo.rd, as much - as
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