Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v11

Chap. 37. E.vpv;Ftios upon theBookof J o a, Verf. 23. 615 . be found by every humble, faithful feeker of him. The Prophet (Ufa. 5 5. 6.) calls usto that duty offeeking with an aifurance of finding, Seekye the Lordwhilfl hemaybe found and focloth Da- vid ( Pfal. 3 2. 5.) For thin, that is, for pardonof fin, forgrace and mercy, or, for this, that is,. upon the experience which 1 l acre had of thy read inefs, O Lord, to pardon my fins, even as foon as I confefled and acknowledged them, for this (I fay)fed every one that is godly pray Onto thee, in a time when thanmayefl be found. God may be found to do us good, and thewus mercy,when we feek him tightly ; there is a finding time, or a time while God may be found. Some give no other limit to this while, or finding time, thanthe limit of this life; And to be lure if he be not found Dm edhttcín while we are in this Life, he can neither be fought nor found af- tscvir ejltso. ter this Life. Yet more flrid+ly, to feekhimwhile hemay befound Rib. Jonah. ( as one of the Rabbinsglolfeth that place ) is to leekhim before Dos imenirc the Decree comes forth, as the Prophet Zephany (peaks (Chap. J quo 2. z.) It is poffible we may feek God,and leek him too lare, and wmroreante then there's no finding of him; Only they (hall leek and find him, o fgnotade- who feek him in the finding time, and they who do fo (hall cet- cvera.Aben . tainly find, as was fail before, God ready to do them good, and Ezra* fhew themmercy. Ber how much foever, or how early foever we feek him, we cannot find him our,, that is, we cannot find out how good, how merciful God is, or the urmofi extent of his goodnefs and mercy, which Zophar in the place before cited, calleth a finding ofhim out toperfeflion. I may give you a five-fold Negative to thew wherein God cannot be found our. Firf+, We cannot find himout as to the infinicenels of his Ef- fence and Being,: that's beyond the line `off a created Under- Banding. Secondly,. We cannot find him our, as to the excellency of his Attributv,or the manner of his being ; who can tell howwile God is, how holy, how jut+, how powerful, how good ! We may eafily find his divine perfed+ions all the world over, we may find them in every leaf of the book of the Scripture, yea, in every leaf of the book of the Creature, but we cannot find them out any, where ro perfeecion. Thirdly, We cannot find out the depth of his Counlels. God' hash force ( Arcana.) fectets which he hathreferved inhis own power

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