Signeswhereby `° knowwh`' the fecondSonday in Lent. tSer.l2. ther we (eekeGodtruly. to take a puríè vpon thehighway ; theWantonwaitsnights and dayes at hismi- ftreffes window ; the reuengefullmanwill not (lumber nor fleepe : with the like care art thou to feeke after God. The otherGgne, Ifwhenthou feekeft God thou meeteft not with tell .8c qui- etneffe,it is afgne that thouhaft not yet found him. Asthe Needle refts in the N orth,fo our Soule}efts in God ; Fec f i nosDomine ad te,& inguietum eft cor no- flrum, donee veniamiesadte,We cannot haueour perfe t rest and quiet in this life ; but he that Bothenioy the fame, he hathit fromGod, it conies from him . But whenour heart istroubled,furfering continual) pertarbations,like the Needle in theCompa!Th,tilI itbe turned towards the North it is nogood figne, that wee haue foundGod as we fhould. The fecond reafonof thynot finding God, is, becaufe thou dooft not feeke himwhen he is to be found. Efay preaching before c ManaJs,faid, Seeke yee the Lordwhilehee maybeefound, callyee vpon himwhilehee is neere : but this peruerfe s s King as the Hebrewes report it, didcalumniate this his do&rine; alledging, That itwas agreat errorin him,to fay,that God could not at anytimebe found, being that cxofes had faid, What kationu therefagreat, thathath their Gods f nigh De is, 7. vntothem,as the Lordour God is inall things that we callupon himfir ? Butthe truth That as there is a time forall things, [omnia tempos habeas]fo is there a time likewifeto find God, and a time not to find him : the time that wee line heere vpon Earth , is noill time for to find him . For though inthe Ages ofman there is one timebetter than another, none is fo defperate andhopeleffebut that hemaybee found therein ; andofall thewhole life ofman it may bee verified, Oranitquiquærit,inuenit,Euerie oneftnds thatfekes. At thepoint ofdeath it is nogood time to feeke him ; not that hee that (hall then truly feekeafter him íhall notfind him ; but becaufe it is a hard matter at that verie inftant toperforme true repentance, aswee haueelfewhere declared. And therefore the Scripture fo oftencries out vntovs, That yet whileit is day we fhouldhearkenvntohim, left the night ofdeath fhould fuddenly ouertake vs. What faithEccl. Ante mortem confiteri,i.Confeyebeforethou die. S.e..fuffen ex- pounds this place ofconfefiionofour finnes.And becaufe no man fhouldhope to do it in thetimeofhis fickneffe,when paines &diuers other accidentsdiuert the Soule ; Feclef adderh,viuue&fame, &c. Confefe thyIdlewhileffthou arthealthie Conk(fion andfound, not when thou art balfedead;andthereinfhalt thoudoe two notable things : heno be Theone,Thoufhalt praife God. made. The other, Thoufhaltglorie inhis mercies. After death,is a defperate time ; forthen the doore is Phut toConfeffion, to Repentance, toInterceffons,and to pardon: LÁmortue,gaafinibilerÿt confefio ; Saint Augufine reads it, fuafi non fit ; the Greeke letter,Tanquamanonexente. Whenamans lifeends, there is an endofall remedies : And therefore Salomon Erde. 9. faid, That aliuing Dogwas better thanadead Lyon : And leremie, Giueglorie to ter. r,. the Lordyour God,beforehe car f darkeneffi,andbeforeyourfeetflumble vpon thedarke mountains ; andwhile yee looke forlight,yee turne it into the fhadowofdeath, and make it grofledarkeneffe. A third reafonwhywe doe not find God,is,becaufeweedoe notperfeuer in Peeking him : Andtherefore it isfaid, Tee(hallfeeke me,andfhallnotindme. SAu- ften fayes,That the lewes did feekeafter God threemanner ofwayes : One,By hoping after another Meflias. Another, By perfecuring himboth inhis life and inhis death : Forthat pier- cingofhis bodie with aSpeare, did plainely proue now that hewas dead,what hatred 203
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