122 ASERMO N on God.The My!lcry hid from all Age>,and no~ Jrom moll of the World,IS revealed unto thee ; and he hath d1reded us to thee m an efpectal providence. He huth not proclaimed this Pardon to all Pnfons, but to a few; and therefore thou being in thofe Prifons, to whtch thefe Proclamations of mercy are fent, hall: caufe to feek out for tt,. and much enwurag•ment alfo to do it. Eipecially, · Fifthly., Thts Gofpel offenng great falvauon, as annexed to this peace and re– conc!ltatton made wtth God; the Lepers thought only to fave their lives and fo did Benbadad, he was out ofhopes,haply, ol having his Kingdom again'· this added to that indifferent capab\enels of thy attaining it, and the probabilit~ an– nexed to that, iliould exceedmgly .qmcken the.e to feek out for it ; for in cafe of preferment, as when a great Office ts votd, aLtvmg or Fellowiliip, which wil\ cer~~ml~ be bellowed on fome; when aman OJall hear of f~ch a thing, and have a hmt ot tt from the party that bellows tt, and be told by lnm, that he is as fair for it as any other and as capable ; that there is no claufe in the (\atutc to exclude him, and iliut him out, and that. he hath as good means to make for it as any other, How would, and cloth thts ufe to qutcken men to ufe theirutmoll endea– vour, to lay out their Money and put in for it! When yet they know there are many fuitors, and that the place can be bellowed but upon one, Now this is the cafe in hand, the Gofpel offering great falvation; So grrat as he can no otberwife exprefs it, Heb. 2. 1~ But bow/ha/J wufcapezf we n<gle[f Jo great falvatio11! And this thou art as lo1r for, can(\ make as good means if thou come(\ to Jefus Chri(\ as any other. This the Apollle intimates, 1 Cor. 9· 24. fpeakmg of hts endeavour to be partaker of the Gofpel, and the falvation in it. Knqwye not, that they which rmt i11 a race, ru11 all, ·tbo b"t o11e receive tb; Price; yet all will venture, and therefore why not thou? Will not this praCtice of· men, in cafe of a corruptible Crown , as he calls it, tho there be an uncer– tainty in it, condemn our negleCt of feekin& an incorruptible Crown, as ver.2 <;. ~nd fiop our mouths for pleadmg, that tew can attam, and fome may mifs tt? Sixthly, Confider God's manner of revealing and making known this Reconciliation to be bad; (fuppofe but by a few,) yet it is indifferently to be propoun– ded to all, as expeCting that all iliould be fiirred up at the hear-fay ofit, with the hopes of it, and endeavours after it, Luke 10.). Chri(\ bad them fay to every Houfetheycameat, Ptaceb<totbu Houfo; and God looks that every one to whom this news iliould come, iliould look out for peace, as a thing belonging to him, Luke '9· 42. yea commands all to whom it comes to (\and for it, and to ufe all means to attain it, 1 ]oh11 3. 23. and Atls I7· 30. and will condemn Men if they negleCt to do fo, Heb. 2. l· and not only fo, but befeecheth you to be re– conciled, to come and feek it at his hands. And if one that had a great prefer– ment in his gift, iliould do fo, would it not mightily encourage you with hopes to attain it, tf be iliould fend to thee to fiand for it. But yet further, in the Seventh place; If this ·news which thou hall heard, of willingnefs in God to be reconciled, &c. thou either art affeCted and moved to come in, or not affeCted ; one of thefe mu(\ fall our. If not affeCted at all , to lillen after it, thou ha(\ no caufe to complain thou lhalt not obtain it; for can any complain, he cannot attain that which he bath no heart to, nor mind to attain ! But if thou beefi affeCted with it, and hall a heart defirous to obtain it; if thy heart be fet on work to feek out for it; if he bath enamoured thy heart with his Son·, and given thee an high elleem of Reconciliation with him; and given thee a relllefs Spirit after it, this is a llrong prefumption, more than a probability, that it is intended for thee, that thou art a Son of peace, Luke 1 o. 6. For if it be bid it is bid to them who are !of/, 2 Cor. 4· r. In the Eighth place, If thou wilt feek it, .and doll continue.to feek it, there i~ a certainty that thou ilialt obtatn Jt ; and lt IS a falfe connex10n, to fay, That there being few EleCted, therefore it may prove uncertain tho I feek it. · Now, that th~re is a certainty annexed to feeking, is plain, by what P aul fays, 1 Cor. g. 16. I therefore fo ru11, not M uncertai11ly; that is, I fo run,that I iliall be fure to fpeed. He bad faid in the 24(b. verfe. (as I. iliewed before. ) that us in the Ol'lmpim: games,many run yet but one recetves and wms the Crown,
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