Sibbes - Houston-Packer Collection BX9339.S5 B6 1641

~: i ·Mar.7.7. An[ PI. · luaging of grace by the quantiry,anJ not b;)l the value. 1 Pet, I . leaDed but he ga'l'e,&c, that it may be as it was in former tirrae, in the dayes ofold. Thus much for that, I fought him, h11t I could not find him, ·I caUed hut he gave me no An['!J'er. Here wee mull: an[wer one objection before we leave the words. ·Thufiems to contradill other Scriptures, whichp,omife thatthofe thatftekc foal/ ftnd.lc is true, they that feeke ihall find, but not prefently. God5t times are th~ bell: and fictell: . They that feeke ihall find, if they feek con~antIy with their whole heart in all th~ meanes, Some doe not find, becau[e they feeke in one meanes and not in another; they feeke Chrifi in ' readina, and not in tke ordinance of hearing, in. private meditation,but not in the communion of · Sain:s;we mull: g?e throughall mear:es tofee~e I Chnfi, not one muft be left. Thus tf we wdJ 1 feeke him , ~ndoubtedly hee will make- good his promife ; nay in fome fort, he is found ' /Jcfore he is fought , · for he is in our foules to · fiirre up ddire of feeking him ; he prevents us with ddires, and anfwers us in fome fort before ·wepray,when he gives tts aSpirit of Prayer, it i; A pledge tom,that hemeanes t1an[wer tu. Thc;refore it is a fpiricuall deceit, when we thinke Chrift is not in us~ and we are negleCted of him, becaufe we have not all that we would have. Among many other deceits that Chrifiians deceiv; themfelves with in this kind, the[e be two. J. That they judge grace6y iheq.uantity, 11.nd not hy the v~tlueAndprice ofit, whereas the leafl: meafure of grace and comfort is to be efieemed, be-

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