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holy Spirit, who enlightens the minds of men in the knowledge of Chrift, who gives them a fpiritual difcerning of the glory of Chrift, and turns the hearts of finners. unto Chrift, and enables them to live to his glory.If then it be fo much the work and office of the holy Spirit to glorify Chrift, this fhould induce us to make this our work too. If we are led by the Spirit of God, we shall do fo.

2. The angels and faints in heaven do glorify Jefus Chrift. This is the conftant employment and bufinefs of the church triumphant, to glorify Jefus Chrift in heaven. They do all with one confent honour Jefus Chrift, and give glory to him. Rev. v. 13. And And every creature which is in heaven, heard I, faying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that fitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. Now, if thofe moft glorious and excellent creatures in heaven above, do fo glorify Jefus Chrift, this fhould be an argument with us to glorify Jefus Chritt here below. 'Tis heaven's work to glorify Chrift, and therefore moft worthy to be our work alfo.

3. Chrift is most worthy to be glorified by us. He is fo, confidered in himself, being an infinitely glorious perfon, poffeffed of all the excellencies of the Godhead. He is the great God, the mighty God, God over all, bleed for evermore; and therefore moft worthy to be glorified. He is alfo worthy to be glorified on the account of what he is to us. He is our Maker, and our Redeemer; and on both thefe accounts is most worthy to be glorified; especially, on the account of our redemption by him, I Cor, vi. 20. Ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God, in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. Rev. v. 9. Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the feals thereof for thou wast flain, and baft redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.

4. The glorifying Jefus Chrift, is an honouring God the Father. The honouring of the Son, is an honouring of the Father alfo. And unless we do honour the Son, with

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with the fame honour wherewith we honour the Father, we do not indeed honour the Father at all. So our Lord declares, Joh. v. 22, 23. The Father bath. committed all judgment to the Son that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father that fent him. Men may pretend, as the Jews here did, to honour God the Father, though they do not honour. Jefus Chrift, with equal honour as they do God the Father but fuch pretences are vain. If men do not honour Jefus Chrift with the fame faith, love, fear, worfhip and obedience, which are due to the Father, they do not truly and acceptably honour the Father, any more than a few, Turk, or Pagan.

5. Our glorifying Chrift will affuredly iffue in our own eternal glorification. If we honour Chrift, He will honour us. It we live to his glory, paying to him that homage and refpect which is his due, we fhall receive eternal glory from him. They that glorify him on earth, thall be glorified with him in heaven for ever. O then, let us live to the glory of Chrift: then will death be gain to us; for it will be followed with communion with Chrift, and conformity to him in never-ending bleffednefs and glory.

The Importance and the Seafon of feeking and finding God.

DISCOURSE VIII.

Seek

ISA I. LV. 6.

ye the Lord, while he may be found; call ye upon him, while he is near.

aN this verfe the Prophet, by way of exhortation, directs his fpeech to fuch as enjoyed the gofpel, and fo were favoured with the means of grace and falvation. Where obferve,

1. The duty enjoined; in two phrafes intimating the fame thing, Seek ye the Lard, Call upon him. What is intended by feeking God and calling upon him, shall prefently be fhewn.

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2. The feafon, wherein this duty is to be attended expreffed alfo in two phrafes importing the fame thing, While he may be found,While be is near. God is near to finners, by his effential prefence with them. 8. xvi!. 27, 28. He is not far from every one of us; for in bim we live, and move, and have our being. But this nearness of God to finners, is not that directly meant in the text. For thus God is always near to finners, and ever will

be fo, even in hell itself. Whereas, this nearness of God to finners, mentioned in the text, is only for a limited feafon. God's being near to finners means here, his being near to them by his gracious prefence, making to them the offers of mercy, grace and falvation. In this fenfe, God will not always be near.

3. The encouragement unto feafonable feeking and calling upon the Lord; He may be found. If finners do duly feek the Lord in the feafon of ir, they fhall find the Lord. A promise of that, is included in the text.The note from the words may be this.

DOCT. Sinners, under the gospel, fhould be concerned to feek the Lord, in the time wherein he may be found.

PROP. I. 'Tis the duty of finners, under the gospel, to feek the Lord. This is the common duty of finners; what they are all called to. Here two questions.

Quett. 1. What is implied in their feeking the Lord? Anfw. I. That they fhould fee themselves, in their natural eftate, to be without God. Man in in his first eftate of innocence, had an interest in God, and enjoyed communion with God. But by his apoftacy, he loft God, loft his image and favour, loft union to him, and fellowship with him. And hence all men, while they continue in this apoftate eftate, are deftitute of God. Eph. ii. 12. At that time, ye were without God in the world. This is one thing intimated in the call given to finners to feek God. No one feeks for that which he has already, but for that which he has not. Seeking is of that which is loft, and not in actual poffeffion. And agreeable hereunto, the feeking God has annexed to it the promife of finding God, which fuppofes the tofs of God. For that which may be found, was loft. Of this finners fhould be fenfible.

Anw. 2. That finners fhould fee their need of God. God is the only foul fatisfying and bleffed-making good. To enjoy him, is true happiness. Pfal. cxliv. 15. Happy

is that people whofe God is the Lord. On the other hand, to be feparated from God, and deprived of God, is the greatest unhappiness. Pfal. lxxiii. 27. They that are far from thee, fhall perish. Sinners then do ftand in abfolute need of God, in order to their being happy. This their need of God, and their being fenfible hereof, is implied in the command given to them, to feek "God. Men do not feek and fearch for needlefs things, which they think they can do as well without, as with. When God therefore requires finners to feek himself, he would have them to fee and confider their great need of him, in order to their well-being and bleffèdnefs. Thus the prodigal, far from God, faw himself in a perifbing state. Luk. xv. 17.

Anfw. 3. That finners fhould earnestly defire God. Seeking for a thing, carries in it a with to find it implies a defire of obtaining the thing fought for. Thus the fouls of finners fhould pant after God, fhould thirst for the living God, and long to find him. Their defires of obtaining God, his fpecial prefence, grace and favour, fhould be moft fervent and reftlefs. Nothing but God, can content and fatisfy the defires of men: and therefore their defires fhould earnestly go out after God. Thus the prodigal refolved to go to his Father. Luk. xv. 18.

Anfw. 4. That finners fhould pray to God. Their defires fhould be offered up unto God in the way of prayer to him. Seeking God, is fometimes put for all divine worship; but most frequently for praying to God. So in the text it is expreffed by calling upon the Lord. To feek God, is to invocate God by prayer. Pfal. xxxiv. 4. I fought the Lord, i. e. I prayed to the Lord; as the next words fhew, and be heard me. Hence a generation of praving fouls, are called the generation of them that feek God, that feck his face. Pfal. xxiv. 6. Sinners then should feek God by praying to him.---And in this prefent cafe, there are thefe following things, which in the way of prayer they should feek unto God for.

I. That