Most men will bleed, sweat, vomit, purge, part with an estate, yea, with a limb, ay, limbs, yea, and many a better thing, viz., the honour of God and a good conscience, to preserve their natural lives ; as he I cries out, Give me any deformity, any torment, any misery, so you spare my life ; and yet how few, how very few, are to be found who make it their work, their business, to attain to a life of goodness, or to begin to be good betimes, or to be dead to the world and alive to God, rather than to be dead to God and alive to the world. This is for a lamenta- tion, and shall be for a lamentation, that natural life is so highly prized, and spiritual life so little regarded, &c.2
Reason 9. Because the -promise of finding God, of enjoying God, is made over to an early seeking of God.
Prov. viii. 17, ' I love them that love me, and they that seek me early shall find me ;' or, as the Hebrew hath it, they that ' seek me in the morning shall find me.' By the benefit of the morning light we come to find the things we seek. Shahhar [irw] signifies to seek inquisitively, to seek diligently, to seek timely in the morning. As the Israelites went early in the morning to seek for manna, Exod. xvi. 21, and as students rise early in the morning and sit close to it to get knowledge, so saith wisdom, they that ' seek me in the spring and morning of their youth, shall find me.'3
Now, to seek the Lord early is to seek the Lord firstly. God hath in himself all the good of angels, of men, and universal nature ; he hath all glories, all dignities, all riches, all treasures, all pleasures, all com- forts, all delights, all joys, all beatitudes. God is that one infinite
1 As it is a reproach to an old man to be in coats, so it is a disgrace to be an old babe, i. e. to be but a babe in grace wben old in years, Heb. v. 12-14. _
2 Maecenas in Seneca had rather live in many diseases than die. [Epist. CI.— G.J And Homer reporteth of his Achilles, that he had rather be a servant to a poor country clown here than to be a king to all the souls departed. [Odyssey, xi. 488.— G.]
3 Scipio went first to the capitol and then to the senate. Tully, an heathen, frequently called God Optimum maximum, the best and greatest. God is omnis super omnia.
186 APPLES OF GOLD. [1 KlNGS XIV. 13.
perfection in himself, which is eminently and virtually all perfections of the creatures, and therefore he is firstly to be sought. Abstracts do better express him than concretes and adjectives ; he is being, bonity, power, wisdom, justice, mercy, goodness, and love itself, and therefore worthy to be sought before all other things. Seek ye first the good things of the mind, saith philosophy, and doth not divinity say as much ?
Again, To seek early is to seek opportunely, to seek while the oppor- tunity does present : Judges ix. 33, ' Thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city,' that is, thou shall opportunely set upon the city.1
Such there have been who, by having a glass of water opportunely, have obtained a kingdom, as you may see in the story of Thaumastus and king Agrippa.
Ah ! young men and women, you do not know but that by an early, by an opportune, seeking of God, you may obtain a kingdom that shakes not, and glory that passeth not away, Heb. xil 28.
There is a season wherein God may be found : ' Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near/ Isa. lv. 6 ; and if you slip this season, you may seek him and miss him : ' Though they cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them ; ' When ye make many prayers, I will not hear ;' ' Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear ;' ' Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer ; they shall seek me early, but shall not find me.'2 This was Saul's misery : ' The Philistines are upon me, and God will not answer me,' 1 Sam. xxviii. 15. It is justice that they should seek and not find at at last, who might have found had they but sought seasonably and opportunely, &c.
Again, To seek early is to seek earnestly, affectionately : ' With my soul have I desired thee in the night ; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early/ Isa. xxvi. 9. The Hebrew word signifies both an earnest and an early seeking. In the morning the spirits are up, and men are earnest, lively, and affectionate.
Ah! such a seeking shall certainly be crowned with finding: 'My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, 0 Lord! in the morning will I direct [Heb. marshal] my prayer unto thee, and will look up' [Hebrew, look out like a watchman]. ' Let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice, let them ever shout for joy ; because thou defendest them ' [Hebrew, '. thou coverest over, or 'protectcst them']. 'Let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee : for thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him [Hebrew, ; crown him] as with a shield. 'J None have ever thus sought the Lord, but they have, or cer- tainly shall find him : ' Seek and ye shall find,' Mat. vii. 7 ; ' your hearts shall live that seek God,' Ps. lxix. 32 ; ' The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much/ Jas. v. 16, or, as the Greek hath it, ' The working prayer of a righteous man availeth much.'* That prayer that sets the whole man a- work will work wonders in heaven, in the heart, and in the earth. Earnest prayer, like Saul's sword and Jona- than's bow, never returns empty.
1 Days of grace have their dates ; therefore take heed of saying eras, eras, to-morrow, tomorrow. * Jer. xi. 11, Isa. i. 16, Micah iii. 4, Prov. i. 28.
s Ps. v. 3, xi. 12. nfittfl r\"\))X. * in^yovfiitt), it signilies such a working as notes the liveliest activity that can be.
1 Kings XIV. 13.] apples of gold. 187
One speaking of Luther, who was a man very earnest in prayer, said, Hie homo potuit apud Deum quod voluit, this man could have what he would of God, &c.