IGO SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. XXXIII.
God, I say, certainly he hath some notable worthy blessing to bestow upon us. There was price enough laid down, the blood of God ; God would not be at such expense for nothing. What will not that pur- chase for us ? In short, godliness must have a better recompense than is to be had here in the world. Take away rewards and take away religion, these things we enjoy here are but the offals of providence, enjoyed by God's enemies ; they have the greatest share of worldly things : Fs. xvii. 14, ' Whose belly thou fillest with thy good treasures.' The more wise any are, the more they contemn these things. And would God put a s])irit into a man to contemn his rewards ? Would he give us wisdom and grace that we might slight that which he hath appointed for our reward ? Therefore certainly this is not the reward.
Tlie afiiictions of men good and upright show that 'if we had our hopes only in this life, we were of all men most miserable," 1 Cor. xv. 19 ; for here many times the best go to the wall. And therefore out of all we may conclude that there is a reward for the children of God hereafter. Thus I have gone through the first thing that is implied in this proposition, that that is to be believed and embraced by us. If we would have life put into our services — if we would have zeal for God, and delight in communion with him, look upon God as one that takes notice of human afiliirs, that delights in acts of mercy, that hath by his promise established a sure course of recompenses, and that the lull of what is provided for us is in the world to come.
Secondly, There is something to be done on our part. God is a rewarder, but to whom ? — ' To them that diligently seek him,' and to none but them. Here — (1.) What it is diligently to seek God ? (2.) Why is this clause put here, that he is a rewarder of such ?
1. What it is to seek God ? Sometimes it is taken in a more par- ticular and limited sense for prayer and invocation, for seeking his counsel, help, and blessing ; as in Isa. Iv. G, ' Seek ye the Lord while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near.' Seeking the Lord and calling upon him are made parallel expressions. So Exod. xxxiii. 7, ' Every one that sought the Lord,' — that is, that went to ask his counsel, — ' went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation.' ' More largely, it is taken for the whole worship of God, and that duty and obedience we owe to him; as 2 Chron. xiv. 4, 'Asa commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment ; ' that is, to worship and obey him ; so in 2 Chron. xxxiv. 3, it is said of Josiah_ when yet young, that ' he began to seek after the Lord God of his father David.' Obedience is called a seek- ing of God, because it is a means to further our communion with him. But a little to open the formality of the expression.
[1.] Seeking implies some loss or some want, for that which we have we seek not for. Now God may be considered either as to his essence and omnipresence, or as to his favour. As to his essence, so God can never be lost nor found, for he is everywhere present, in heaven, in earth, in hell : Acts xvii. 27, ' He is not far from every one of us ; ' he is within us, without us, round about us, in the effects of his power and goodness. But with respect to his favour and grace, so we are said to seek after God : Ps. cv. 4, ' Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face evermore ; ' that is, his powerful and favourable presence,
VeR. 6.] SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. 161
comforting, quickening, and strengthening our hearts. This is that we want, and this is that we seek after.
[2.] Seeking implies that this must be our aim and scope, and the business of our lives and actions, to enjoy more of God till we come fully to enjoy him in heaven. The whole course of a christian must be a seeking after God, a getting more of God into his heart : Ps. Ixiii. 8, ' My soul follows hard after thee.' It is not a slight motion or a cold wish, such as will easily be put off or blunted with discouragement, or satisfied with other things ; but such as engages us to an earnest pursuit of him till we find him, and till we enjoy him in the complet- est way of fruition. Wicked men in a pang would have the favour of God, but they are soon put out of the humour, and take up with other things. Therefore this must be the scope of our whole lives, especially in the nobler actions of our lives. The noblest actions of our lives are our engaging in duties of worship in the ordinances of God ; now there we must not only serve God but seek him. What is it to seek God in ordinances ? In a word, it is this to make God not only the object, but the end of the worship ; not only to come to God, but to come to God for God, so as to resolve that we will not go from him without him, abs ie absque te non recedam. As Jacob said : Gen. xxxii. 26, ' I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.' And therefore seeking God notes our scope ; when we make this the great aim of our lives, especially in the duties of religion, in acts of worship, we desire to meet with him.