who does not need to seek his favour, and to implore mercy at his hands. The king upon the throne is not so elevated, but that he needs to turn to God in this way : nor is the meanest subject in his realm so insignificant, as that this can be dispensed with at his hands.]
2. Of prime and indispensable importance —
[There are many duties binding upon all, and all im- portant in their place: but this is " the one thing needful;" the one thing, without which no man can have peace with God, or peace in his own conscience, or any hope of happi- ness in the eternal world.]
But in this passage we see also,
II. The manner in which it should be performed —
We must all seek the Lord,
1. With deep humiliation of soul —
[The Jews will look on Him whom they have pierced, and mourn, and be in bitterness, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born. But if they were the agents in the crucifixion of our Lord, our sins were the procuring cause ; yea, and we have even " crucified the Son of God afresh," by continuing in our sins. And who amongst us has not also " done despite unto the Spirit of grace," " resisting" his sacred motions, till we have even " quenched" them in our souls? It is not, surely, necessary that we should have committed flagrant acts of immorality, in order to call for humiliation before God : the whole state of our souls, from the first moment of our exist- ence to the present hour, shews how totally we have fallen from God, and what contrition becomes us in our return to him. The man that thinks a less measure of shame and sor- row becomes him, because he has not been guilty of any atrocious crime, has yet to learn the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and the desert of every child of man before God. Me- thinks it is scarcely necessary to remind you, that you must " sow in tears, if you would reap in joy ; and that they only who go on their way weeping, bearing precious seed, can ever hope to come again with rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with themc."]
2. With diligent inquiries after the way of life —
[The Jews, dispersed throughout the world, will have to make many inquiries, when once they have set out towards the promised land. And we also, at this time, need to " ask the way towards Zion," even after " our faces are directed
c Ps. cxxvi. 5, 6. VOL. IX. x