tempt them to despair. If they have any thoughts of feeking God, he fuggefts to them, that now 'tis too late, the time is paft, it is in vain to seek God, for he will not now be found of them. Many times this temptation makes great impreffion upon the minds of delaying finners, they are ready to believe it, and accordingly neglect feeking God. They think they have fo long neglected God, and difregarded his calls, that 'tis now to no purpose to seek him and call upon bim. And fo they are ready to give up their cafe as defperate. But let no finner hearken and give way to fuch a temptation. Satan may be a liar in fuch infinuations. He knows there is no mercy with God for bimfelf; but he does not know that there is no mercy with God for you. Though therefore fatan has led you into a fnare, by perfwading you fo long to neglect the feeking God, yet let him not hold you in his foare by your giving way to defpairing thoughts. Say not, your hope is cut off. Though you have gone on a great while in the neglect of God, yet try and fee whether he will not be found of you. A meer perad venture, is an encouragement to feek God. A very great finner was advifed to feek God upon no greater encouragement than this. A. viii. 22. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. A very wicked people, that were threatned with speedy deftruction, yet took encouragement to feek for mercy, only from a poffibility of finding it, and they obtained mercy. Fonab iii. 8, 9, 10. Let every man and beast be covered with fackcloth, and cry mightily to God, yea, let thein turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell, if God will turn and repent, and turn away from bis fierce anger, that we perifo not? And God faw their works, that they turned from their evil ways; and God repented of the evil, that he faid that he would do unto them, and he did it not. Let none then conclude, that it is too late to repent and feek God; but let them make a trial, and they may

find the event better than their own fears and fatan's fuggeftions. If you fee the evil of your paft ways, and bewail them, and cry to God to turn you from them, and to have mercy on you for Chrift's fake, you have no caufe to defpair of finding mercy with God.-Fer. xxxi. 18, 19, 20. I have furely heard Ephraim bemoaning bimfelf thus, Thou haft chaftifed me, and I was chaftifed, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: Turn thou me, and I fhall be turned for thou art the Lord my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was inftructed, I fmote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. Is Ephraim my dear fon? is be a pleasant child? for fince I fpake against him, I do earnestly remember him ftill therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will furely have mercy on bim, faith the Lord.

Direct. 2. Seek God in the way of his own appointment. God will be fought, and found, only in his own way. Wait then on God in the way of his ordinances, both private and publick. Pray to him daily in fecret, and read his holy word, with deep meditation, defires of coming to the faving knowledge of God and Chrift: attend on family-worthip: attend on the publick inftitutions of God's houfe, joining in your hearts with the prayers that are made, and giving heed to what you hear preached; earnestly defiring, that God would meet you and blefs you in his houfe. Wait on the Lord, in the diligent ufe of the means of grace, looking to him for the bleffing upon them, for Chrift's fake, and confeffing your own unworthinefs and continue thus feeking his face. So you may hope to find God, and find favour in his fight, through Jefus Chrift.---And here, let me call on believers alfo to feek God in his ordinances, that fo they may ftill further find God, and enjoy more of his gracious prefence. Though you have fought God already, and found him, yet your fouls must still follow hard after God, till you come to the immediate and full enjoyment of him in heaven. Though David had already fweet experience of com

munion with God in his ordinances, he did not rest sat tisfied therewith; but defir'd, renewed and increased experiences thereof. Pfal. Ixiii. 1, 2. O God, thou art my God, early will I feek thee my foul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee,to fee thy power and thy glory, fo as I have feen thee in the fanctuary.

Thus do you come to the fupper of the Lord, (as invited to do the next Lord's day,) feeking Chrift there, and earnestly defiring to find Chrift there, in the way of his gracious manifeftations to you. Come with opened hearts, to receive and entertain Chrift; and he will come in to you, and fup with you, and you with bim.

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DISC.

Repentance towards God, its Nature and

Obligation, and the Encouragement to

it, from his Promifes of Mercy and Forgiveness.

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DISCOURSE IX.

ISA I. LV. j.

Let the Wicked forfake his Way, and the unrighteous Man his Thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have Mercy upon him; and to our God; for he will abundantly pardon.

N the foregoing verfe, finners were exhorted to feek God and his favour in the proper feafon of it. In this verfe, they are directed and encouraged unto the right way of feeking God. So that there are two things here to be obferved

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1. The duty directed unto; and that is, turning from fin unto God: Let the wicked for fake bis way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let bim return unto the Lord. We have here a defcription of repentance given to us, in the effential parts of it. The first branch, is a turning from fin in life and heart. Let the wicked Bb for jake

for fake bis way: this refpects his finful open practice, or way of living, which he is to forfake by vifible reformation. And let the unrighteous man forfake bis thoughts: This refpects his fecret indulging and acting fin in the thoughts of his heart, which he muft ceafe to do.

The other branch of repentance, is a returning to the Lord. 'Tis not enough merely to for fake fin, but there must also be a turning to God, and that both in heart and life. Of which things hereafter.

2. A moft gracious encouragement to the practice of this duty of repentance. God will have mercy on him, and will abundantly pardon. Though he be altogether unworthy, yet God will have mercy upon him. Mercy looks for no merit. And though his fins have been many and great, yet God will abundantly pardon, or multiply to pardon.

DOCT. I. Every wicked man muft forfake bis way of fin, as he would hope to find God. God is not to be found in any way exclufive of repentance, or turning from fin.-Two Propofitions here.

PROP. I. Sin is the wicked man's way. We fre quently read in the fcriptures of the way of finners, the way of the ungodly, the way of the wicked. (Pfal. i. 1, 6. and often elfewhere.) Now this way, is the way of fins a way that is not good, but evil. Two things may here be enquired into.

Queft. 1. What is meant by fin's being the wicked man's way?

Anfw. That it is his customary allowed practice, to fin. A man's way is that which he frequently and ufually walks in; which is, as it were, his trodden path. Thus, wicked men do cuftomarily addict themselves to fome fin, or other. The word here render'd wicked, fignifies one that is reflefs in finful courfes. The wicked are daily projecting or acting fin. "Tis in a manner their bufinefs and employment- Hence they are faid to live