3. ' I have seen.' Happy they that have such eyes ! But alas ! there is a great deal of difference between the sight of the senses and the sight of the understanding. When Ave see things with our eyes, there is a natural blindness or brutishness, or a veil upon our hearts, that wo mind them not. ]\Ien have eyes to see, but they have not a heart to see. So God complains, Jer. v. 21, ' They have eyesmnd see not, ears and hear not,' So Dent. xxix. 3, 4, ' The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, and the signs and those great miracles: yet the Lord hath not given you a heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear unto this day.' So Isa. vi. 9, 10, 'And he said, Go and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not, and see ye indeed, but perceive not: make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears.' Though things be never so plainly delivered, so power- fully pressed, so apparently verified ; and so they see and hear, and receive no more benefit than if they had never heard nor seen it, God withholding and withdrawing the efficacy of his Spirit, whereby it might be beneficial to them for good. So Isa, xlii. 20, ' Seeing things,
VeR. 96.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 457
but thou observest not ; opening the ears, but thou hearest not.' They see the wonderful works of God, but do not consider them as wise people ought to do : Isa. i. 3, ' The ox knoweth liis owner, and the ass his master's crib ; but Israel doth not know, my people doth not con- sider ; ' Ezek. xii. 2, ' Thou dwellest in the midst of a rebelhous house, which have eyes to see, and see not, they have ears to hear, and hear not ; ' that is, they make no use of them, but strive and endeavour to put it out of their minds. So John ix. 39-41, 'And Jesus said. For judgment I am come into this world, that they Avhich see not might see, and they that see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also ? Jesus said unto them. If ye were blind, 3'e should have no sin ; but now ye say we see, your sin remaineth.' There is a great deal of difference between the sight of believers and unbelievers ; the one sees with an understanding heart, the other without it. lu the one there is a free, read}', and sincere use of their disciplinable senses, that they may learn his word and walk in his ways, that they may profit in the knowledge of God, and so get understanding and spiritual prudence. The other are brutish, ignorant, or idle, negli- gent, and forgetful ; they shut their eyes, and their ears are uncircum- cised, and so they know not what they know. The causes of this are, first, non-attendancy or inadvertency, prejudicate opinions and rooted lusts, hinder their profiting. Look, as the sun, moon, and stars, thougli they move with a most swift and rapid motion, seem to a vulgar eye to stand still, or at least to move very slowly, so these sublunary things, though they are always passing, yet the inward thought of worldlings is that they shall endure for ever. Oh, labour then for this spiritual and heart-affecting sight ! If a man could behold this world in the light of a divine knowledge, he would find it to be but a vanishing shadow. Though the vanity of the creature be a plain truth, and taught by daily experience, and is easily and com- monly acknowledged, yet it is not easy to make this truth have a deep impression upon the hearts of men. They are naturally unwilling to admit thoughts of a change, Amos vi. 2, because they are unable to sanctify themselves and look after a better and spiritual estate. But let us not grieve the Spirit of God by our unteachableness in so plain a point. When we are told of the frailly and slipperiness of worldly comforts, we shake our heads and confess it to be true, but improve it not, at best conceive some weak and faint resolutions, but they soon vanish, and we are as worldly and carnal as ever we were ; and there- fore pray as David, Ps. xc. 12, 'So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.' You have seen the first part of the text — here is perfection, all perfection ; then all perfection hath an end ; and this is to be seen, it is liable to sense ; and it should be improved by grace. If all creature perfection hath an end: —
Use 1. Let it moderate our desires; for who would court a flying shadow, especially when these pursuits hinder us from looking after better and eternal things? Jonah ii. 8, ' They that seek lying vanities forsake their own mercies ; ' that is, they might have been their own, if they had chosen them. Witiiin a while the world will be but a stale jest, and the laughing fit is over, and then our sorrow cometh ;