3. The eye being clear, you must ever be looking up out of the world of temptations into the world of comforts and supports, from
270 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. CXXXV.
eartli to heaven : Heb. xi. 27, ' As seeing him that is invisible ; ' and the nothing things of the worki, by omnifying and magnifying God. There are the great objects wliich darken the glory of the world, and all created things. And there we see more for us than can be against us, 2 Kings vi. 15. Pharaoh, a king of mighty power, was contemp- tible in Moses' eyes, because he saw a higher and a more glorious king ; so glorious, that all the power and princes of the world are nothing to him.
4. The less sensible evidence there is of the object of faith, the greater and stronger is the iaith, if we believe it upon God's word : John XX. 29, ' Because thou hast seen, thou hast believed ; blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.' It extenuateth our faith, when the object must be visible to sense, or it worketh not on us. Faith hath more of the nature of faith when it is satisfied with God's word, whatever sense and reason say to the contrary : 1 Peter i. 8, * Whom, having not seen, )^e love ; in whom, though now you see him not, you rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory. Whatever faith closeth with upon sure grounds, it is spiritually present to the soul, though few sensible helps. The less we see in the world, the more must we believe. To see things to come as present, and to see things that otherwise cannot be seen, cometh near to God's vision of all things. God saw all things before they were, all things that may be, shall be, visione simjjlicis intellig entice : Prov. viii. 31, ' Rejoicing in the habitable parts of the earth.' So doth faith eye all things in the all-sufficiency and promise of God, long before they come to pass, and affects the believer with them, John viii. 52.
Thirdly, From the weakness and imbecillity confessed, ' Mine eyes fail.' The doctrine is —
Doct. That sometimes God's people wait so long, that their eyes even fail in waiting ; that is, their faith, hope, and patience is almost spent, and they are ready to give over looking.
For the phrase intimateth two things — a trial on God's part, and a weakness on ours. First, a trial by reason of God's dispensations. Two things make our waiting tedious — the sharpness of afHiclions, and the length of them, long delays of help and great trouble, in the mean time. First, the depth of the calamity, or the sharpness of the trial may occasion this failing : Ps. xxxviii. 10, ' My heart panteth, my strength faileth me, for the light of mine eyes is also gone.' Secondly, the length of troubles, or the protraction of deliverance. As the bodily eye is tired with long looking, so doth the soul begin to be weary, when this expectation is drawn out at length : Ps. cxix. 82, 'Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying. When wilt thou comfort me?' The delay is tedious.
As to the matter of this failing, there are three things : — [1.] That the sufferings of God's children may be sometimes long, God ordereth it so, that faith, hope, and patience may have its perfect work, Heb. vi. 12. There is an intervening time between the promise and the accomplishment. Intervening difficulties, James i. 3, 4 ; Eom. viii. 24, ' Hope that is seen is not hope;' it is but natural pro- bability, natural courage. Those that have received a great measure of faith have a great measure of trials ; their troubles are greater that
VeR. 123.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 271
their graces may be the more exercised, that many stubborn humours may be broken, Jer. iv. 3. God useth to suffer his enemies to break up the fallow ground of his people: Ps. cxxix. 2, ' The plowers plough U])on my back, they make long their furrows.' We have proud and stiff hearts, therefore the plough of persecution goeth deep, that the seed of the word may thrive the moi'c ; till they have done their work, God doth not cut asunder the cords. The Lord of the soil expects a richer crop. The power of the Spirit is more seen: Col. i. 10, 11, 'Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness.' Kot only patience, but long-suffering, which is patience extended under continued troubles. Men may fret ; it is not unwilling, extorted by force ; but they are cheerful under the cross. The length of sufferings ; some can endure a sharp l)runt, but tire under a long affliction. Some go drooping and heavily under it ; therefore joyfulness. For these and many other reasons doth God permit oui- sufferings to be long.
[2.] Why faith, hope, and patience are apt to fail
(1.) Because these gi'aces are weak in the best, and may fail under long and sharp trials : Ps. cxxv. 3, ' For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous, lest the righteous put forth their hands to iniquity.' The strongest believer may faint in trouble, there- fore God will not try them above their strength ; but as he sometimes giveth more grace, so sometimes he abateth the temptations. Grace is not so perfect in any as to be above all weakening by assaults. Who would have thought that a meek Moses could be angry ? Ps. cvi. 33. There are relics of sin unmortified, such as may be awakened in the best. Who would have thought that David should fall into unclean- ness, an old experienced man, who had many wives of his own, when Joseph, a young man, a captive, resisted an offered occasion ? But especially do these graces fail in their operation when the temptation is more spiritual ; for these are mystical graces, to which nature giveth no help, when things dear to us in the flesh and in the Lord are made the matter of the temptation, and set an edge upon it, &c. Sins that disturb the order of the present world are not so rife with the saints as sins that concern our commerce with God.