V"eR. 13.] SERMONS UPON MATTHEW XXV. 417
[2.] There is a watching in prayer, that the duty be performed with that seriousness, attention, and affection that the nature of it doth require. This watching is necessary because of the slipperiness of our hearts, which easily go off from the work in hand. We often mingle sulphur with our incense, interline our prayers with carnal distractions, suffer our hearts to be stolen away from under Christ's own arm ; therefore we had need to watch, Eccles. v. 1, 2.
[3.] There is a watching after prayer, partly that we may observe God's dealing with us, whether our souls have been straitened, or whether he hath given liberty, hidden his face, or showed himself gracious. Here we may gather some matter of comfort to ourselves and thanksgiving to God, Col. iv. 2. We must not throw away our prayers, as children shoot away their arrows, and never look after them : Hab. ii. 1, 'I will pray and look up,' to spy the blessing a-coming. We should have many an argument against atheism, great helps to faith, and encouragements to love God, and many a sure ground of comfort in ourselves, if we did look after the answer of our prayers. And partly that we lose not that affection which we have professed and expressed before God. We seemed to express a great desire of glorify- ing his name, and doing his will, and being sanctified, pardoned, and strengthened against temptations. Now it is but the personating and acting a part before God, if we be not such in some measure as we professed ourselves to be in prayer ; if we be not careful to glorify his name, zealous to promote his kingdom, ready to do his will, earnest for pardoning grace, watchful against temptations. A Christian's life is a comment upon his prayers, and his prayers do interpret his life ; we understand the one by the other. Our endeavours and diligent use of means do show what we really desire ; for what we pray to God for we bind ourselves to seek after.
Secondly, There is a watching with respect to our future estate, that we may be ready to meet Christ at his coming. Now this con- sisteth —
1. In a deep and lively sense of Christ's appearing, and the whole state of the world to come. We look for nothing but what we believe. Faith is a realising sight of things not yet in being ; and maketh them in some measure to work as if they were at hand and ready to be enjoyed. Now the more lively sense we have of the concernments of the other world, the more diligent and serious shall we be in our pre- paration ; when we have a deep sense of these things, as if presently to be arraigned, and walk as before the judge to whom we are to give an account of all our actions. Most men live as if there were no day of reckoning, no God to see and punish, no books to be opened : the careless spending their time showeth they have no deep sense of these things, no sound belief of them. But faith looketh upon these things as great, sure, and near, and so keepeth the soul awake and alive. It greateneth our apprehensions of these things ; for it is no slight matter for the creature to meet with his creator, the sinner with his judge, from whom he must now receive his final doom. Faith doth speak aloud to a sluggish soul, Thou must be judged : Horn. xiv. 12, 'So then every one of us must give an account of himself to God.' And as it is sure, so it is near : ' The judge is at the door,' James v. i). You must
vol. ix. 2d
418 SERMONS UPON MATTHEW XXV. [SER. X.
hear of what you now speak and do another day : Mat. xii. 36, ' For every idle word that a man shall speak, he shall give an account of at the day of judgment.' It suppresseth sin, and quickeneth and awakeneth to duty, 2 Peter iii. ]1, 12. Without faith we have no sensible, awakening, practical knowledge of these things. The sight of faith differeth from the sight of sense. Sense can discern little more than we see, taste, smell, hear, and feel. We are affected with these things ; so are the beasts, who only see things before their eyes by the eye of sense. We see nothing but what dogs may see and beasts may see ; that it is comfortable to eat well, and drink well, and sleep well, and be well clothed, and walk up and down at pleasure, and pursue the advantages of the animal life. There is a mist upon eternity ; how acute soever men be in worldly things, they are blind here : 2 Peter i. 9, ' He that lacketh these things is blind, and can- not see afar off ;' sharp-sighted in things that concern the back and belly, and this present world, but know nothing of the hazard of perishing for ever, or the worth of salvation, their need of Christ, and making serious preparation for their great account. Faith is a per- spective, by which we look into the other world. None have such a sharp sight as believers have ; for they can see beyond the limits of time, the corruption and changes of all things that are in the world, even to that blessedness which God hath reserved for them that love him. And the light of faith differeth from reason. That can only see things by guess, or see things in their causes, and that as probable ; but faith can look through the mists and clouds of intervening ages : Heb. xi. 13, ' Having seen them afar off, embraced them ;; and with certainty, and such a sure persuasion, as if the things we are persuaded of were in hand and actually enjoyed. Reason corrects sense. A star to the eye of sense looks no bigger than a spangle, but reason showeth it must be of a vast bigness, because of its distance from us. But faith is a higher light ; and compare it with the light of prophecy, Eev. xx. 12 ; they agree in the common object, divine revelation ; they agree in their common nature, that they are both for things future, and things future to us ; but they differ, that faith depends upon the common revelation which God hath made to all the saints, whereas prophecy hath more of ecstasy and rapture in it, and the light is like the lumen glorice, the beatifical vision in some measure and degree. We do not see him face to face, but are desirous of this blessed estate, and persuaded of it, and are affected with it as if we saw it. The sight of faith is not a full enjoyment, but as sure, and so proportion- ably affects the heart. Nay, this lumen jidei is somewhat like the sight God hath of things. God seeth all things in his own design, and faith seeth them so far as they are manifested in the promises of the gospel. There is no hope to get rid of our dead-heartedness and security till we have this realising light of faith.