[5.] The pretended strength of our faith about the future recom- penses doth in some measure show the weakness of it, and that it is but a slight and overly apprehension. I demonstrate it thus : most men will pretend to be able to trust God for their heavenly inheritance, and yet cannot trust God for their daily maintenance ; they find it difficult to believe in temporals, and yet very easy in spirituals or eternals. What should be the reason of this ? Heaven and things to come are greater mercies, and the way of bringing them about is more difficult, and they are not so commonly dispensed by God as temporals are. There lie more natural prejudices against them, wlien men are serious. What ! can you easily believe that you shall live though you die ? John xi. 26 ; that your scattered dust shall be re-collected, and raised up into a beautiful and glorious body ? that a clod of earth shall shine as the stars ? What ! more easily believe this than that God will give you daily bread ? The whole earth is full of his goodness, and God ieedeth all his creatures, openeth his hand and supplieth the desire of every living thing ; not a worm but is sustained by his providence ; he pardoneth but a few, saveth but a few, blesseth but a few with spiritual and eternal blessings ; and in dispensing them God requireth qualifi- cations. But here is the mistake, bodily wants are more pressing, and faith about them is put to a present exercise ; usually men are careless of their souls, and content themselves with some general desires of ease and hopes of eternal welfare, and therefore is it they say they find no difficulty in believing salvation and eternal life. Eternal life is sought in jest, and talked of as a plausible fancy, but worldly things are desired in good earnest. It fareth with them as with Martha :
446 SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. [SeR. III.
John xi. 24, ' I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.' Compare ver. 39, ' Lord, by this time he stinketh, for he hath been dead four days.' It is not strange things that are afar off, and about which they have no present exercise, when yet their faith is weak in the matter of the present trial, thougli less difficult than that whicli they profess to believe. Martha can profess to believe the resurrection of all men, yet staggereth at his being raised presently. But it is but a pretence, the strength of our faith about eternity is not seen in health so much as in sickness, and in a sickness unto death.
[6.] Because we will venture so little upon our everlasting hopes. Where men have a great expectation, there they will make great adventures, because they know it will turn to a good account. God hath made us many great and precious promises ; he hath told us, ' Give alms, and ye shall have treasure in heaven,' Luke xii. 33 ; leave anything for his sake, ' and you shall have an hundredfold in this world, with persecutions, and in the world to come eternal life,' Mark X. 30 ;' again, Kom. viii. 13, 'Mortify the deeds of the body, and you shall live.' Now when we will not venture anything upon God's bond, it is a sign we do not count him a good paymaster : not an interest, not a lust: you make him a liar in all his promi.ses.
2. How faith worketh as to the other world. It giveth us a sight ; it giveth us a taste.
[1.] A sight ; for it is described to be, Heb. xi. 1, ' The substance of things hoped for, tlie evidence of things not seen ;' it realiseth our hopes, and showeth us the other world as in a glass. As the devil showed Christ the glory of the world as in a map and representation, so doth faith represent the glory of the world to come as in a map ; it ^veth us a kind of Pisgah sight or view of the promised land. Other men have but a general guess and tradition about heaven, talk at the same rate other christians do, but have not a lively affective sight of it ; a believer hath a sight of it ; others an empty notion, he a real pro- spect. Many hang between believing and unbelieving, neither assent to the truth of the promise, nor directly deny it. On ! could we by faith lift up the eye of the soul to view those everlasting mansion.s, by faith see heaven in the promise, we should be other manner of christians than we are ; but most never thought seriously of it, to make their assent more firm and strong. Keep the eye of faith clear, the world is a blinding thing, 2 Cor. iv. 4.
[2.] Faith giveth not only a sight, but a taste. It is a delightful confidence, a strong assent, and therefore they are said to ' taste the powers of the world to come,' Heb. vi. Faith is an anticipation of our blessedness, or a preoccupation of our everlasting estate. It is such a sight as ravisheth the heart and filleth it with joy : John viii. 56, and Heb. xi. 13, ' Tliese all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them' (hugged the promises) ; and 1 Peter i. 8, ' In whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing (that is, believing for eternal life) ye rejoice, with joy unspeakable, and full of glory.' To others the promises are as dry chips and withered flowers : Luke vi. 23, ' Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy, for behold your reward is great in heaven.'