Doct. 3. That till we have sight, it is some advantage that we have faith. There is no other way to live spiritually and. in holy peace, joy, and the love of God, but by sight or faith, either by enjoyment or expectation. Therefore, sight being reserved for the other world, if we would live holily and comfortably, we must walk by faith ; for our life is not maintained so much by the things which we enjoy, as the things we look for from God. If a christian had no more to look for from God than he enjoyeth here, he were of all men most miserable — not only equal, but more miserable. God's children have fewer comforts, more afHictions, and their affections to heavenly things are stronger than others. Therefore that which we look for must be our solace.
What relief will faith yield us ?
1. Faith hath its sights, though not full and ravishing, as those which presence and immediate vision will yield to us. By the light of faith we see the good things which God hath promised and pro- vided for us. We see them in the promise, though not in the per- formance ; there is a spiritual sight which faith seeth by : John vi. 40, ' He that seeth the Son, and belie veth on him.' Faith is a sight of Christ, such a sight as aifecteth and engage th the heart, such a sight as maketh us to count all things but dung and dross. Thus ' Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and saw it, and was glad.' The Lord suspended the exhibition of Christ in the flesh till long after Abraham ; but he got that which was far better than a bodily sight, he got a spiritual sight of him by faith. Faith hath an eagle's eye, and can see a very far off, and can draw comfort not only from what is visible for the present, but yet to come for a long time. Through fill that distance of time could Abraham see Christ's day. This will in part satisfy us: Eph. i. 18, 'That the eyes of your mind being enlightened, ye may know what is the hope of his calling.' The eye of the soul or the mind is faith, without which we are blind, and cannot see afar off, 2 Peter i. 9. It seeth things past, present, and to come. Past : Gal. iii. 1, ' Before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you.' Christ was not crucified in Galatia, but in Jerusalem. It is not meant of a picture and crucifix, for in those early days they did not paint what they worshipped, but set forth to their faith. So plain and powerful is the apprehension of faith, as if he had acted his bloody passion before them, as if they had seen Christ crucified. So not only for present things, but in the other world. God : Heb. xi. 27, ' As seeing him that is invisible ; ' Christ at the right hand of God. Stephen saw it in vision and ecstasy. Acts
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vii. 51. But every believer seetli it by faith. Things to come, as the day of judgment : Rev. xx. 12, ' I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God.' A believer is certainly persuaded and suitably affected ; so Abraham saw Christ's day.
2. Faith goeth not upon fallible, but certain and sure grounds. Enjoyment is more comfortable, but faith is sure ; sight is better than faith, yet faith is our present strength, comfort, and support. It is our unhappiness that we walk not by sight, but it is some piece of happi- ness that we walk by faith ; so that a believer is comforted, but not satisfied. His faith is satisfied, though his love and desire be not. For faith goeth upon good security, the security of God's promise, who cannot lie ; nay, we have not only promises, but pledges which faith worketh. It is of faith, that it may be sure to all the seed. But the world thinketh nothing sure that is invisible. To carnal men, what they see not is as nothing ; that the promises are but like a night- dream of mountains of gold, that all the comforts thence deduced are but fanatical illusions. Nothing so ridiculous in the world's eye as trust and dependence upon unseen comforts: Ps. xxii. 7, 8, 'AH they that see me laugh me to scorn, saying, He trusted in the Lord that he would deliver him.' Ungodly wits make the life of faith a sport, and a matter of laughter. They are all for the present world ; present delights and present temptations have the greatest influence upon them. One little thing in hand is more than the greatest promise of better things to come : 2 Tim. iv. 10, ' Demas hath forsaken us, and embraced the present world.'
But are all things future and invisible to be questioned ? Surely we do not deal equally with God and man. Country people will obey a king whom they never saw. If a man promise, they reckon much of that ; they can tarry upon man's security, but count God's nothing worth. They can trade with a factor beyond seas, and trust all their estate in a man's hands whom they have never seen. And yet the word of the infallible God is of little regard and respect with them, even then when he is willing to give earnest.