3. Faith hath some enjoyment. All is not kept for the world to come. We are ' partakers of Christ,' Heb. iii. 14 ; partakers of tlie benefit, 1 Tim. vi. 2, that is, of salvation by Christ. A christian hath here by faith whatever he shall have hereafter by sight or full enjoy- ment. They believe it now, they receive it then; they have the beginnings now, the consummation then.
Doct. 4. Those that have faith are not satisfied and contented till they have sight. For therefore the apostle groaneth after and desireth a better estate. The reasons of this : —
1. The excellency of that better estate which is to come. It is expressed in the text by sight. Now what sight shall we have ? The sight of God and Christ. Of God : 1 Cor. xiii. 12, ' We shall see him face to face, and we shall know as we are known.' And for Christ : 1 John iii. 2, * We shall see him as he is ; ' and John xvii. 20 : ' That they may be where I am, and behold my glory.' What is this glory ? The excellency of his person, the union of the two natures in the person of Christ : John xiv. 20, ' At that day ye shall know that I am in the Father, and the Father in me.' The clarity of his human nature.
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They shall see the Lamb's face, and be eye-witnesses of the honour which the Father puts upon him as mediator. In what manner shall we behold it ? It is either ocular or mental. (1.) Ocular. Our senses have their happiness as well as our souls ; there is a glorified eye as well as a glorified mind — ' With these eyes shall I behold him,' Job xix. 26. We shall see that person that redeemed us, that nature wherein he suffered so much for us. God intendeth good to the body, and hath intrusted it with the soul, and that soul with so much grace, that he will not lose the outward cask and vessel. (2.) There is a mental vision or contemplation. The angels that are not bodily are said to ' behold the face of our heavenly Father,' Mat. xviii. 10. And when we are said to see God, it is not meant of the bodily eye ; a spirit cannot be seen with bodily eyes ; so he is invisible, Col. i. 15. And seeing face to face is opposed to knowing in part. The mind is the noblest faculty, and therefore must have its satisfaction. Well then, this is our happiness, to see God and Christ with eye and mind ; ocular vision maketh way for mental, mental for fruition, and fruition for love and joy, and that accompanied with all manner of felicity. Alas ! now we have dull and low conceptions of God, are little trans- formed by them, or weaned from fleshly and worldly lusts; could we see God in all his glory, nothing would be dreadful, nothing would be snaringly or enticingly amiable to us any more : 1 John ii. G, ' Who- soever sinneth hath not seen God, nor known him.' ^Ve can hardly get such a siglit of God now as to prevent heinous and wilful sins, but then shall see him, and grow more holy and God-like.
2. The taste which we have by faith draweth on the soul to look and long for a full enjoyment. They are sweet and ravishing as apprehended by faith, but what will they be when enjoyed by sight? Moses' first request was, Tell me thy name ; afterwards, Show me thy glory ; now we scarce know his name, but then we shall see his glory. A little Christ hath told us, who hath seen God, and is with God, and is God himself, Mat. xi. 27. This little doth not satisfy, but enkindle our thirst to know more, especially if this knowledge be joined with experience, 1 Peter ii. 3. ' If we have tasted that the Lord is gracious.' This sets the soul a-louging for a fuller draught, and we still follow on to know more of God, Hos. vi. 3.
Doct. 5. If we have faith, we may be sure that hereafter we shall have sight. For God will not disappoint the soul that looketh and longeth for what he hath promised ; and not only looketh and longeth, but laboureth, and suffereth all manner of inconveniency, and is willing to do anything and be anything that it may enjoy these blessed hopes. Would God court the creature into a vain hope, to his great loss and detriment ? More distinctly —
1. It is faith that maketh us mind sight, or regard the things of another world. When they were persuaded of things afar oft', they embraced them. There is a twofold life commonly spoken of in scripture as being in man : the animal life and the spiritual life. The animal life is the life of the soul void of grace, accommodating itself to the interests of the body : — Jude 19, ' Sensual, having not the Spirit,' — as to the power and pomp of the world, height of rank and place, riches, pleasures, honours, or such things as are grateful to sense.