(2.) For diligence and seriousness in a holy life. The nearer things are, the greater and the more they work upon us, and the further off
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the less. Those never thought of repentance that put far away tlie evil day, Amos vi. 3. A star at a distance, though of great magnitude, seems like a spark or spangle. We are sensible of things more, the nearer they are ; distance doth much alter our apprehensions of things ; we have not the same notions of eternity, living as we shall have when Ave come to die. Oh ! when time begins to draw to an end, and we are going into the other world, what would we give to live over our lives again ? Oh, how diligent, watchful, serious should we be if we had the sense of eternity upon our hearts ! Xow how shall we do to make things at a distance to be near to us ? Thus, faith is the perspective of the soul. As by a perspective glass we see things at a distance as if they were present and near at hand ; so faith apprehends things at a distance, and makes them work upon us. Certain expectation pro- duceth industrious prosecution : Phil. iii. 14, ' I press on to the mark,' saith Paul, 'for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus/ We make the world believe that heaven and hell are things spoken in jest, whilst we are so careless about them ; but when we apprehend them in good earnest, and have a true sense of them, then we fall a- working out our salvation with fear and trembhng ; we see that all the diligence and holy care we can use is little enough to carry away this great prize of the eternal enjoyment of God. By faith you look within the veil, and lift up the heart to the heavenly joys, and tliis keeps the heart watchful over the blessed hope. It is the description of a believer: Jude ver. 21, 'Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.' Now we have no other eye but faith, and faith stands you in stead, as it confirms you in the certainty of your hopes. Heaven is in the heart by faith, and therefore the heart is in heaven by spiritual meditation ; all their thoughts are about their country : Phil. iii. 20, ' For our conversation is in heaven ; ' and all the business of their lives is to approach nearer to their hopes. Paul was taken up into the third heaven. Faith giveth you a temperate and deliberate view, though not l)y such a rapid motion, yet by serious and solemn thoughts, and so keeps the soul in a heavenly frame and expectation. It puts your head above the clouds, and in the midst of the world to come. The apostle biddeth us to lay up in store for our- selves a good foundation against the time to come, ' that we may lay hold of eternal life,' 1 Tim. vi. 19. Now faith doth not only lay the first stone, but the whole heap is increased, the work of holiness is carried on by the help and assistance of faith, which keepeth heaven and eternal life in the view of the soul, and so encourageth heavenly motions and endeavours.
(3.) For contentation, that is a necessary part of the holy life. This contentation is two-fold; under the ditnculties and inconveniences of the present life, and under the want and distance of our future comfort.
(Is/.) Under the difficulties and inconveniences of the present life. Faith sweetens all the afflictions of this life by presenting the advan- tages of the future, and balanceth what we feel with what we do expect. The shortest life is long enough to be sensible of incon- veniences and many calamities. But though the way is rough, faith seeth heaven at the end of the journey, and so it conveyeth real sup-
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port and comfort into the soul and heart of a believer, A christian may live in the sweetness of tranquillity in the midst of all outward disturbances, because the presence of his hopes malces amends for all, and giveth him a happy dedolency that ho feels nothing ; whereas whenl'aith is weak we soon faint : Ps. cxix. 92, ' Unless thy law had been my delight, I had perished in my affliction/ There is such a sweetness in the word, that when faith takes hold of it, the sense of worldly misery is overwhelmed and quenched. Faith is like a cordial that keeps off the poison of afHiction from the vital spirits, and the poison of the encumbrances of the present life from the soul : Ps. xxvii. 13, ' I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of God in the land of the living,' that is, without the sense of eternal happiness I had been utterly lost. Heaven is properly the land of the living, and that he respecteth. To see God in the land of the living is as much as to enjoy God in heaven ; and so the Chaldee explaineth it, in the land of life eternal.