(8.) To believe a change of the greatest flourish and outward pros- perity. When men have such a high mountain as seems to stand strong, who would think that it can ever be removed ? Wickedness regnant and triumphant is ruinous and tottering in the eye of faith : Micah iv. 11, 12, 'Many nations are gathered together against Zion. that say, let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion ; yet they know not the thoughts of the Lord, nor understand his counsel.' In private cases, to look upon unjust gain that comes in plentifully upon us as a certain loss, and to see God's curse upon great and ill-gotten revenues ; to determine, that ' better is a little with righteousness, than great revenues without right,' Prov. xvi. 8. How better ? If we con- sult with sense, there is no such thing ; but faith assures us. Would men make haste to be rich if they had this rich faith ? it would tell them. This is the way to bring ruin upon themselves and their posterity : to see ruin in the midst of abundance, and loss in the midst of gain ; that righteousness is the only way of gain, and scattering the ready
360 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. IY,
■way to increase, is the work of faith : Prov. xi. 24, ' There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth ; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, and it tendeth to poverty.' Tlius you see tliis faith runs through all rehgion, and liatli an influence upon every practical thing almost.
Use 1. Information. I shall draw from hence four practical corollaries.
If the object of faith be things unseen, then,
1. Christians slionld not murmur if God keep them low and bare^ and they have nothing they can see to live upon. As long as they do their duty, they are in the hands of God's providence. If God exer- cise them with troubles, humble them with wants, and delay their hopes, they have a faith which should be instead of vision and enjoy- ment ; and when they want all things, they should be as ' possessing all things,' 2 Cor. vi. 10. They have an all-sufficient God to trust to, a God that bears the purse for them. If you are reduced to hard short allowance, live u{)on the promise — a believer has all things in the promise, though nothing in possession. This is the happiness of heaven, that God is all in all without the intervention of means. This life of faith is heaven antedated and begun, to see all in God in the midst of greatest wants.
2. In the greatest extremity that can befall us there is work for faith, but no place for discouragement ; your faith is never tried till then. The church could bi'ing one contrary out of another : Micah vii. 9- ' Though I fall, I shall arise ; ' and, saith Jonah, chap. ii. 7, ' When my soul fainted in me, then I remembered God.' In a spiritual death, when our comforts are spent, and all fail, then is a time for faith. Faith can traffic with Clnist in the dark, and take his word for that of which we have no ajDpearance at all. As Rom. iv. 18, ' Abraham believed in hope against hope ; ' that is, in hope according to promise, though against hope contrary to the course of nature, when all natural arguments, appearances, aud grounds of hope are cut off.
3. That a cliristian is not to be valued by his enjoyments, but by his hopes, ' He hath meat and drink which the world knows not of,' John iv. 32, and can go to the rock when creatures have spent their allowance. To ai)]iearance his life is worse than other men ; ay, but his better life is hidden with God, he hath invisible things to live upon, his main portion lietli in things not seen. The whole christian life is nothing else but a spiritual riddle full of mysteries and wonders ; he can see things not seen, fulness in want, special love in common mercies, grace in a piece of bread. A wicked man's enjoyments are sweet to sense, ay, but they are salted with a curse : but now in the deepest expressions of hatred, a child of God by faith can see God's love.
4. Christ may be out of sight, yet you not out of mind. He consults not with sense, for that makes lies of God — ' I said in my haste, I am cut off from befoi^e thine eyes ; nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.' If God will not look to me, I will look to him. The dam leaves her nest, but she leaves her heart behind, and she will return. The sun at midnight seemeth low, but it will rise again : Ps. xcvii. 11, ' Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.'
Use 2. Pieproof to those that are all for sense and for present appear- ance.
1. Such as do not believe without present feeling.
YeR. 1.] SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. 361
2. Such as cannot wait upon God without present satisfaction.