(3.) It is contrary to the nature of faith — ' Hope that is seen is not hope ; for what a man seeth, why doth, he yet hope for ? ' Kom. viii. 24. Faith gives over work when we come to fruition ; the trial of it is in difiSiculties. Faith is faith indeed, when it can expect in the midst of
VeR. 1.] SEKMONS TTPON HEBREWS XL 363
dissatisfactions, and hath no relief from sense, nor help from outward things : John xx. 29, ' Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet believe/ That is true faith, when we can expect blessings upon God's warrant ; though we cannot discern the way, manner, nor means, yet we hold fast the conclusion, all will work for good. Instruments mis- carry ; but faith looketh not to instruments, but to the promise : Esther iv. 14, ' If thou altogether hold thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place." Her petitioning was the only visible likely way ; but if God would not use it, he was satisfied with his word. Nay, sometimes the word of God seems to be tried as well as we : Ps. xii. 6, ' The words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.' He speaks not only of the purity and excellency of the word, but of the stability and certainty of it ; when the promise is cast into the fire, and seems to lie a-buming, it is not consumed, but comes out with greater brightness and lustre. There are many, if God give them health, peace, plent}', and all manner of prosperity, then they believe him to be their God ; but if they see no external endences of his favour, they will not believe in him ; this is to live by sense, not by faith ; for faith is the evidence of things not seen, it can raise us above sight, and support us against sense.
(4.) It will weaken our hands in duty when we look to every pre- sent discouragement. Solomon saith, Eccles. xi. 4, ' He that observeth the winds shall not sow ; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.' He that is deterred from sowing his seed by every wind, and reaping his corn by every cloud, will never do his business ; so he that looketh to every discouragement can never act worthily for God, but is marred by every difficulty ; he is off and on, as outward things succeed or miscarry : James i. 8, 'A double-minded man is unstable in all his ■ways,' full of distractions and faintings, up and down with hopes and fears, as worldly things ebb and flow.
SERMON y.
And the evidence of things not seen. — Heb. xi. 1.
Use. 3. If faith be such an evidence of things not seen, then let us examine — have we this faith that can believe tilings not seen ? This is the nature of true faith. Hope built upon outward probability is but carnal hope ; but here is the faith and hope we live by, that which is carried out to things not seen with the bodily eye. ' Take these directions to discover it.
1. How doth it work as to Christ now he is out of sight? His visible presence is long since removed, and he is withdrawn within the veil and curtain of the heavens, there to perform his ministration before the Lord. Can yon love Christ, and enjoy Chri-st, and converse with him in heaven at the right hand of the Father, as if you did see him, and converse with him bodily in the davs of his fie.s'h ? It was the
364 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. V,
commendation of Uieir faith : 1 Peter i. 8, ' Whom having not seen, ye love ; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.' Though you never saw him, yet can you repair to him to solve your doubts and answer your scruples, depend upon the merit of his death, and embolden yourselves in your addresses to God U})on the account of" his satisfaction ? Though he died sixteen hundred years ago, yet can you conceive hope by his blood as if it were shed afresh, and running before your eyes ? for so should believers do : Eph. iii. 12, ' In whom we have boldness, and access with confidence, by the faith of him.' Alas ! to most christians Christ is but a name, a fancy, or an empty conceit, such as the heathens had of their topical gods, or we of tutelar saints, some for this country and some for that. Do you pray as seeing him at God's right hand in heaven pleading your cause, and negotiating with God for you ?
2. How doth it work as to his coming to judgment ? Is the awe of that day upon your hearts P and do you live as those that must give an account even for every idle word, when the great God of recom- ])enses shall descend from heaven Avith a shout? Rev. xx. 12, 'I saw the dead small and great stand before God,' Szc. Have you such a sight as St John had ? Indeed he saw it by vision, or by the light of prophecy ; but the light of faith diiiers but little from the light of ])r')phecy. They agree in many things, as in the common ground. Wliat is the ground of the light of prophecy ? the foundation of it is divine revelation, and the same ground hath faith. And they agree in tlie evidence. What is prophecy ? a certain foreknowledge of things to come; and what is faitli ? an evidence of things to come. Thus they agree. They differ in these things : the light of prophecy depends upon special grounds, which is extraordinary revelation ; but the light of faith hath but that common ground, the ordinary revela- tion God hath made of his mind in scrij)ture ; and they differ somewhat in the degree. Indeed there is more of ecstasy and rapture of mind that accompanietli the light of i)rophecy ; but in the light of faith there is some answerable affection, some impression left upon us. They differ something too in the duration and continuance with us ; the light of prophecy is but at times, when God will show such a sight or vision ; but the light of faith is a constant, steady view. Well then, what John saw once by the light of prophecy we see constantly, and are ))ersuaded of it as certainly as if tlie trumpet were now sound- ing ; as if the throne were set, and the books were already opened, and the trembling sinners were all summoned before the Lord, expecting rheir doom and sentence. Have you a sight of judgment to come? It is a thing unseen, but as faith gives you an evidence of it, doth it quicken your desii'es and your longings after this day? doth it awaken your diligence ? doth it make you awful and serious in the whole course of your conversation, both in your outward carriage and secret practices, as if all were seen ? for you have seen the day of the Lord.