6. To look for the recompense of reward ; 2 Coiv iv. 18, ' While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the lliings which are not seen ; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.' Faith sees the eternal glorious things that are to be enjoyed after this life. Certainly an object, though never so glorious, cannot be seen without eyes , if there be looking, there must be an eye wherewith to look and see. Faith is the eye of the soul, without which there can be no prospect of the other world. Therefore faith is said to be ' the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen,' Heb. xi. 1. If you would look at things invisible by reason of their nature, as God, or by reason of their distance, as the blessedness of the world to come, you must get faith. Nature is short- sighted. In things near at hand, reason is acute enough ; in things that are afar off, we are stark blind ; we see little of anything beyond this world to quicken us, to make that preparation that such eternal things deserve. Therefore the wisest part of this world is taken up with toys and trifles ; the sweetness of honours, and wealth, and pleasure is easily known. Few can see the worth of these unseen things, only those who can pierce above the clouds of this lower world, to the seat of the blessed. The light of faith will make you see heaven, and glory, and happiness, in the midst of deep pressures and afflictions.
7. To make us humble ourselves under God's mighty hand, owning sin as the cause of all our miseries. Two things compose the heart to quietness and submission to the will of God, to see the cause of afflic- tions, and the end of afflictions. The cause of afflictions is sin : Micah vii. 9, ' I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him;' Lev. xxvi. 41, 'If then their uncircumcised hearts be
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liumblcd, and they then accept of the punishment of then* iniquity.' When God is angry, it is our duty to stoop humbly under his afflicting hand. The end of afflictions is for our good : Heb. xii. 9, 10, ' We have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence ; shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live ? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure, but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.' We must be contented Avith God's methods, and submit to his discipline, let Mm take what way and course he pleaseth to do us good.
Thirdly, I now come to the third rank, the effects of faith, and there to speak of the influence of faith upon obedience, and the duties of holiness. Distinct beings have a distinct principle, by which their life is conducted and ordered ; a beast liveth by sense, a man by reason, and a christian by faith. By sense the beasts discern what is hurtful or useful, agreeing or disagreeing with their natures ; mere human affairs are guided by reason ; but all matters of Christianity, and of a spiritual nature, are directed and improved by faith. Therefore, as we have spoken hitherto of the influence of faith with respect to its objects, and opposites ; now of its effects, because the whole business of Christianity is conducted and quickened by it. Therefore I shall now treat of the influence of faith upon obedience, and show you — (1.) What obedience is required of a christian ; (2.) The necessity of faith as to this obed- ience ; (3.) What is the work of faith in order hereunto ; (4.) How we shall bring our hearts thusto live in yielding obedience to God.
I. What obedience is required of us ; it is needful to state that, that we may see it is no easy thing to walk with God. I think I need not go one step further back to prove that obedience is necessary, notwith- standing the grace of the gospel. In the kingdom of grace we are not our own masters, or at liberty to do what we will. Christ came, not only as a saviour, but as a lawgiver, and accordingly hath given us laws to try our obedience : Heb. v. 9, the apostle telleth us, ' He is become the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him.' Christ came not into the world to lessen God's sovereignty or man's duty, but to put us into a greater capacity to serve God ; and though love be the great gospel duty, Rom. xiii, 10, yet by love is not meant a fellow- like familiarity, but a cheerful subjection to the will of God : 1 John V. 3, ' This is love, that we keep his commandments, and his command- ments are not grievous.' Therefore I think I need not go so far back, but shall take the rise of my discourse from the next step. And sup- posing that obedience is required, I shall show you what obedience is required and expected from us ; and that I shall do by a short view of some few places of scripture. The first place I shall mention is, 1 Peter i. 15, ' But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.' No small thing is required of christians, but a conformity in some measure to the God whom they worship ; the impression or stamp must be according to the engraving of the seal. If we own God as the supreme being, w^orthy of all that respect and worship that we give him, we must study to be like him ; no other pattern is set before the eyes of the children of the Lord ; the holiest upon earth is not a sufficient copy for us to imitate. Now as God is holy, not only in regard of the purity of his essence, but also in regard