SERMON UPON JOHN VIIL 66.
Your Father AhraJiam rejoiced to see my day ; and he sniv it, andj tvas glad. — John viii. 56.
The next instance and pattern of a strong faith we find in Abraham, We must consider his faith in two thins^s —
1. His clear sight of things to come, before the exhibition of Christ or his coming in the flesh.
2. His overlooking the difficulties which seemed to obstruct the accomplishment of the promise. A believer hath two great works to do — to open the eye of faith, and shut that of sense. In both Abra- ham was eminent. His opening the eye of faith is spoken of here, * He saw my day.' His shutting the eye of sense in Kom. iv. 13, ' And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb.' The former falleth under our consideration now, Your Father Abraham rejoiced to see my day ; and he saw it, and was glad.' The Jews were always cracking and boasting that they were children of Abraham. Christ disproveth their claim because they did not his works : John viii. 39, ' If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham ; ' and in particular, because they imitated not his faith with respect to Christ ; they despised what Abraham made great account of. Abraham rejoiced to see what you see, but they rejoiced not in him, and the privileges of the gospel offered by him. He desired to see me, though future and absent, and you despise me now present. He valued what you scorn, and therefore they were degenerate children of Abraham,
In the words observe three things — :
1. The earnest desire Abraham had to see Christ's day, ' Abraham rejoiced to see my day.'
2. His obtaining his desire in some sort, and in that way which pleased God, ' And he saw it.'
. 3. The effect of that sight : it bred joy and contentment in his mind, ■" And he was glad.'
Some explicatory questions shall be handled — [1.] What was Christ's day ? [2.J In what sense he earnestly desired to see it ? [3.] How he saw it ?
168 SERMON UPON JOHN VIII. 56.
[4.] The gladness which was the fruit of it.
[1.] What was Christ's day ? I answer — His coming in the flesh, and setting up the gospel dispensation. Day in scripture is put for all that space of time wherein any one hath lived, together with the state of things during that time. So Christ's day was the time when Christ came to fulfil his office of a redeemer, and the state of the gos- pel kingdom there begun.
[2.] How he earnestly desired to see it. His earnestness is employed in that word riyaXkidaaTo, ' He rejoiced to see my day.' With great pleasure of mind he thought of Christ's coming into the world to save sinners, and desired it might fall out in his time. He had no greater desire than to see Christ's kingdom set up and flourish in the world. He rejoiced, he vehemently and with ardent affection desired this might come to pass.
[3.] How he saw it ? Not with bodily eyes ; that negative is proved : Luke X, 24, 'Many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and liave not seen them ; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.' Abraham was one of these. But affirmatively he saw it with the eye of faith: Heb. xi. 13, 'AH these died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them.' There it is explained. The object to be seen was revealed and set before them in the promise, and their eye and visive power was faith. Thus God granted him his desire in a better way. God may suspend the satisfy- ing the desires of his people in their own way all their days, and yet i:i effect grant them in a way that is as good, and better for them. Moses would fain enter into the land of Canaan, but God would only give him a Pisgah-sight. The exhibition of Christ in the flesli was denied to Abraham and the patriarchs during their lives, but yet he gave that which was better than a simple bodily sight, a spiritual sight of him in the word of promise. We desire the restoration of the church speedily, but it may be it doth not suit with the harmony of God's providence ; therefore we must submit our will to the wisdom of his counsels.
[4.] He was glad, and heartily rejoiced at it : Gen. xvii. 17, ' Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed.' Not as Sarah laughed, as doubting of the event. Gen. xviii. 12, but wondering, rejoicing at it, being strong in faith that God could and would make good his promise. There is the laughing of exultation, and the laughing of derision, when one telleth an improbable thing. Sarah's was the laughter of derision and unbelief ; Abraham's was the laughing of exultation. The exhibi- tion of the Messiah, and the setting up his kingdom in the world, was matter of great joy and consolation to him.