Sol. The workl oilers and presents petty base things before us. Faith keeps off, and opposes the glory to come, preferring that before all ; as Moses did, who because he saw him who is invisible, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, esteeming the rebukes of Christ before all the treasures of Egypt ; because this glory presented better things unto him than this world hath, Heb. xi. 24, seq. And if, on the left hand, the world threaten troubles, afflictions, persecutions and the like, for well doing, and not running into sinful courses with others, then faith remem- bers, as it is Kom. viii. 18, that ' all the sufferings of this present world are not worthy to bo compared witli the glory which shall bo revealed in us.' We see then that the life of faith of that glory to come, helps us in all temptations to fight the good fight against all enemies whatsoever. He who hath a crown before him, it will make him run through the pikes or anything to attain it ; so faith, having glory, immortality, and the joys of heaven before it, overlooks and despises all oppositions, and sees all things sub- dued to Christ, as though all were past ; whereupon it gathers assurance that it shall triumph over all in him.
(11.) Eleventhly, So u-e j^erscverc unto the end,
Fighting and living this life of faith ; that is, a Christian makes it his daily and continual life. This is a ground of perseverance. A Christian then lives in a sort the life of Christ, as it is said, Rom. vi. 9, ' Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over him.' So such a one once living by faith, dies no more. There is a perpetual supply of spiritual strength imparted unto him from Christ the head, whereby he lives by faith in all the passages of this life. Eom. viii. 35, * What shall separate us from the love of God in Christ ?' Nothing can. It is a never-failing river, entertained unto death, that whosoever drinks thereof shall never thirst again ; for Christ's promise is, ' Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die,' for after faith ends, then comes the life of vision, so that all our life the life is the same, we continue so living even until death, and then faith leaves us to the fruition of the thing believed. But doth faith leave us when we come to die ? Oh no ! ^ (12.) Twelfthly, We die by faith aha.
For a Christian knows that he is in heaven already. As he lives by faith, so he dies in faith also. Faith makes him, like Stephen, resign his soul to God with comfort. He knows that Christ will receive that soul, which he hath purchased by his blood. He dies by faith, because he sees death conquered in Christ before him, and because he looks beyond death, and over-eyes all things that are betwixt him and glory, having the Spirit of Christ in him, which makes him bold and fearless, as David says, ' I will not fear though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, because thou art with me,' Ps. xxiii. 4. This blessed faith in the Son of God makes us do all things, suffer all things cheerfully and comfortably. Faith makes absent comforts present to us. It eyes such sweet contentment in God's presence, that all difficulties below seem as nothing. It knows whom it hath trusted, and what is laid up for it. A believer sees invisible things. Oh the glorious things that the faithful soul beholds ! He sees the angels ready to carry him from a house of clay to a heavenly paradise ; from the com- pany of sinful men here in misery, to the sweet society of saints in perfect
THE LIFE OF FAITH. 381
bliss, which he himself now enjoys the first-fruits and earnest of, and longs to be fully possessed with.
OI)j. But how can this be, when neither eye hath seen, nor ear heard what God hath prepared for his ?
Ans. Indeed, to carnal sense these things are undiscernible ; but to a renewed soul, the Spirit that God hath given them discovers the eminency thereof above all earthly contentments whatsoever. We see they are com- pared to a kingdom, to a feast, to a crown, familiar resemblances, that so the meanest capacity might conceive and be taken with them. What more desirous* than a kingdom for honour ! what glory is there in a rich diadem ! and what sweet refreshings are there in a feast ! Yet, alas ! these are all but shadows ; the reality is heaven itself. Talk not then of riches, but of thriving in grace, which will make you rich indeed. What good will the riches of the world do us at the last day ? They take them wings and fly away. If we have not the true riches, we may die in want for all these, as Dives did. Know this, that if there be anything good in earthly kingdoms, there is much more in this spiritual kingdom.
Again, the children of God know these heavenly things by their taste. They have the first-fruits of them even in this life ; and if the communion of saints here be so delectable, how much more will it be in heaven ! God's childi'en have a taste of that eternal Sabbath in heaven, by keeping a holy Sabbath to God here on earth ; they have a taste of that eternal rest and peace which they shall enjoy hereafter, by the peace of conscience which they have here ; and that heavenly joy which doth flow into the soul now, is but a taste of that eternal joy which we shall have our fill of one day.