Use. Our duty then is to labour to have our faith clear, to have this eye of faith, to have a strong faith, a strong sight.
QiLest. "When is the sight of faith strong ?
Arts. When it is as the faith of these patriarchs was.
There are three things that makes a strong sight, that makes us conceive that the sight of faith is a strong sight.
1. When the things are far off that we see, then if the eye see them, it is a strong sight. A weak eye cannot see afar off.
2. Secondly, When there are clouds between, though the things be near. Yet when there are clouds between, to break and pierce through them, there must be a strong sight.
3. Then, thirdly, ichen there is but a little light. WTien there are many obstacles in the midst, and to break through all by a little light to see things remote, here is a strong eye ; and this was the sight of these blessed men. They had a strong eye.
1. For the things they looked on vere reniote, afar off. Divers thou- sands of years, they saw Christ by faith. The soul mounted up on the wing of faith. It flew over many thousands of years in a moment, and saw Christ the Messiah, and saw heaven itself typified in Canaan.* So swift is the eye of faith, it mounts over all in a moment. As the eye of the body in a moment can look to the visible heavens, so a strong faith it sees Christ in heaven.
2. And then between them and that they looked to what difficulties were there ! Blessed Abraham, who was a type of Christ, how many difficulties had he, besides other of the patriarchs ! "We see God commanded him to slay his son, a command one would think against reason, against affection, against hope. It was faith against faith, as it were. It was against reason
* ' Saw,' misprinted twice ' see." — G.
420 FAITH TRIUMPHANT.
in the eyo of flosb. Now in this case to strive against all these difficulties, what a-many clouds must Abraham break through here, against sense and against affection. Ho must hope against hope ; he must have faith against faith, ho must deny affection, bo must go and take his only begotten son Isaac, and ho must bo the executioner and butcher himself, and slay him for a sacrifice. Hero must be a strong faith in the power of God, that must see God raising Isaac from the dead, as he did after a sort ; for when bo was bound for a sacrifice ready to be slain, ha caused a ram to be taken in tho thicket, and to bo offered, and Isaac escaped. It was a strong faith to break through all these. Indeed, blessed Abraham saw more excellency and power in the work of God than in his beloved Isaac. So faith that is strong, it sees more comfort, and joy, and matter of benefit and blessing to the soul in tho promises and in the word of God than in Isaac ; that is, than in the dearest thing in our own account that we have, that the faithful soul had rather part with all than with God. It will not part with hia promises for all that is in the earth, not for the dearest thing in this world ; Isaac shall go rather.
8. Then for their light to go by, it ims but little. What a little light had they ! Promises. They saw things in types and glasses, a few promises. And what was that they sought ? A heritage far off. We, on the contrary, have all set nearer hand that may help us ; but we have a weaker faith. One would think it should greatly help us to lead our lives till we come to heaven ; for that that we believe is nearer, heaven is nearer. How little a time is between us and the day of judgment ! How little a time between us and the glory that is to be revealed ! For the clouds that we have between they are none in comparing our light with theirs. How many promises have we discovered beforehand ! We have Christ come in the fiosh and risen again ; we have the Gentiles called, and all these things. We have light upon light. We have larger promises, and a larger unfold- ing of divine truths. The canon is enlarged, the Bible is enlarged more than it was then. There are many books added, and the New Testament. Now how doth it come to pass that we see not so well as they, nor so strongly as they ? I answer, the reason is this, — their light was less, but their sight was stronger. Wo have more light and less sight. We have things nearer, but our sight is weaker ; the more shame for us. A strong eye may see afar off by a little light, when a weak eye cannot see so far by a greater light. The eye of their soul, the eye of faith was stronger and more lightsome. The Spirit of God was stronger in Abraham, but his light of revelation was lesser, he had fewer promises ; for he desired to see Christ's day, and saw it not.