Beauty; because he views the tranfcendent, incomprehenfible Light, to which the Sun itself is Darkness. He fets the Lord always before him; becaufe He is at his right Hand, he fhall not be moved (1). When he awakes, he is ftill with God (m).' Therefore Enoch, Noah, and Abraham are faid to walk with God,' or before God. Like Mofes, the Believer fees him who is invifible' to the Eye of Sense, and therefore can for fake the Glory and Pleafures of the World, nor fear the Wrath' of the greatest earthly Sovereigns (n). The Believer lives on a Saviour whom he never faw. He trufts in Chrift, adheres to him, acknowledges his Benefits, loves him, and rejoices in him, as if he had feen him with his Eyes. Such Faith' is indeed more precious than Gold that perifheth,' by enabling us to love him whom we have not feen; in whom tho' now we fee him not, yet believing, we rejoice with Joy unfpeakable, and full of Glory (o).' As our dearest abfent Friend dwells in our Efteem and Affection, fo Chrift dwells in our Hearts by Faith (p).' O that miferable. Infidels had the Eyes, the Hearts, and the Experiences of the true Believer! Then, instead of faying, 'Except we fee' and feel, 'we will not believe they would cry out, "Our Lord, and our God (q)!' -A Believer judges not of Men by their outward Appearance. He fees by Faith the greatest Deformity in Sin; fo that for Men to delight in gratifying their Lufts and vile Affections, is as alarming to him, as their taking the moft deadly B 5 Poifon. (1) Pfalm xvi. 8. (p) Eph. iii. 17. (m) Pfalm cxxxix. 18. (0) 1 Pet. i. 7, 8. (q) John xx. 25, 28. Poifon. He pities the Ungodly, when they have no Pity for themfelves; and weeps over then when they defpife his Love and Pity, and bid him keep his Lamentations for himself. Whatever Po verty and Contempt may attend the Saints, he fees. the Beauty of Holiness in them. He neither judges of Sin or Holiness, as they now appear to a diftracted World; but as they will be found at the great Day. He loves Chrift in his poor defpifed Members, and the Saints that are in the Earth, are "the excellent in whom is all his Delight (r).' He had rather be one of their Communion in Rage, than fit with ungodly Princes. Thus in the Eyes of a true Believer, a vile Perfon is contemned, • but he honoureth them that fear the Lord (s).'He efeems and feeks a Happiness which he never faw, above all he has ever feen. In all his Prayers, Labours, and Sufferings, he feeks an unfeen Glory; even the Glory of God, a glorified Redeemer, the World of Angels, and of the Spirits of juft Men made perfect.' Contemning all vifible Wealth and Glory, he provides, lives, hopes, and waits, for this unfeen State of Bleffednefs. He believes what he shall fee, and therefore ftrives that he may fee it, and trades and travels for it, as the Men of the World do for worldly Things. He prepares all his Life for a Day that is yet to come. He lives as one that is hafting into the Prefence of his Judge. He contrives and difpofes of his worldly Affairs and Riches, as one that must give an Account of all, and remembers the Judge ftandeth before the Door (t).' He is more concerned, what Life, Words, (1) Psalm xvi. 3. (0) -xv, 4. (t) James v. 9. 6 19 Words, and Actions, what Ufe of his Eftate and Intereft, will be beft at Judgment; than what is moft pleafing to the Flesh, or moft honourable in the Efteem of Mortals. He is alfo anxious to prevent a Mifery which he never felt. He is awakened. by holy Fear to fly from the Wrath to come, and escape that Place of Torment' which he never faw; more than to avoid the Ruin of his Eftate or Reputation, or to fhun the Plague, Sword, or Famine, or even the most painful Death. In his Efteem, it is far greater Mifery to be undone for ever, than only for a Time; and to be caft off by, God, than by all the World; and to lie in Hell, than to fuffer any prefent Torment; and therefore nothing fo much dejects him as the Fears of God's Difpleafure. Noah being warned of God,' of the Flood, believed it, fo that he was moved with Fear; this Fear led him to obey God in the Ufe of Means, for he prepared an Ark to the faving of his House' from a Danger, of which there was not the leaft Appearance in Nature. Thus God warns the finful World of the Day of Judgment, and of the Fire that is unquenchable; and true Believers take his Warning, and believing what they cannot fee, they are moved with Fear to fly to Chrift, in Order to escape the threatned Ruin. Thus they become Heirs of the Righteousness which is by Faith, and condemn the' careless unbelieving World,' who take not the Warning, nor use the Remedy (u). $7. What an ineffectual Dream is the Faith of the Ungodly? It is as eafy as it is common, to B 6 (u) Heb. xi. 7. profefs profefs a Belief in God, and Chrift, in Heaven, and Hell. To dream of fighting, wins no Victory; or of eating, gives no Strength; or of running, gets no Ground; or of plowing, fowing, and reaping, procures no Harvest. If your Belief of Heaven and Hell is more than a Dream, why don't you make it appear by the Diligence of your Lives, the Fervour of your Duties, and the Serioufnefs of your Endeavours? As you love your Souls, take not an Image of Faith for the Thing itfelf. Faith fets on Work the Powers of the Soul, for obtaining that Joy, and efcaping that Mifery, which you believe. But the Image of it neither warms, nor works, conquers no Difficulties, nor excites to faithful Duty: It is blind, and fees not God, and how then fhould he be feared or loved? It fees not Hell, and therefore the fenfelefs Soul goes on fearlefs and merry to unquenchable Fire. This Image annihilates the most potent Objects, as to any due Impreffion on the Soul. God is as no God, and Heaven as no Heaven, to such imaginary Believers. An Image has no Reverence for the Prefence of a Prince, nor finds Pleafure in Mufic or Feafting, nor fears Fire and Sword. Such is the Infenfibility of the Faith of ungodly Men. 8. True Faith is a rare and precious Jewel. But nominal Chriftians will fay, Are we not all Believers? Will you make Infidels of all that are not Saints? 'Tis true you are not Infidels by Profeffion. Without difputing about the Name, if you are Ungodly, Unjuft, Uncharitable, will the Name of Believers fave you? What doth it profit, my Brethren, tho a Man fay he hath Faith, and have ⚫ not Works? can Faith fave him? Faith, if it hath • not not Works, is dead being alone. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doeft well: The Devils alfo believe and tremble (w). If you glory in fuch a Belief, it is not denied you. Had you that Faith which is inftead of Sight, you would be more folicitous for Things unfeen, than for this World's vifible Trifles. § 9. But, alas, moft true Believers are weak in Faith How dead are our Affections! How formal our Duties! How flow our Endeavours! How unprofitable our Lives, to what one Hour's Sight of Heaven and Hell would make them! What would it be to join in Prayer, Praife, and pious Converse with a Perfon that had feen the Lord, and borne a Part in Angelical Praifes! Were our Congregations compofed of fuch Perfons, what Worship would they perform! Was Heaven open to the View of all this Congregation, while I am fpeaking to you, cr when we are speaking in Prayer and Praife to God, what Apprehenfions, Affections, and Refolutions would it raife! What a Pofture would it caft us all into! But we profefs to believe thefe Things to be as real, as if they were open to our Sight. Why then are we fo little affected with them, and influenced by them? Why do they not command our Souls, and excite every Faculty to the most vigorous and lively Exercife? Let this great Imperfection of our Faith deeply humble us. For tho' Faith's Manner of Apprehenfion be lefs affecting than that of Sight, yet it fhould bring us nearer than it does, to the fame Affections and Refolutions, as Sight ittelf would produce. § 10. Moit reasonable however is that holy Serioufnels by which Pelievers fo much excel the Ungodly. (w) James ii. 14, 17, 19. |