Secondly, I come to the object, 'Things not seen.' Faith is an evidence, but what kind of evidence? of things that cannot be otherwise seen, which doth not disparage the evidence, but declare the excellency of faith. 'Not seen,' that is, not liable to the judgment of sense and reason.
What are those 'things not seen'? Things may either be invisible in regard of their nature, or of their distance and absence from us. Some things are invisible in their own nature - as God, angels, and spirits; and all the way and work of the Holy Ghost in and about the spiritual life. Other things are invisible in regard of their distance and absence; and so things past and to come are invisible; we cannot see them with our bodily eyes, but they are discovered to us by faith. In short, these 'things not seen,' are either matters of constant practical experience, which are not liable to outward sense, or principles of knowledge, which are not suitable to natural reason.
1. Matters of practical experience. The blessings of religion as the enduring substance, Heb. x. 34, the benefit of affliction, the rewards and supplies of the spiritual life, answers of prayer, they are things not seen in regard of the bodily eye and carnal feeling; but faith expects them with as much assurance as if they were corporeally present, and could be felt and handled, and is assuredly persuaded of them, as if they were before our eyes.
2. Principles of knowledge. There are many mysteries in religion above reason; until nature put on the spectacles of faith, it cannot see them; as the incarnation of Christ, the doctrine of the trinity, natural parts cannot discern the truth or worth of them; they find no sap, or savour in the truths of the gospel. They are unseen to reason, but faith makes them clear to the soul.
Doct. That the evidence of faith is conversant about things unseen by sense or natural reason.
The point admits of much speculative debate, but I shall handle it only in a practical way.
That faith is conversant about things unseen I shall prove by three reasons taken from the differences of time.
1. Because much of religion is past, and we have bare testimony and revelation to warrant it; as the creation of the world out of nothing, the incarnation, life, and death of Christ; these are truths not liable to sense, and unlikely to reason - that the vine should grow upon one of its own branches, that God should become a man, and die. Now upon the revelation of the word, the Spirit of God makes all evident to faith. As the centurion, when he saw the miracles of Christ's death said, 'Truly this was the Son of God,' Mat. xxvii. 54; so by the Spirit in the hearts of believers, they are convinced, surely this is no other than the word of God. Faith can see God veiled under a curtain of flesh, and Christ the Son of God hanging and dying on a cross. Yea the more impossible the thing is to nature, the fitter object of faith, when it is accompanied with divine testimony. If carnal reason object against these things, we must renounce and give it the lie when it contradicts divine truth; for though the truths of the gospel are hidden and strange to reason, they are open and evident to faith. There are several lights God hath set up in the world, and they must keep their place; there is sense, which is the light of beasts; reason, which is the light of men; faith, which is the light of saints; and vision, which is the light of glory: now all these lights are not contrary, but subordinate. If we should examine all things by sense, we should lay aside many things evident to reason; as to sense a star is no bigger than a spangle, or spark; but reason knows, because of the distance, we must much otherwise conceive of them. So if we should lift up reason against faith we should discard many principles and articles of religion which are of greatest concernment. It is an old error to oppose the course of nature to God's word. Those mockers in Peter erred, because they examined things by sense: 2 Peter iii. 4, 'All things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.' When men will believe nothing above their reason, and above their sense, it is a sign they want the light which God hath set up in the church, the light of faith, Jude 19, 'Sensual, not having the Spirit.' Men that go according to reason only, go most against reason; nothing can be more irrational than to consult with nature about supernatural things, and to fetch the judgment of spiritual things from sense; it is all one as if we should bring down all rational affairs to the judgment of sense, and seek a law for man among beasts; reason must not be captivated to fancy, but to faith. Much of religion is past, and consists of articles unknown.
2. Much of religion is yet to come, and therefore can only be discerned by faith. Fancy and nature cannot outsee time, and look beyond death: '2 Peter i. 9, 'He that lacketh these things,' that is, that lacketh faith, and other graces that do accompany it, 'is blind, and cannot see afar off;' unless faith hold the candle to hope, we cannot see heaven at so great a distance. Heaven and the glorious rewards of religion are yet to come; faith only can see heaven in the promises and look upon the gospel as travailing in birth with a great salvation. Faith must supply the room of sense, and believe heaven though it see it not, and look for it though we enjoy it not. As reason must not jostle out faith, so faith must not be uncertain, though it cannot aspire to the light of glory. The apostle saith, 'We walk by faith, not by sight,' 2 Cor. v. 7; that is our light here. Graceless souls may be sharp-sighted in all things that concern their temporal interest, and talk of the affairs of the present world; but as for the things of the other world they are stark blind.
3. That of religion which is of actual and present enjoyment, sense or reason cannot discern the truth or worth of it; therefore faith is still the evidence of things unseen.
[1.] It cannot discern the truth of it. There are few things in religion but the truth of them is contradicted by carnal sense. Eternal life is promised to us, but first we must be dead; the resurrection of the body, but first we must moulder to dust in the grave. Blessedness is promised to us at last, but in the meantime we are of all men most miserable; a comfortable supply of all things, but in the meantime we hunger and suffer thirst. God saith he will be a present help in a time of trouble, but he seems to be deaf to our prayers; therefore faith is conversant about things present. The carrying on the work of grace is a thing invisible: Col. iii. 3, 'Our life is hid with Christ in God.' I say, the secret power and influence, by which grace is fed and maintained, is carried on from step to step in despite of devils or men. Therefore the apostle begs, Eph. i. 18, 'That their eyes might be opened;' why? what should they discern? - 'that they might know the hope of their calling, and the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.' The power that goes to the maintaining of grace, till we come to the possession of the rich and glorious inheritance which God hath provided for us, it is a matter of faith not of sense. What would become of us, if faith did not supply the place of sense, and the promise did not make amends for enjoyment? That phrase of 'living by faith,' is always used in opposition to present feeling. It is mentioned in four places of scripture, twice in the case of justification, Rom. i. 17, Gal. iii. 11, when we are dead in law, lost in the sense of our own consciences; then when we can cast ourselves upon the mercies of God in Christ, this is living by faith. And it is used twice in the case of great troubles and anxiety; when we have nothing else to live upon but our own sorrows and tears, when the destroyer in the land wasted and devoured all they had, then 'the just shall live by faith,' Hab. ii. 4. So when their goods were plundered, Heb. x. 34, then 'the just shall live by faith,' ver. 38, so that the whole life of a christian is made up of riddles; and faith is still opposite to sense. This indeed is living by faith, to see that in God which is wanting in the creature. The whole business of christianity is nothing else, but a contradicting of sense; God's dealing seemeth often to make against his promise, and his way is contrary to the judgment of the carnal mind. Where would religion be were it not for faith?
[2.] As the truth of religion is not always visible to sense, so the worth of religion is checked by carnal reason: 1 Cor. ii. 14, 'The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit, neither can he receive them, because they are spiritually discerned.' Carnal reason judgeth it to be a foolish thing to renounce present delights and present advantages. Suffering zeal seemeth peevishness and frowardness to a carnal judgment and active zeal a fond niceness. Look, as astronomers have invented names of bears, lions, dragons, for those things which are glorious stars in the heavens; so doth carnal reason miscall all the graces of the Holy Spirit. When a men makes conscience of his ways, carnal reason says that which carnal men do, We shall have you turn fool now! So that he that will be wise to salvation, must become one of the world's fools, that he may be wise, 1 Cor. iii. 18. Therefore that we may be sincere and strict in religion, and faithful with God, willing to do and willing to suffer, there is need of faith, that we may quit visible conveniences for invisible rewards, and despise things that are seen for things that are not seen: 2 Cor. iv. 18. 'While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.' That made the apostles renounce worldly interests, and mortify carnal affections. Faith discovered a worth and beauty in things not seen to reason and sense.
Having showed that faith is an evidence, and such an evidence as falls upon things that are not seen, I shall show now what is the advantage of this in the spiritual life; for to that end doth the apostle bring this description, that they may live by faith. The use of it is exceeding great.
(1.) To embolden us against the difficulties and inconveniences of our pilgrimage. When we look to things seen, we may descry as many enemies as creatures, and are ready to cry out, as the prophet's man, 'Alas, Master, what shall we do?' 1 Kings vi. 15. Now faith presents invisible supplies in visible dangers. If Satan be at our left hand ready to resist us, God is at our right hand ready to strengthen us. If men pursue us with their hatred and displeasure, faith represents God following us with his love and kindness. It is said of Moses: Heb. xi. 27, 'By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.' Moses would run the hazard of Pharaoh's wrath would turn his back upon such a fertile land as Egypt was, to go with the people of God into the wilderness, and all because he saw invisible things. Faith sees God assisting in a spiritual manner, and then all difficulties are reconciled and all terrors that arise from visible things are mitigated and made more comportable by invisible supplies.
(2.) To help us to bear afflictions, out of a hope of a comfortable issue. Faith can see fruit budding out of the dry rod of affliction. Ask sense, and it will tell you of nothing but aches and smart: Heb. xii. 11, 'No affliction for the present seemeth joyous, but grievous.' For the present it is a grievous thing to lie under the strokes of God's providence. If we should consult with present feeling, we should be like children, nothing but howl; but now faith can prophesy glad tidings at midnight, and see quietness and pleasantness in the midst of smart, and rich incomes of grace and purposes of love, when God seems to deal roughly with us.
(3.) It is of use to unfold the riddles of providence. The dispensations of God are full of mysteries; the way is shame when the end is glory. There is a handwriting of providence which is like Belshazzar's, we cannot read it; usually like the Hebrew tongue, it must be read quite backwards. Christ brews the water of life out of gall, wormwood, and blood. Joseph must be sold, then honoured; first a slave, then a favourite; cast into the dungeon, that he may be preferred at court. When God meant to bless Jacob, he makes him halt and lame, for he breaketh his thigh. The empty bucket goes down into the pit that it may come up full. Now nothing is out of order to providence, therefore nothing is out of order to faith. In the saddest providences, faith expects a good issue : Ps. lxxiii. 1, 'Truly God is good to Israel.' At the end of the six days God saw all that he had made, and behold it was very good; so for these six thousand years all his works of providence are good, very good. Faith, ploughing with God's heifer, comes to learn his designs: Job xi. 6, 'And that he would show thee the secrets of wisdom, that it is double to that which is; know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.' Divine providence hath two faces; that which is visible and outward is full of rigour, and God seems to be against us. Ay, but there is that which is not seen, and there is love, and sweetness, and clemency, like a picture, here the face of a virgin, there the form of a serpent. That which is not seen to sense is a thousand times more comely than the surface. Common light can discern nothing of this mixture: Eccles. viii. 14, 'In the day of adversity consider.' Some lessons are easy to sense, but others are hard enough to faith. Sense judges only of the outside, and bark, and rind of God's dispensations, and therefore we are perplexed and at a stand; but faith goes into the sanctuary, Ps. lxxiii. 17, and consults with God's word, and looks within the veil, and engageth us to wait, and teacheth us how to solve the dark riddles of providence. There are secret and invisible things which God maketh known to waiting souls.
(4.) To help us in duties of charity, that we may be rich in good works. The loss and detriment that cometh to our estates by large distributions, in doing worthily for God in our generation, by helping the poor, relieving the needy, promoting the ordinances of God; the loss is visible; ay, but faith sees it made up again, and that there is no such usury as lending to God. This is a duty where faith is most sensibly acted; here God proveth faith, and here we prove God. 1. We prove God - ' Prove me, saith the Lord, by riches and offerings;' Mal. iii. 10. 'If I will not open you the window of heaven, and pour you out a blessing.' Here faith maketh sensible experiments, and adventureth upon God's word. God giveth us a bill of exchange; we have nothing but a promise for what we lay out upon a work of religion: Prov. xix. 17, 'He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.' Charity and alms is a kind of traffic, and there is a great deal of faith and trust exercised in it, if he lay out a sum upon his word and bond. A carnal mind thinks all lost and gone because he will not take God's word; but now he that believes can see profit temporal and spiritual to arise out of this. 2. Here also God trieth us - 'Faith is the evidence of things not seen.' You see no profit, but can you believe it? Eccles. xi. 1, 'Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days.' When a man goes about doing good, such liberal distributions to a carnal mind are but like sowing the seed in a moorish ground, or like ploughing the sea; as foolish and as vain a course as if a man should cast his bread, that is, his bread corn, upon the waters. The vulgar read it super transeuntes aquas, cast it upon the running stream. We cannot look for a crop out of the water; it is carried down the stream, and a man shall never see it again. Ay, but faith, which is an evidence of things not seen, will help us in this case even to distribute our substance, for God will make it up again. When you can wait upon God contrary to sense and experience, then you have the true kind of faith.
(5.) In desertion, when God hides himself, faith only can find him out. When all comforts are lost to sense, they are present to faith. Faith can see God under his mask and veil: Isa. xlv. 15, 'Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.' When God means to be a saviour, he may hide himself, but faith waiteth upon him in the deepest and blackest desertion. John ii. 4, Christ rebukes the Virgin Mary - 'Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come;' yet ver. 5, 'His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.' She had received a sharp rebuke from Christ, yet she knew he would do something, and therefore saith, 'Fill the waterpots.' True faith can pick love out of God's angry speeches, and draw gracious conclusions from the blackest and hardest premises. Saith Job, if he shall kill me, and lay more terrors upon me, 'Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him,' Job xiii. 15; and saith David, Ps. xlii. 11, 'Hope in God, for I shall yet praise him.' When there are no apparent evidences, all comforts and graces are spent, there is not a drop of oil in the cruse, nor a dust of meal in the barrel; yet hope can hang upon a small thread. They will wait, trust, and look for something of favour from God.
(6.) This faith is necessary to believe the spiritual mysteries of religion. So faith sees a virtue in Christ's death: Gal. ii. 20, 'Nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.' This is a mere riddle to sense, so to believe the salutary and gracious fruits and effects of christian ordinances, which are to appearance mean and poor, but the worth and fruit of them is unseen. Saith Tertullian, Nihil adeo ac offendit hominum mentes, quam simplicitas divinorum operum, there is nothing offends men's minds so much as the simplicity of his ordinances. Plain preaching seems a poor, useless thing; a vain artifice to catch souls, it is as much despised by carnal reason in the heart, as it is by vain men in the world, yet this is God's way to convert the soul: 1 Cor. i. 21, 'It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.' The waters of baptism heathens were offended at, when christians talked of such glorious things as to be born again, united to Christ, possessed of the Spirit, and they could see nothing but going down into the water. To find spiritual comfort and ravishing joy in the Lord's supper, when we see nothing but a piece of bread and a draught of wine; for ordinances that have no pomp and splendid appearance in them, yet to be sanctified to the most high and mysterious uses of our religion, this is that which is matter of faith.
(7.) That we may look for life in the hour of death. When sense and understanding is departing, oh! then to comfort ourselves with the love of God that shall never depart; to look for life and resurrection among dry bones, and to look on the grave as a place not of destruction, but of delivery - these are all things unseen, and require faith to believe them. Who would think such a pale horse as death should be sent from Christ to carry us to glory? and that the funerals of the body shall not be the funerals of the christian, but only of his sin and of his frailty? Miseria moritur, homo non moritur; it is but a shed taken down, that it may be raised in a better structure; that the way to live for ever is to die first, that we may be killed and not hurt; to believe that the morsels for the worms should be parcels of the resurrection: Job xix. 26. 'Though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God;' and then to send our flesh in hope to the grave: Ps. xvi. 9, 'My flesh also shall rest in hope;' to go to the grave as a bed of ease and chamber of rest, of which Christ keeps the keys; all this is matter of faith. Our Saviour saith, John xi. 25, 'He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet he shall live;' he puts the question, 'Believest thou this?' ver. 26; nothing else will assure it you. But have you faith? David puts the supposition: Ps. xxiii. 4, 'Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me;' though I walk side by side with death; though my bones be cast into a common charnel, and I converse with skulls, yet Christ will look after this dust, and those rotten relics of mortality. Faith must assure and persuade us of all this.
(8.) To believe a change of the greatest flourish and outward prosperity. When men have such a high mountain as seems to stand strong, who would think that it can ever be removed? Wickedness regnant and triumphant is ruinous and tottering in the eye of faith: Micah iv. 11, 12, 'Many nations are gathered together against Zion, that say, let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion; yet they know not the thoughts of the Lord, nor understand his counsel.' In private cases, to look upon unjust gain that comes in plentifully upon us as a certain loss, and to see God's curse upon great and ill-gotten revenues; to determine, that 'better is a little with righteousness, than great revenues without right,' Prov. xvi. 8. How better? If we consult with sense, there is no such thing; but faith assures us. Would men make haste to be rich if they had this rich faith? it would tell them, This is the way to bring ruin upon themselves and their posterity: to see ruin in the midst of abundance, and loss in the midst of gain; that righteousness is the only way of gain, and scattering the ready way to increase, is the work of faith: Prov. xi. 24, 'There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, and it tendeth to poverty.' Thus you see this faith runs through all religion, and hath an influence upon every practical thing almost.
Use 1. Information. I shall draw from hence four practical corollaries.
If the object of faith be things unseen, then,
1. Christians should not murmur if God keep them low and bare, and they have nothing they can see to live upon. As long as they do their duty, they are in the hands of God's providence. If God exercise them with troubles, humble them with wants, and delay their hopes, they have a faith which should be instead of vision and enjoyment; and when they want all things, they should be as 'possessing all things,' 2 Cor. vi. 10. They have an all-sufficient God to trust to, a God that bears the purse for them. If you are reduced to hard short allowance, live upon the promise - a believer has all things in the promise, though nothing in possession. This is the happiness of heaven, that God is all in all without the intervention of means. This life of faith is heaven antedated and begun, to see all in God in the midst of greatest wants.
2. In the greatest extremity that can befall us there is work for faith, but no place for discouragement; your faith is never tried till then. The church could bring one contrary out of another: Micah vii. 9. 'Though I fall, I shall arise;' and, saith Jonah, chap. ii. 7, 'When my soul fainted in me, then I remembered God.' In a spiritual death, when our comforts are spent, and all fail, then is a time for faith. Faith can traffic with Christ in the dark, and take his word for that of which we have no appearance at all. As Rom. iv. 18, 'Abraham believed in hope against hope;' that is, in hope according to promise, though against hope contrary to the course of nature, when all natural arguments, appearances, and grounds of hope are cut off.
3. That a christian is not to be valued by his enjoyments, but by his hopes. 'He hath meat and drink which the world knows not of,' John iv. 32, and can go to the rock when creatures have spent their allowance. To appearance his life is worse than other men; ay, but his better life is hidden with God, he hath invisible things to live upon, his main portion lieth in things not seen. The whole christian life is nothing else but a spiritual riddle full of mysteries and wonders; he can see things not seen, fulness in want, special love in common mercies, grace in a piece of bread. A wicked man's enjoyments are sweet to sense, ay, but they are salted with a curse: but now in the deepest expressions of hatred, a child of God by faith can see God's love.
4. Christ may be out of sight, yet you not out of mind. He consults not with sense, for that makes lies of God - 'I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes; nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.' If God will not look to me, I will look to him. The dam leaves her nest, but she leaves her heart behind, and she will return. The sun at midnight seemeth low, but it will rise again: Ps. xcvii. 11, 'Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.'
Use 2. Reproof to those that are all for sense and for present appearance.
1. Such as do not believe without present feeling.
2. Such as cannot wait upon God without present satisfaction.
[1.] There are some gross sensualists that examine all things by experience, and will not take God's word for truth, unless they feel it; whereas feeling is left for the life to come; here God will try us by faith. There are atheists in the church, but none in hell. The devils and damned spirits tremble at that which you doubt of. Here we have the light of conscience, reason and faith; but there men are left to feeling and experience; and therefore those that measure all things by present sense, and so disbelieve the world to come, they are hence to be reproved. Foolish men may go to school and learn of the ant. Since they will not learn of God, they may learn of the creature: Prov. vi. 6 - 8, 'Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.' There is a natural providence and instinct in these creatures to provide for their future state. Oh then, what a sot is he that will not think of his state to come, nor of any condition beyond that which he now enjoys? they are worse than the ant - than the meanest and the lowest creature, that because they see not God or Christ, or heaven or hell, therefore question whether there be indeed any such thing, yea or no: I say many such there are in the world that say, as Thomas did out of weakness, John xx. 25, 'Unless I see in his hand the print of the nails,' &c., 'I will not believe;' they will not believe that God hath provided such a deplorable and miserable estate, where the wicked shall be tormented for ever and ever, and cast out from the presence of the Lord to the devil and his angels, because they see not these things.
[2.] It reproves those that cannot wait upon God without present satisfaction, that faint if the appearance of things suit not with their mind and expectation. We are all apt to be led by sense, and to plead natural improbabilities; and when any difficulty ariseth, that checketh our hopes, we question the promises of God, arid say with Mary, Luke i. 34, 'How can these things be?'
(1.) This is a great dishonour to God, to trust him no further than we see him. You trust the ground with your corn, and can expect a crop out of the dry clods, though you do not see how it grows, nor which way it thrives in order to the harvest. It is a great folly to distrust the Lord, because the mercies we expect do not presently grow up and flower in our sight and apprehension. Abraham gave glory to God 'by believing in hope against hope,' Rom. iv. 18. That is an honour to God indeed, when in defiance of sense, and all outward probabilities, we can depend upon him for the accomplishment of his promise; whereas otherwise, when we confine God to present likelihoods, and must have satisfaction to our senses, or else we will not believe nor take things upon God's bare word; nor stay ourselves upon the name of God - ' Except we see signs and wonders we will riot believe,' John iv. 48. It is a great dishonour to God; 'we limit the holy one of Israel,' Ps. lxxviii. 41, confining him to our circle of means.
(2.) It is contrary to all the dispensations of God's providence. Before he gives in any mercy there are usually some trials. Abraham had the promise of a numerous issue, but first Sarah's womb was long barren. Nay, after that God tried him again when he hath a child, he must sacrifice Isaac. the child of the promise. It was a hard thing for faith to interpret how he should offer Isaac, and yet believe that 'in Isaac all nations should be blessed.' Their obedience was to conflict not only with reason but with faith, and to find out an expedient to reconcile the precept with the promise ; but yet he had a faith to believe it: Gen. xxii. 5, 'He said to his young men, abide you here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.' It was neither a lie nor equivocation, but words proceeding from the assurance of faith; for though Abraham knew not how, yet he tells Isaac, ver. 8, 'God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt-offering.' And as he used Abraham the father of the faithful, so he doth all his children. Christ's kingdom is described thus: first he comes as a root out of a dry ground, Isa. liii. 2. When the tree of Jesse was withered and dried up, when it was worn down to its root and stumps, God makes it to scent and bud again; then comes Jehovah the branch; then afterwards, Luke xvii. 20, 'The kingdom of God comes not with observation.' When the kingdom of Christwas to be set up, what appearance was there? a crucified man, and a few fishermen to begin this glorious empire! What should we have done if we had lived in Christ's time, and seen the despicable beginnings of his kingdom - we that are so amazed at every difficulty and cross providence? David was first hunted like a partridge upon the mountains, that he might be settled upon a throne. Thus God is still wont to try our faith before he satisfy our sense, and to leave some weakness upon the means that the mercy may be more glorious. Consult the whole course of God's providence, and all the experiences of the saints, and you will find it to be so: Isa. xlviii. 7, 'They are created now, and not from the beginning, even before the day, when thou heardest them not, lest thou shouldst say, Behold I knew them.' Things raised out of the earth, a man could not have thought there had been any such means and instruments in the whole creation. 'He hath chosen' - Ta mè onta - ' things that are not,' 1 Cor, i. 27; that is, things that seemed to have no such use and efficacy, 'to confound things that are.' Micah v. 7, 'And they shall be as the dew from the Lord, as showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.' The herbs of the garden have visible means of supply, they are watered by hand, they tarry for man, and depend upon man's industry and providence; but they shall be as the grass in the wilderness, which thriveth by dews and showers from heaven, that come without man's thinking and care. Those that are acquainted with the usual traverses and ways of providence cannot but trust God. Usually we look on God's works by halves and pieces, and so distrust. There is a great deadness upon the means, when God will employ them to the highest uses and purposes. A painter draweh half a man, and then there is no beauty. When we look into the fiery furnace, and see nothing but devouring flames, who would think God could bring forth a vessel of honour from thence? God's dispensations have not left their wonted course, he tries us with such unlikehihoods.
(3.) It is contrary to the nature of faith - 'Hope that is seen is not hope; for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?' Rom. viii. 24. Faith gives over work when we come to fruition; the trial of it is in difficulties. Faith is faith indeed, when it can expect in the midst of dissatisfactions, and hath no relief from sense, nor help from outward things: John xx. 29, 'Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet believe.' That is true faith, when we can expect blessings upon God's warrant; though we cannot discern the way, manner, nor means, yet we hold fast the conclusion, all will work for good. Instruments miscarry; but faith looketh not to instruments, but to the promise: Esther iv. 14, 'If thou altogether hold thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place.' Her petitioning was the only visible likely way; but if God would not use it, he was satisfied with his word. Nay, sometimes the word of God seems to be tried as well as we: Ps. xii. 6, 'The words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.' He speaks not only of the purity and excellency of the word, but of the stability and certainty of it; when the promise is cast into the fire, and seems to lie a-burning, it is not consumed, but comes out with greater brightness and lustre. There are many, if God give them health, peace, plenty, and all manner of prosperity, then they believe him to be their God; but if they see no external evidences of his favour, they will not believe in him; this is to live by sense, not by faith; for faith is the evidence of things not seen, it can raise us above sight, and support us against sense.
(4.) It will weaken our hands in duty when we look to every present discouragement. Solomon saith, Eccles. xi. 4, 'He that observeth the winds shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.' He that is deterred from sowing his seed by every wind, and reaping his corn by every cloud, will never do his business; so he that looketh to every discouragement can never act worthily for God, but is marred by every difficulty; he is off and on, as outward things succeed or miscarry: James i. 8, 'A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways,' full of distractions and faintings, up and down with hopes and fears, as worldly things ebb and flow.
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