LXII. SERM. always have been, and still are, some few upon earth, who, by their faith in Him, have their eyes opened, so as to see into the other world, things that are invisible and lie perfectly hid to all other mortals. These St. Paul here speaks of, and reckoning himself, as he certainly was, in the number of them, he saith, "We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen." He is here speaking of the difficulties and trouble which he and the rest of his fellow-servants met with in doing the work which their master Christ hath set them, and shewing the reason wherefore, notwithstanding that, they fainted not, but rather went on with greater courage and resolution 2 Cor. 4. 17. in the accomplishing of it, even "because this light affliction," saith he, "which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." But lest any should not see into the force of this argument, he explains it, by adding, "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." As if he had said, They who mind only the things of this life may well be discouraged at the afflictions which attend the service of God. But that is not our case, our eye is only upon the other world, and the eternal glory which shall there be conferred upon those who serve Him faithfully in this. And therefore we may well be 1 Cor.15.58." steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as we know that our labour is not in vain in the Lord." But though that was the occasion of the Apostle's writing these words, yet he doth not confine them to that occasion, but makes use of that to shew how all true Christians, such as he was, are always looking at things not seen in general : which at first sight may seem to be a great paradox, if not a contradiction. But I shall endeavour to make it so clear, that ye may all see into the truth as well as into the usefulness of it. And for that purpose, shall first explain the words, and then apply them. First therefore, that we may understand the true meaning of these words, we must consider, I. What is here meant by things that are seen? II. What by the things which are not seen? And what by looking at things not seen? III. The reason which the Apostle here gives for it; because the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." As for the first, I need not insist long upon it; for ye all know well enough what is meant by the things which are seen, they being always under your eye; such as money and goods, houses and lands, meat, drink, clothing, and the like. These things you yourselves see, or at least may see every day; these therefore, and the like, are the things which the Apostle here means, when he saith, "We look not at the things which are seen." He means them, not in themselves, as they are necessary to the support of human life; but as they are extravagantly coveted or abused to luxury and excess. So far as they are needful to our subsistence in this world, and so to our serving God in it, so far the best of men may and ought to look after them. But not so as to set their hearts upon them, and to be always craving more and more of them: not so as to aim at stately houses, large estates, delicious fare, gay clothing, or the like. They do not thus look at these things that are seen, nor indeed upon any thing at all that is so, upon nothing which they can see with their eyes, in comparison of the things which are not seen; that is, such things as are not the objects of our sight, nor come within the reach of any of our senses. So that they who look upon things only with their bodily eyes, and regard nothing but what comes into their minds through some of their senses, can perceive no more of them, than as if there were no such things in the world. Although there be doubtless many more things in the world which we never did see, than those we do there are many great kingdoms upon earth, with a vast number of inhabitants of all sorts in them, which few, if any of us, ever saw; and yet none of us doubt but there are such, only because we have heard of them by some who have been there and seen them. In like manner there are many things of another nature in the world, which we never did nor can see with the eyes of our body, and yet have all the N LXII. SERM. reason that can be to believe them, in that we have the infallible word and testimony of God Himself for them; which is infinitely more than if all the creatures in the Luke 16.31. World should come and tell us of them. "And if we hear not Moses and the Prophets," or God speaking by them, "neither should we be persuaded though one rose from the dead" to acquaint us with them. Neither are these things which we never saw, and yet have so much cause to believe, only very many, more than we can imagine; but they are the far greatest and noblest things that be, and most worthy 1 John 4. 12. to be looked at: as for example; "No man hath seen God 1Tim. 6. 16. at any time:" "He dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto, Whom no man hath seen, or can see." Insomuch that although He be every where, we can see Him no Job 9. 11 where; but as Job saith, "Lo, He goeth by me, and I see Him not: He passeth on also, but I perceive Him not." And the reason is, because God is a Spirit, without any matter or body, and therefore cannot possibly be the object of any of our senses, which can be affected with nothing but what is of their own nature, material or bodily. Neither is He only a Spirit, but of that infinite purity and perfection that He is infinitely beyond the reach, not only of our senses, but of our apprehensions too. Yet nevertheless, though we cannot see Him, we are as certain that He is, as that we ourselves are; for if He was not, we could not be: Acts 17. 28. it being "in Him that we live, and move, and have our being." And though He be perfectly out of our sight, yet He hath manifested Himself sufficiently to us by the works Rom. 1. 20. which He hath done, and still doth continually. "For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead." So that all who take no notice of Him, are without excuse. Especially now that He hath made known Himself unto the world by His John 1. 18. Son too. For, though "no man hath seen God at any time, the only-begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him;" He hath most clearly revealed all that is necessary or possible for mankind to know of God; and therefore all that believe in Christ, cannot but be always thinking upon God though they cannot see Him, as much as if they could. "I have set the Lord," saith David, Ps. 16. 8. "always before me;" or, as St. Peter interprets it, "I foresaw Acts 2. 25. the Lord always before my face; for He is on my right hand, that I should not be moved." So all that truly believe, see Heb. 11. 27. Him that is invisible, as Moses did. They are always looking upon Him as looking always upon them, wheresoever they are; though they cannot see Him, yet their eye is always upon Him, the "eye of faith" in God's Holy Word, ch. 11.1. whereby they look at the things which are not seen. 66 Behold," saith David, " as the eyes of servants look unto Ps. 123. 2. the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden to the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until He have mercy upon us." 9. So also for our Blessed Saviour; when He was in our flesh upon earth, He was commonly seen, as other men are, for several years together; but He ceased to be so when He went up to Heaven. It is true, St. Stephen saw Him after- Acts 7. 56. wards standing on the right hand of God; but the Heavens were first opened in a wonderful manner, to make way for that blessed sight. He was seen also of St. Paul several 1 Cor. 15. 8. years after; but there was so much light and glory about Him, that it struck St. Paul blind, and made him fall down Acts 9. 3, 4, upon the earth. And so it would certainly do to us, if we should now see Him; our eyes could not possibly bear the light of “" His glorious body." But we need not fear it, for Phil. 3. 21. He is now quite out of our sight, being exalted to the right hand of God in the highest Heavens, where no mortal eye can reach Him; though the glorified Saints and Angels see Him, and enjoy Him perpetually. As to us, He is one of those things that are not seen; yet howsoever, they who truly believe in Him, cannot but be always looking upon Him as their only Mediator and Advocate, with the eye of faith beholding Him in the presence of God, there making intercession for them; "Whom, therefore, having not seen 1 Pet. 1. 8. they love; in Whom though now they see Him not, yet believing, they rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." Neither do they only thus look at Him in Heaven, but upon earth too, whensoever they meet together in His Name; for He having said, that He is there " in the midst Matt.18.20. of them," they cannot but look upon Him as always there, SERM. as He is most certainly here in the midst of us at this time, as certainly as we ourselves are here. Though other men do not see Him, they who believe His Word cannot but be looking at Him, as observing what they do, and assisting them in the doing of it. And so they do, as to the Holy Spirit too: though He works insensibly upon them, and they can neither see Him, nor perceive how He doth it, yet finding by God's Word as well as their own experience, that it is He who keeps them from evil, and inclines them to that which is good, and enables them likewise to perform it, their eyes are always upon Him, wheresoever they are, and whatsoever they are Ps. 139. 6. doing as we see in David, "Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit?" In what place soever he was, he looked upon the John 3. 8. Spirit of God as there; so do all that are born of the Spirit. Besides this one glorious and Almighty God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, there are many other things in the world which neither are, nor can be seen as yet by us; for when He made the world, He made things invisible, as well as visible in it. What those things are, we may learn from Col. 1. 16. St. Paul, where speaking of Christ, he saith, " By Him were all things created that are in Heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible; whether they be thrones, or dominions, or pincipalities, or powers." Which great names must needs signify most glorious and powerful creatures; but they are all invisible to us, we know not so much as what they are, but only in general, that they have not flesh and bones as we have, but are of a spiritual nature, and of so great power, that all the kings and emperors, sultans and potentates upon earth joined together, could not stand before one of them; 2 Kings 19. for we read, that one of them in one night smote an hundred and fourscore and five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians, who before thought themselves invincible; but this was done by an invisible hand; they could not see him that smote them: neither do we understand how he did it; nor how these invisible creatures live together, nor what they further than God hath revealed it to us in His Holy 35. Jude 6. do, any Word. But there we find, that some of them "kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation in which they were |