created, and are therefore reserved in everlasting chains under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day." And that they notwithstanding, still retain the same power, being still "principalities and powers, and the rulers of the dark- Eph. 6. 12. ness of this world." And also that they have some kind of government among themselves; for one of them is called, "The prince of the power of the air, the spirit that worketh ch. 2. 2. in the children of disobedience." And he is properly the Matt.25.41. Devil, the other his angels. But all and every one also, is called the Devil and Satan, the accuser and adversary of mankind, that "as a roaring lion walketh about seeking 1Pet. 5. 8. whom he may devour." But they always go in fetters and chains, and cannot step one step further than God gives them leave; but if He once let them loose upon a man, they immediately devour him; neither is there any man, but these wicked spirits some time or other set upon him; some they tempt to one sin, some to another, according as they find a man is inclined by his temper, his calling, his company, or other circumstances of his life. And when once they have got hold of a man, they never leave him until they have destroyed him, unless God by His special grace, rescue him out of their hands. They infect him with heresy, or draw him into schism; they divert him by one trick or other from going to Church, and using the means of grace; they hurry him from one ill company to another, and never suffer him to be at rest, or to have time so much as to think one serious thought; they lay snares and traps wheresoever he goes, that if he happen to escape one, he may be sure to be caught in another. Thus the poor man is haunted by those which he never sees, till he is got among them in the infernal pit.

But although this implacable enemy of mankind cannot be seen by any, yet they who truly believe the Gospel, have their eyes always upon him, so as to be aware of him. They are not ignorant of his devices," and therefore 2 Cor. 2. 11. "resist him steadfast in the faith," by which they are 66 able 1 Pet. 5.9. Eph. 6. 16. to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."

There are other of these created spirits, called also Angels and Archangels, which continue in their first estate, most pure and holy, waiting always upon the Almighty

SERM. Creator of the world, and doing whatsoever He pleaseth in LXII. it. Some have thought that every man, or at least, every good man, hath one of these always about him, ready to succour and defend him. Whether that be so or no, I shall Heb. 1. 14. not undertake to determine, but am sure, that “they are all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall Ps. 91. 11. be heirs of Salvation;" that God hath given them a charge over such,“ to keep them in all their ways;" and that they have accordingly done so all along, as we read both in the Old and New Testament. And having God's Word for it, we cannot doubt but they do so still. And therefore, although we cannot see them, we cannot but look upon them as always with us, ready upon all occasions to protect us, and to convey all such blessings to us, as God is pleased of His infinite mercy to send us by their hands.

23.]

But that which gave the occasion of the Apostle's speaking here of our looking at the "things that are not seen," and which we therefore ought especially to consider, is the [Heb. 12. place where the Holy Angels, together with "the spirits of just men made perfect," have their usual abode and residence, even Heaven; where they live together in perfect light, and love, and peace, and joy, and health, and happiness, the greatest they are capable of: where they are always rejoicing, and singing, and praising God, and the Lamb that sitteth upon the throne: where they see God face to face, as clearly as it is possible for creatures to do it: where they enjoy Him and all His Divine perfections to the full where they have the light of His countenance always shining upon them, refreshing, overspreading, and filling them with all true joy and pleasure, as much as they are able to hold: where they converse with their ever blessed Redeemer, and behold the glory which the Father hath given Him: where they have all things they can possibly desire, and are fully assured they shall have them for ever.

This is a glorious place indeed; but it is quite out of our 1 Cor. 2.9. sight, and beyond our very imagination too: for, "as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath there prepared for them that love Him." But though we cannot see them, we can look up towards them with longing

desires, and firm hopes, through Christ, to be one day made partakers of them; as we may in some measure be already by faith, as it "is the substance of things hoped for," as well Heb. 11. 1. as "the evidence of things not seen." At least, we can look at them as the great end we aim at in all our actions.

And so, be sure, all true Christians do. Whilst other men aim no higher than at the earth, and the trifles upon it, moiling and toiling all their life long only for a little money, or for a little applause among their fellow-worms, or perhaps for such pleasures as the brutes enjoy; they who truly believe the Gospel aim higher, the highest that their eyes can reach, and beyond it too; they look at the things. that are not seen, they aim at Heaven itself; all their design. is to get thither, and there to obtain the greatest riches, the highest honours, and those substantial pleasures which are [Ps. 16.12.] at God's right hand for evermore, that they may be made equal to the Holy Angels, and fellow-commoners with them [Luke 20. in their celestial joys and honours. They "labour not for John 6. 27. the meat which perisheth, but for that which endureth to everlasting life." They "seek the Kingdom of God and Matt. 6. 33. His righteousness before all things else." They strive all they can to "work out their Salvation with fear and trem- Phil. 2. 12; bling," and "to make their calling and election sure." They

36.]

2 Pet. 1. 10.

press towards the mark, for the prize of the high calling Phil. 3. 14. of God in Christ Jesus." They, with Moses, " have respect Heb. 11. 26. unto the recompense of the reward;" and so "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." This is the reason which the Apostle here gives why they do so; and it is such a reason, that whosoever duly considers it, must needs be persuaded by it to do so too; for why should men look at such things as are only temporal, when at the same time things eternal lie before them, and may as soon be had, if not much sooner than the other? But all the things we see, are only temporal, or of a short continuance: if they last so long, as they seldom do, they cannot possibly last any longer than this life, which at the longest, is but short, and at the best uncertain: you are never certain by all your care and

31.

LXII.

SERM. pains, to attain any thing you fancy in this world; if you have it, you are never certain to keep it so much as one moment. And if ye should happen to attain all ye do or can desire, and keep it too for a while, ye must certainly leave it ere long, and perhaps to such as will never thank you for it, but spend it faster than you ever got it; you yourselves, 1 Cor. 7. 29- be sure, will have no benefit or comfort of it: for "this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives, be as though they had none: and they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; and they that use this world, as not abusing it for the fashion of this world passeth away." All that we see in this world is in perpetual motion, and never continueth in one stay; and it is not long but the whole fashion of it, and all things in it, will be dissolved, so as never to be any more: who then would set his heart, or fix his eyes upon those things which are seen, seeing ere long they will vanish out of sight, and be no more seen?

Who would not rather look at the things which are not yet seen, considering that they are eternal, or last for ever? The Almighty God, the chiefest good, in whose love and favour all our happiness consisteth, He was, and is, and is to come, from everlasting to everlasting, God blessed for ever. Those invisible creatures, the holy Angels, with whom we hope to live, though they had a beginning, they shall never have an end, but shall live for ever; and so do all the Saints of God that live with them. The place where 2 Cor. 5.1. they live "is a building of God, an house not made with 1 Cor. 9. 25. hands eternal in the Heavens;" the "crown" that every one there wears is "incorruptible;" and so is the inherit1 Pet. 1.4. ance they are there possessed of, "it is incorruptible, undefiled, and fadeth not away." The pleasures they enjoy at God's right hand, are "for evermore ;" and the whole kingdom which they are there advanced to, as it was " prepared for them from the foundation of the world," it shall continue to the dissolution of it, and beyond that too, when time shall be no more. So that all who once obtain the things that are not seen, are sure to enjoy them for ever; and so live as happily as it is possible for creatures to live to all eternity.

Ps. 16. 12. [Matt. 25.

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"For the wicked shall go into everlasting punishment, but Matt.25.46. the righteous into life eternal."

These things being considered, one would think it an easy matter to persuade people to look at the things which are not seen, and not at the things which are. But after all, I fear it will be very difficult; men's thoughts being generally so wholly taken up with what they see and converse with every day, that there is no room left for any thing else to enter; so that we find, by sad experience, it is to little purpose to call upon them to look at things that seem a great way off, and out of their sight: they can make a shift perhaps to give us the hearing, but that is all; as for doing what they hear, that they seldom or never trouble their heads about. Howsoever, hoping there may be some here present who really believe the Word of God, and are accordingly concerned for their future state, how they may live in the other world as well as this, such I would advise to observe and practise what they have now heard, as the most effectual means whereby to live happily both here and hereafter too.

For, first, by accustoming yourselves to look at the things which are not seen, you will learn by degrees to despise those that are, as not worthy to be compared, nor so much as named or thought of the same day with the other: you will then "not love the world, nor the things which are in the 1 John 2.15. world."

For how can he love this world, whose eyes are always in the other, where he sees things so infinitely above all things here below, that he cannot but look upon them as below him to look upon? How can he love any thing upon earth, whose heart is in Heaven, where he beholds glory, beauty, excellency itself in its highest perfection? To such a one, all things that are seen seem as they are, as nothing and vanity; and therefore howsoever they fall out, it is all one to him; he is never moved one way or other by them: he still looks upon God as his Father, upon Christ as his Advocate, upon the Holy Ghost as his Comforter, upon the glorified Saints and Angels as his Fellow-citizens, and upon Heaven as his Inheritance. These are the things that take up his affections, and fill his soul with so much love, desire, and joy, that he cannot concern himself with the little trifles