Invisible Realities, Sermon 1
SERMON I.
2 Cor. 4.18.
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.
THE bleſſed Apoſtle having deſcribed the great Sufferings and grievous Perſecutions which the Corinthians had endured, and were enduring for the Goſpel's ſake, in the 8, 9, 10, 11 Verſes of this Chapter, proceeds in the following Verſes to annex the Grounds of their Patience, Confidence, Conſtancy, and Conſolation, in all the Preſſures they went under. And theſe may be reduced to two Heads; two things bore them up, and bore them out under all.
Firſt, A certain Hope and Expectation of a glorious Reſurrection to Everlaſting Life, after all the ignominious Sufferings of this Life, Ver. 13, 14. We having the ſame Spirit of Faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I ſpoken: we alſo believe, and therefore ſpeak; knowing, that he which raiſed up the Lord Jeſus, ſhall raiſe up us alſo by Jeſus, and ſhall preſent us with you. As if he had ſaid, this is our Corroboration and our Conſolation, the Aſſurance that we have of a happy Reſurrection, by this we are kept from ſinking under Diſcouragements, while we are alway delivered unto Death, Ver. 11.
The 15th Verſe contains a Reaſon of his Confidence, of being the Companion of the believing Corinthians, after his many Sufferings, for as much as they were endured for their Good, and the Glory of God; For all things are for your ſakes, that the abundant Grace might, through the Thankſgiving of many, redound to the Glory of God.
This is the firſt Ground of the Apoſtle's Conſtancy and Comfort, ver. 16. For which Cauſe we faint not; but though our outward Man periſh, yet the inward Man is renewed day by day; i. e. upon the confident Hope of Eternal Life we faint not, knowing this, that he which hath raiſed up the Lord Jeſus, ſhall raiſe up us alſo, &c.
2. The Perſwaſion and Aſſurance they were ſettled in, that they ſhould not be loſers by the Sufferings and Afflictions which they were enduring: But that they ſhould all tend and turn, (1.) To their preſent Good; (2.) To their future Glory.
1. To their preſent Good. Though our outward Man periſh, that is, we faint not for this Cauſe, as knowing that while our Bodies, with all thoſe things that tend to the maintaining and adorning of this preſent Life, as Health, and Wealth, and Credit, fall into decay and moulder away, by the various Tribulations we are cruſhed under; yet our inward Man (to wit) our Souls, or our ſpiritual Eſtate, is renewed, foreign, is made new again day by day, is daily reſtored more and more to its primitive Form and Beauty. So that we are not loſers, but gainers by our Sufferings; if we loſe our Externals, loſe our Health, and loſe our Strength, and loſe our Peace, and loſe our Liberty, and loſe our Livelyhood, yet all this loſs is not without a Compenſation, we have it made up, we have it recompenſed with Internals, and things of Eternal Concernment: Our outward Loſſes are recompenſed with inward Gain, the decay of our temporal Good compenſated with the augmentation of ſpiritual Grace; while the things of Earth are going from us, the things of Heaven come into the room of them.
2. To their future Glory, ver. 17. as they were tending to their preſent Good, ſo they turned to their future Glory: ver. 17. For our light Affliction which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory. Here the Apoſtle ſhows,
1. What their Afflictions were now; 1. They were light; 2. Short.
2. What they wrought. Now theſe light and ſhort Afflictions, which are but for a moment, work for us, 1. Glory; 2. A weight of Glory; 3. An exceeding weight of Glory; 4. A far more exceeding weight of Glory; 5. A far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory. So that here is a threefold moſt excellent Antitheſis. I ſay,
1. For Affliction here is Glory, future Glory for preſent Affliction.
2. For light Affliction, here is a weight (magnitudo) of Glory; not only ſo, but an exceeding weight, a far more exceeding weight of Glory. Weigh Afflictions, the weightieſt Afflictions, all the Afflictions of a Chriſtian with Glory, and there will be no proportion betwixt them; Rom. 8.18. For I reckon, that the Sufferings of this preſent Time are not worthy to be compared with the Glory which ſhall be revealed in us.
3. For ſhort Afflictions, Afflictions for a moment, here is eternal Glory, an eternal weight of Glory. This is the other Ground of their Patience, Confidence and Conſolation: And now upon this the Words I have read come in, 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. In the whole Verſe you may take notice of two things.
1. How they came to make this Judgment of their Afflictions, to reckon of them as light and ſhort: This was by looking; our Affliction is light, while we look at things not ſeen.
2. Why this looking made them thus to account, this was the vaſt Difference which they hereby diſcover'd to be between the preſent Affliction and future Glory: For the things which are ſeen, are temporal; but the things which are not ſeen, are eternal; i. e. Our preſent Afflictions and Sufferings, which are ſeen things, are Temporal, for a ſhort time, of ſhort continuance; but our future Glory and Happineſs, which are unſeen things, are endleſs and eternal.
The Words may be conſidered, either, 1. Relatively, as they refer and have relation to the Context; and ſo they carry in them an Account of the Way and Means whereby they came to this ſtability under their Afflictions, viz. by eying unſeen things. Or,
2. Abſolutely in themſelves, and ſo they carry in them an Account of their Carriage and Practice; or ſhew what it was they made their great Buſineſs in the World, viz. to eye and mind eternal unſeen things. I ſhall look on them at this time under the latter Conſideration; and ſo you have in them,
1. An Act expreſſed, we look, looking.
2. The Object deſcribed: And this is done,
1. Negatively; We look not at things ſeen, Res hujus ſeculi, the Matters of this preſent Life.
2. Affirmatively; We look at things unſeen, Res futuri ſeculi, at the things of another World, and within the Vail; theſe are our Object, Scope and Aim, to theſe we look. But how could they look at things not ſeen? Oculus fidei longius penetrat quam omnes humanae naturae ſenſus: & fides etiam ideo vocatur rerum inviſibilium Aſpectus. Calvin. in locum. By the Eye of Faith they might look at them.
There are ſeveral things very obſervable in the words; I ſhall only at this time obſerve this from them.
Doct. It is the great Part and Duty of Chriſtians in this Life, to look at things which are not ſeen: Or, it is the great Concern of Chriſtians to be looking at unſeen things.
In this we ſhall,
Firſt prove, that there are unſeen things, things which are not ſeen, which are, foreign, not viſible, don't appear to Eyes of Fleſh.
And this will be evident from theſe five or ſix things:
1. From general Aſſertions in Scripture, that hold out to us a Being of things which are not ſeen, do not appear; ſee for this Heb. 11.1. Faith is the Subſtance of things hoped for, and the Evidence of things not ſeen. Fide convincimur ad credenda quae non videmus, perinde ac ſi manifeſtò in luce viderentur. Faith is an infallible Argument, a clear Conviction, a convincing Demonſtration of their Exiſtence, Reality and Certainty, that they are no Figments and Fancies, but Realities. So then you ſee hence, that there are unſeen things; Quae mente noſtrâ cernimus haud ſecus ac ſi praeſentia eſſent; Things which thrò Faith we ſee with our Minds as if they were preſent.
Again, Rom. 8.24. We are ſaved by Hope: but Hope that is ſeen, is not Hope: for what a Man ſeeth, why doth he yet hope for? As the antecedent and conſequent words ſhew, it is as if the Apoſtle had ſaid, We have a certain Apprehenſion of Redemption, Glory, and final Freedom from all Calamities here, in Hope and Expectation, not in preſent Poſſeſſion; for Hope that is ſeen, is not Hope; i. e. if we had them in hand, we could not be ſaid to hope for them: So that here again you ſee, there are unſeen things, the things of Hope; the things that Hope waits for are unſeen; Ver. 25. We hope for that we ſee not. Hence Believers are ſaid to have their Hope laid up for them in Heaven; Col. 1.5. For the Hope which is laid up for you in Heaven; the Subſtance of which things is Faith, Heb. 11.1.
Again, Iſa. 64.4. For ſince the beginning of the World Men have not heard, nor perceived by the Ear, neither hath the Eye ſeen, O God, beſides thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.
Mark, (1.) Here are things prepared. (2.) Theſe prepared things are unknown things, Ear hath not heard them, Eye hath not ſeen them. (3.) They have been unknown things from the beginning.
The Ear of Man hath heard of many things, and the Eye of Man hath ſeen many things up and down the World, in thoſe many Ages that the World hath ſtood; yet behind all theſe things, that ſo many thouſands and millions of Ears (now ſtopped in the Grave) have heard, and ſo many Eyes (now ſunk down in their Holes) have ſeen; I ſay, behind all theſe there are things that Ear hath never heard, that Eye hath never ſeen; that Time, which uncovers many things, has not uncovered, in its manifold Revolutions, ſince the beginning. It may appear there are unſeen things,
2. From the particular Enumeration which we have in the Scripture, of things which have not been ſeen, or are unſeen.
The Holy Ghoſt mentions many things in particular that are foreign, do not appear. As in a word only to inſtance in a few things.
(1.) The Holy Ghoſt makes report to us of a Life of Saints that is hid; Col. 3.3. Your-Life is hid with Chriſt in God; not only the Life of Grace, but eſpecially the Perfection of that Life, the Life of Glory, this is hid.
Hiding implies two things; 1. Safety; that the thing is in ſafety; ſo is this Life, for it's hid with Chriſt in God. 2. Secreſy; that the thing hid is covered and out of ſight; ſuch is the Life of Glory, it is a hidden Life, the Glory of it is cover'd, and out of the ſight of all Mortals.
(2.) We read of manifeſtation of Sons; Rom. 8.19. For the earneſt Expectation of the Creature, waiteth for the manifeſtation of the Sons of God. And alſo to the ſame purpoſe, in 1 John 3.2. It doth not yet appear what we ſhall be. In both theſe places we have a Diſcovery that is to be made of the Sons of God. Behind all that is yet manifeſt, or doth yet appear, there is a Manifeſtation of the Sons of God, it doth not yet appear what we ſhall be. O Sirs, the Sons of God ſhall be manifeſted with, and appear in much Glory, much internal Glory in their Souls and Bodies, much external Glory in their Privileges and Poſſeſſions, that is not yet manifeſt, neither doth yet appear.
(3.) Glory to be revealed; Rom. 8.18. 1 Pet. 5.1. And alſo a Partaker of the Glory that ſhall be revealed. Here is a Glory to be revealed, to be opened and uncovered, that is yet covered and unſeen; a Glory to be thus revealed in us, or among us, us who are now ſuffering among Men.
(4.) Wrath to come on Sinners; 1 Theſſ. 1.10. Matth. 3.7. O Generation of Vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the Wrath to come? Wrath to come in another World, and in an eternal Eſtate, beſides and behind all that comes, and is ſeen in this World and preſent Time.
(5.) Second Death, that poor Creatures (dead in Treſpaſſes and Sins) have to paſs under, when through the Door of the firſt Death. Rev. 2.11. He that overcometh, ſhall not be hurt of the ſecond Death. Rev. 20.6. Bleſſed and Holy is he that hath part in the firſt Reſurrection; on him the ſecond Death ſhall have no Power. There is then you ſee ſuch a thing as a ſecond Death. O think on it, poor Sinners, it's an unſeen thing, but an unqueſtionable thing; there is ſuch a thing certainly, and it's a dreadful thing: the firſt Death is nothing, the breadth of it is but a ſtep, the length of it is but a moment of Time, or two; but the ſecond Death is ſomething, there are the Chambers of Death, where you ſhall be led from one Miſery to another, and where you ſhall dwell for ever.
3. The Being of unſeen things is manifeſt from the ſpecial Diſtribution, or Diſtinction, that the Scripture makes of things, into two ranks or ſorts. This is another thing that will yet put this Truth out of queſtion. We find the Holy Ghoſt diſtributing things,
(1.) Into things preſent and to come; Rom. 8.38. For I am perſwaded that neither Death, nor Life, nor Angels, nor Principalities, nor Powers, or things preſent, or things to come, &c. 1 Cor. 3.22. there again you read of things preſent and to come.
(2.) Into thoſe of this Life, and of the Life to come; 1 Tim. 4.8. Godlineſs hath the Promiſe of the Life that now is, and of that which is to come.
(3.) Into things of this World, and that to come; Luke 20.34, 35. The Children of this World marry, and are given in Marriage; But they which ſhall be accounted worthy to obtain that World, and the Reſurrection from the Dead, &c. Eph. 1.21. Every Name that is named, not only in this World, but in that which is to come.
(4.) Into things Above, and things on Earth; Col. 3.2. Set your Affections on things above, not on things on the Earth.
(5.) Things in Heaven and in Earth; Col. 1.16. For by him were all things created that are in Heaven, and that are in Earth.
(6.) Things Temporal and things Eternal; 2 Cor. 4.18. The things which are ſeen are Temporal, but the things which are not ſeen are Eternal.
(7.) Things Viſible and Inviſible; Col. 1.16. For by him were all things Created, viſible and inviſible; i. e. all the Creatures, for they are all viſible or inviſible; and as there are viſible, ſo there are inviſible unſeen Creatures. Thus things are diſtinguiſhed, into things preſent and to come. Now the things preſent, the things of this Life are viſible, are ſeen things; and the things to come, the things of the other Life are foreign, inviſible and unſeen.
4. The Being of unſeen things is evident from the Examples or Experience of thoſe that have been brought within ſome ſight of unſeen things; thus Peter, James, and John had a Praeludium, a Prefiguration of the unſeen Glory of Heaven, in Chriſt's Transfiguration, Mat. 17. So Stephen, when dying, ſaw the Glory of God, and Jeſus ſtanding on the right Hand of God, Acts 7.55. Mark, he ſaw into Heaven, and beheld Chriſt there in his Glory. If any would enquire here, de modo, how the Heavens were opened, and how he ſaw the Glory; it's both beſide my preſent Work, and above my Ability to ſatisfy their Curioſity. Res patet, modus latet.
Again, Paul tells us, that he was caught up into the third Heaven, into Paradiſe, the Place of God's Glory, the Habitation of Saints and Angels; and that there he heard wordleſs words, things impoſſible to be uttered, 2 Cor. 12.2, 3, 4. Mark pray, he tells us again and again, whether out of the Body, or in the Body, I can't tell, God knoweth; but this he can tell, that he was in the third Heaven, in Paradiſe, and heard unſpeakable words. So on the other ſide, as Stephen a little before his Death, had a foreſight of the unſeen Glory above, and dying, went into the full Poſſeſſion of it: ſo Judas a little before his Death had a foretaſte of the Woe and Worm below, and dying went to the full Experience of it; Acts 1.25. From which Judas by Tranſgreſſion fell, that he might go to his own place. So the Sodomites are ſet out, Jude 7. not only for an Example of Admonition, to warn other Sinners, but as an Example of Conviction, to convince other Sinners that there is an eternal Fire; or for an Example of this Truth, that there are Sufferings not ſeen; remaining for impenitent and ſecure Sinners, as thoſe that hear theſe words ſhall ſee and find one day, if Repentance and Grace prevent not.
5. From Scripture-Viſions, wherein the Lord hath made clear diſcoveries, and viſible repreſentations of inviſible things, things not ſeen, unto his Servants. The unſeen Judgment to come, was thus ſeen by Daniel in a Viſion; Dan. 7.9, 10. I beheld till the Thrones were caſt down, and the antient of days did ſit, whoſe Garment was white as Snow, and the Hair of his Head like the pure Wooll: his Throne was like the fiery Flame, and his Wheels as burning Fire. Verſe 10. A fiery Stream iſſued and came forth from before him: thouſand thouſands miniſtred unto him, and ten thouſand times ten thouſand ſtood before him: the Judgment was ſet, and the Books were opened. By John in another Viſion, Rev. 20.11, 12, 13. And I ſaw a great white Throne, and him that ſat on it, from whoſe Face the Earth and the Heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. Ver. 12. And I ſaw the Dead, ſmall and great, ſtand before God, and the Books were opened; and another Book was opened, which is the Book of Life, and the Dead were judged out of thoſe things which were written in the Books, according to their Works. Ver. 13. And the Sea gave up the Dead which were in it; and Death and Hell delivered up the Dead which were in them, and they were judged every Man according to their Works. The triumphant Church was ſeen, Rev. 21. That there be unſeen things, may be proved from the very Confeſſions of Pagans and Heathens; thoſe who have not had the Light of the Word, have yet had ſome confuſed, obſcure, and imperfect Apprehenſions of unſeen things, or that there are inviſible things. Saith Plato, Extabat lex de hominibus ſub Saturno, & ſemper & nunc etiam extat apud Deos; & quicun que homines juſte pié que vitam egiſſent, cum è vita migrarent, ad beatorum inſulas profecti, in omni foelicitate viverent, à malis longe ſejuncti: qui vero injuſte impié que vixiſſent, in punitionis juſti que ſupplicii carcerem quod appellant Tartarum irent: in Gorgia, pag. 356. Qui ob ſcelerum magnitudinem inſanabiles eſſe videntur, hos omnis conveniens ſors mergit in Tartarum, unde nunquam egrediuntur. Idem in Phaedone, pag. 84.
Socrates rejoiced that he was to die, becauſe he ſhould then go to ſee Homer, Heſiod, and other Worthies that were gone before.
Yea, Bion of Boriſtenes the Atheiſt, who all his Life time had denied the Gods, and derided their Worſhip, yet when Death came was extreamly afraid of dying, and that not ſo much becauſe of the loſs of Life, or Pains of Death, but for fear of what followed after Death.
I might much enlarge here: from this Principle thoſe things took their Riſe that we find either in Poets or Philoſophers concerning the Elyſian Fields, the Stygean Lake, &c.
From theſe Arguments we may ſee that there are unſeen things. The next Enquiry we ſhall make is,
Secondly, What theſe things are which are not ſeen, and which Chriſtians are to look at.
Now the Holy Scripture (which muſt be our Guide in this Enquiry) brings us tidings of many things, that to us and all the Living are not ſeen, do not appear. I ſhall at this Time confine my ſelf to, and ſum up all I ſhall ſay as to this in four Heads; there are theſe four things which are not ſeen, and that it concerns us to look at.
1. Death, 2. Judgment, 3. Heaven, 4. Hell.
1. The things of Death are unſeen things, things not ſeen: as in a word,
(1.) The time of Death is unſeen. The Living know that they ſhall die, Eccl. 9.5. but they know not when they ſhall die. Gen. 27.2. I know not the Day of my Death: So thou and I may ſay, I know not the Hour, Day, Week, Month, Year, wherein Death will come, it's unſeen. When an Hour is paſt, or a Day over, we may ſay that was not the Day or Hour; but we cannot ſay of the Day or Hour which is yet to come, that it ſhall not be the Time. Prov. 27.1. Boaſt not thy ſelf of to morrow, for thou knoweſt not what a Day may bring forth: the Day thou art now in, and ſpending on, may bring forth unſeen Death. The time of Death is one thing unſeen, this is one, no Man knows when it will be, at what Day, in what Year it will come, whether in Youth, or in old Age. O think on this, Sirs, the Time will come when you muſt die; but when this will be, is covered from you, you ſee it not, it may be at any Inſtant, in any Moment. Mark 13.35. Watch ye therefore, for ye know not when the Maſter of the Houſe cometh, at Even, or at Midnight, or at the Cock crowing, or in the Morning.
(2.) The Place of Death is unſeen; this is another. As we ſee not when, ſo we ſee not where we muſt die, in what Place, whether at Home, or Abroad, in the Houſe, or in the Field, in the Bed, or at the Board. It may be thou haſt been ſhewed where it was that thou waſt born, in what Place thou cameſt into the World and took thy firſt Breath; ay but they that have ſhewed thee this, cannot take thee again by the Hand, and lead thee to ſee the Place where thou muſt take thy laſt Breath and die, and go out of this World into another; this is unſeen, thou cannot ſay, lo it is here, or lo there it is; or if thou wilt, yet it may be neither here nor there, but ſomewhere elſe that thou never thinkſt of.
It's ſaid of Eſchilus the Poet in Sicily, that on a Day walking out of the Town where he dwelt to take the Air, he ſate him down upon a high Place, and having his Head (being bald) bare and uncovered, an Eagle flew over him in the Air, with a Tortoiſe in her Talons, and ſeeing his white Head, took it for a Stone, and ſo let it fall from a great Height thereon to break the Tortoiſe-ſhell, which broke his Scull, whereof he died preſently. One would have thought that this could not have been the Place of ſuch a Death, but rather that it was impoſſible for any thing to fall on his Head, unleſs the Heavens themſelves had dropt down: but alas, Death can come on us any where, we are no where out of its reach, neither know we where it will meet us; when we think our ſelves moſt ſafe, or never think of it, it may thus drop on our Heads. When Bibulus the Roman General was riding in Triumph in all his Glory through the Streets of Rome, a Tile fell from a Houſe and beat out his Brains. Many have ſeen Death where they have never thought of ſeeing it, and thou knoweſt not where thou may'ſt ſee it. Pſal. 89.48. What Man is he that liveth and ſhall not ſee Death? That's the Pſalmiſt's Queſtion, it may be mine, What Man is he that lives (of you that are here to day) that can tell, where it is he muſt ſee Death? which he cannot ſcape ſeeing ſomewhere; and it's a Queſtion you can none of you anſwer. O that you would think of it, and labour to be ſuch, as you may be ready to ſee it in any Place.
(3.) The manner of Death is unſeen: as we ſee not when or where, ſo we can as little ſee how we muſt die, by what kind or manner of Death we muſt go out of this World: there is but one way of coming into the World, one Door that we all came in at at our Entrance, but there are many ways out of the World. Mors eſt bellua Centiceps, and comes a hundred ways. The Jews reckon 903 kinds of Death; but among all the kinds that we may obſerve, we can't ſee our own ſo as to ſingle it out, and ſay, by this kind of Death I ſhall go into another World; this is covered from the Eyes of all Fleſh. Jacob died in his Bed; Joſiah by the Sword; Job's Children by the fall of the Houſe where they were eating; Eli by a fall from the Seat where he was ſitting: Death began with Aſa in his Feet, and ſtruck him there e're it came to ſtrike him at the Heart, 2 Chron. 16.12. Death begun with the Murmuring Iſraelites at the Heart, and ſtruck them with their Meat in their Mouths, Numb. 11.33. We ſee daily ſome die a natural, others a violent Death; ſome by this, ſome by that, and ſome by the other kind of Sickneſs: ſome go out of the World by a Death that gives them long Warning, others ſhort Warning, and others none at all; and in this reſpect (I ſay) Death is an unſeen thing with you and me, we know not which of the many kinds of it, whether this or that, or the other, is a coming to let us into another World. Rev. 6.8. there we have Death riding on his pale Horſe, deſcribed in the 7th verſe, we may ſee whence he came, And when he had opened the fourth Seal, I heard the Voice of the fourth Beaſt ſay, Come and ſee: and I looked, and behold, a Pale Horſe, and his Name that ſate on him was Death. Mark, he came from under a Seal, broke out upon the opening of a Seal. Death is ſealed, thy Death and my Death are remaining under the Seal of the Everliving God, concealed from thee and me and all Mortals, and not to be known till he open the Seal and ſend them out. Death, I ſay, is ſealed; and as no Man knows what is in a Letter till the Seal be opened, ſo no more do we know at what Time, or in what Place, or by what manner of Death we muſt go out of this World, before the Lord break open the Seal, and ſend Death on Horſeback to our Doors.
(4.) I might add the nature of Death is unſeen; we hear much of the Name, but alas we ſee little of the Nature of Death: we are acquainted with the word Death, O but we have little Acquaintance with the work or thing, Death: now we talk of it, and diſcourſe of it at a diſtance, but verily, Sirs, when that which is called ſeeing Death, and taſting Death, meets us, Death will be another thing than now it's commonly taken to be with many. Deut. 32.29. O that they were wiſe, that they underſtood this, that they would conſider their latter End. Well this is the firſt; Death, as I told you in the entrance on the Particulars, is the Door, the Way, to things which are not ſeen; and I tell you here again in the cloſe of it, that this Door to things unſeen, is alſo unſeen. Pray think of it you that are here to day; 1. You believe you muſt die. 2. This thing that you call dying or Death, is I tell you a Door, an Inlet to unſeen things, things behind all that have ever been ſeen in the World. 3. This Death that is thus a Door to thoſe unſeen things, is it ſelf an unſeen thing; the Time of it is unſeen, and the Place of it is unſeen, and the Kind of it is unſeen: you know neither when, nor where, nor how it will come upon any of you. Therefore certainly, Sirs, it concerns you to look at this, and to look how you are provided to meet this unſeen thing, that is the beginning of unſeen things; Unſeen Judgment is next behind this, an unſeen Heaven or Hell, Salvation or Damnation is next behind that; you know not when or where you may ſee Death, but as ſoon as ever you have ſeen Death, you muſt ſee Judgment; and as ſoon as ever you have ſeen Judgment, you muſt ſee Heaven or Hell for ever. I pray you think of it; art thou not a Drunkard? why the next Time thou goeſt to the Ale-houſe thou mayſt ſee Death there, and ſo never ſee Houſe more, but Hell-houſe. Art thou a Fornicator, or Adulterer? Art thou a Swearer? art thou a Profaner of the Lord's Day? O remember Death that is now unſeen may ſurprize thee in the very act of thy Sin, this is the Porch and Door to the unſeen things of another World, and it's alſo an unſeen thing, a thing not ſeen, that leads to things not ſeen, an inviſible thing that is an Introduction to inviſible things, that are Eternal; the things of Death I ſay are unſeen.