Rejoicing in God's Love

"We walk by faith, not by sight." -II Corinthians 5:7 [KJV]

Thus we quit sense for faith. So we overcome the lust of the eyes. To gratify these, is contrary to the walk of faith. Then is it any marvel, that we lose the peace, comfort, and joy of faith? But this is not what is here meant by sight, as opposed to faith. Here is an infallible truth. Though a Christian, by the eye of sense, can neither see God, Christ, the things of the heavenly world, etc. yet he walks in the firm belief of what the word of God tells him of them: and hence, they have the supreme affection of the soul, from day to day. 

Faith supplies the sight of them. They are as real to the mind, as though seen by the bodily eye. Thus, a lively hope of enjoying them, is kept up in the heart. “We are always confident,” we are sure of the existence of spiritual, heavenly, and invisible objects, as we are of our own being. O ye sons of carnal sight and sense! ye deride us: we pity you. Ye look only at temporal shadows: we, at eternal substance. “The things which are not seen are eternal” (II Corinthians 4:18.) See the preciousness of faith. 

 For, (1st.) though we do not now, nor ever have seen Christ, yet we love Him: believing in Him, we rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory (I Peter 1:8.) 

For, (2d.) we see in ourselves nothing but sin and misery. But by faith, we know we are perfectly righteous in Christ— perfectly accepted of God—perfectly justified in His sight— presented without spot of sin. 

(3d.) We see our bodies under the sentence of death—daily dying—hastening to the grave. Natural sight can look no further. There we see an end of our existence. The body turns to dust. But by faith we look through death and the grave: we see, and say, “We know, that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (II Corinthians 5:1.) 

(4th.) Though we do not see how, nor can we explain the manner of the Spirit’s work upon our souls, no more than we can tell from whence the wind cometh, or whither it goeth; yet by sweet experience we can say, “He who wrought us for this self-same thing, is the Spirit of God” (verse 5.) 

For we find ourselves formed, to live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved us, and gave Himself for us (Galatians 2:20.) Hence, we are dead to the pleasures of sense, and the joys of carnal mirth. For, we see Jesus at the right hand of God, where is fulness of joy, and pleasures for evermore. -Psalm 16:11

 

Blest be our Lord, Who gave us faith 

Things out of sight to see; 

To live and walk by what He saith, 

May this our glory be. 

Keep up this quick and piercing sight, 

Dear Lord, of things above: 

That we may walk with Thee in light, 

Rejoicing in Thy love.

 

-preacher Wm. Mason (1724-1797 A.D.)