Unseen Things to Be Preferred to Seen Things

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"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen—but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary—but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18

Among all the causes of the stupid unconcernedness of sinners about true religion, and the feeble endeavours of saints to improve in it—there is none more common or more effectual, than their not forming a due estimate of the things of time—in comparison with those of eternity. Our present affairs engross all our thoughts, and exhaust all our activity, though they are but transitory trifles; while the solemn realities of the future world are hid from our eyes by the veil of flesh and the clouds of ignorance. Did these unseen eternal realities break in upon our minds in all their tremendous importance, they would annihilate the most desired vanities of the present state, obscure the glare of all earthly glory, render all its pleasures insipid, and give us a noble resignation under all its sorrows.

A realizing view of these eternal realities, would shock the world-ling in his thoughtless career, tear off the hypocrite's mask, and inflame the devotion of the languishing saints. The concern of mankind would then be how they might make a safe exit out of this world—and not how they may live happy in their earthly state. Present pleasure and pain—would be swallowed up in the prospect of everlasting happiness or misery hereafter! Eternity, solemn eternity, would then be our serious contemplation. The pleasures of sin would strike us with horror—as they issue in eternal pain! And our present afflictions, however tedious and severe, would appear but light and momentary—if they work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory!

These were the views which the apostle had of things, and these their effects upon him. He informs us in this chapter of his unwearied zeal to propagate the gospel amidst all the hardships and dangers that attend the painful discharge of his ministry. Though he bore about in his body the dying of the Lord Jesus, though he was always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake—yet he fainted not. And this was the prospect that animated him—that his "light affliction, which was but for a moment, would work out for him a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory!" (2 Corinthians 4:17). When we view his sufferings in themselves, without any reference to eternity—they were very heavy and of many years' continuance; and when he represents them in this view, how pitiable is the narrative! (See 2 Corinthians 11:23–29).

But when he views them in the light of eternity, and compared with their glorious outcome—they sink into nothing! Then scourging, stoning, imprisonment, and all the various deaths to which he was daily exposed—are but light, trifling afflictions, hardly worth naming! Then a series of uninterrupted sufferings for many years—are but momentary afflictions! And when he views a glorious futurity, human language cannot express the ideas he has of the happiness reserved for him; it is "a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory!" A noble sentiment! And expressed in the sublimest manner the language of mortals can conceive!

It is glory—in opposition to affliction! It is a weight of glory—in opposition to light affliction! It is a massive, extensive blessedness, which it requires all the powers of the soul, in their full exertion, to support! In opposition to affliction for a moment—it is eternal glory! And to finish all, it is a far more exceeding glory! What greater idea can be grasped by the human mind, or expressed in the feeble language of mortality! Nothing but actually feeling that weight of glory could enlarge his conception; and nothing but the dialect of heaven could better express it! No wonder that, with this view of things, Paul wrote, "I consider that our present sufferings—are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us!" (Romans 8:18)

The apostle observes, that he formed this estimate of things, while he looked not at the "things which are seen—but at the things which are unseen." By the things that are SEEN, are meant the present life, and all the things of time: all the pleasures and pains, all the labors, pursuits, and amusements of the present state.

By the things that are Unseen, are intended all the invisible realities of the eternal world: all the beings, the enjoyments and sufferings which lie beyond the reach of human sight—such as the great Deity, the joys of paradise, and the punishment of hell.

We are to look on these invisible things, and not on those that are seen. This seems like a contradiction; but is it easily solved by understanding this act, described by LOOKING, to be the act not of the bodily eye—but of faith and enlightened reason. Faith is defined by this apostle to be "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). And it is the apostle's chief design in that chapter, to give instances of the surprising efficacy of such a realizing belief of eternal, invisible things (see particularly Hebrews 11:10, 13, 14, 16, 25, 26, 27).

Hence to look not at visible—but at invisible things, signifies that the apostle made unseen eternal realities, the chief objects of his contemplations, so that he was governed in the whole of his conduct by the impression of eternal things—and not by thepresent; that he formed his maxims and schemes from a comprehensive survey of futurities—and not from a partial view of things present; and, in short, that he had acted as an expectant of eternity—and not as a fleeting inhabitant of this wretched world. This he else where expresses in equivalent terms, "We walk by faith—and not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Further, he assigns a reason why he had a greater regard to invisible things than the visible, in the regulating of his conduct: "For what is seen is temporary—but what is unseen is eternal." An important reason indeed! Eternity when compared to a trifle—would advance it into infinite importance! But when eternity is the adjective of the most perfect happiness, or of the most exquisite misery—then it transcends all comparison! Then all temporal happiness and misery, however great and long-continued, shrink into nothing, are drowned and lost—like the small drop of water in the boundless ocean. "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life!" Matthew 25:46

My present design, and the contents of the text, prescribe to me the following method:

I. I shall give you a comparative view of visible and invisible things—that you may see the trifling nature of the one—and the great importance of the other. This I choose to do under one head, because by placing these two classes of things in animmediate comparison, we may see their infinite disparity.

II. I shall show you the great and happy influence which a suitable impression of the superior importance of invisible things to visible things, would have upon us.

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen—but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary—but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18

I. A Comparative View of Visible and Invisible Things

We may compare visible and invisible things:

as to their intrinsic value,

and as to their duration.

1. Consider the infinite disparity between the invisible things and the visible things—as to their INTRINSIC VALUE. In this respect, the disparity is inconceivable!

This I shall illustrate in the two comprehensive instances of pleasure and pain. To shun the one, and obtain the other—is the natural effort of the human mind. This is its aim in all its endeavours and pursuits. The innate desire for happiness and aversion tomisery—are the two great springs of all human activity! Were these springs relaxed or broken, all business would cease, all activity would stagnate, and universal torpor would seize the world! And these principles are co-existent with the soul itself, and will continue in full vigor in a future eternal state.

Nay, as the soul will then be matured, and all its powers arrived to their complete perfection; this eagerness after happiness, and aversion to misery—will be also more quick and vigorous! The soul in its present state of infancy, like a young child, or a man enfeebled and stupefied by sickness—is incapable of very deep sensations of pleasure and pain; and hence an excess of joy, as well as sorrow, has sometimes dissolved its feeble union with the body. On this account, we are incapable of such degrees of happiness or misery from the things of this world—as beings of more lively sensations might receive from them. And much more are we incapable of the happiness or misery of the future world—until we have actually put on immortality!

We cannot see God and live. Should the glory of heaven blaze upon us in all its majestic splendour—it would overwhelm our feeble nature; we could not support such a weight of glory! And one twinge of the agonies of hell would dislodge the soul from its earthly habitation! One pang of hell would convulse and stupefy it—were not its powers strengthened by the separation from the body.

But in the future world all the powers of the soul will be mature and strong, and the body will be clothed with immortality; the union between them after the resurrection will be inseparable, and able to support the most oppressive weight of glory—or the most intolerable load of torment!

Hence it follows that pleasure and pain include all that we can desire or fear—in the present or future world; and therefore a comparative view of present and future pleasure and pain is sufficient to enable us to form a due estimate of visible and invisible things.

By present pleasure I mean all the happiness we can receive from present things: as from riches, honours, sensual gratifications, learning, and intellectual improvements, and all the amusements and activities of this life.

And by future pleasure, or the pleasure which results from invisible things, I mean all the fruitions and enjoyments in which heavenly happiness consists.

By present pain, I mean all the uneasiness which we can receive from the things of the present life: as poverty, losses, mental distress, disappointments, bereavements, sickness, and bodily pains.

And by future pain, I mean all the punishments of hell: as banishment from God, and a privation of all created blessings, the agonizing reflections of a guilty conscience, the horrid company and torments of infernal demons, and the torture of infernal flames.

Now let us put these in the balance—and the one will sink into nothing, and the other rise into infinite importance!

CONSIDER:

A. Temporal things are of a contracted nature, and not adequate to the capacities of the human soul; but eternal things are great, and capable of communicating all the happiness and misery which the soul can receive.

B. The soul in its present state is not capable of such degrees of happiness and misery—as it will be in the future, when it actually dwells among invisible realities.

C. All that pleasure and pain which we receive from things that are seen, are intermingled with some ingredients of a contrary nature. In this present world, our good and evil are blended. Our happiness has some bitter ingredients, and our miseries have some agreeable mitigations. But the pleasure and pain which we receive from things that are unseen, are pure and unmingled.

Let's look at these facts in detail:

A. VISIBLE things are not equal to the capacities of the human soul. This little spark of being, the soul, which lies obscured in this prison of flesh, gives frequent discoveries of surprising powers; its desires in particular, have a kind of infinity. But all temporary objects are base and contracted; they cannot afford the soul a happiness equal to its capacity—nor render it asmiserable as its capacity of suffering will bear. Hence, in the greatest affluence of temporal enjoyments, in the midst of honours, pleasures, riches, friends, etc., it still feels a painful void within, and finds an unknown something lacking, to complete its happiness.

Kings have been unhappy upon their thrones—and all their grandeur has been but majestic misery! So Solomon found it, who had both curiosity and opportunity to make the experiment; and this is his verdict upon all earthly enjoyments, after the most extensive and impartial trial: "Vanity of vanities" says the Preacher, "vanity of vanities; all is vanity and vexation of spirit!" (Ecclesiastes 1:2, 13).

On the other hand, the soul may possess some degree of happiness, under all the miseries it is now capable of suffering from external and temporal things. Guilt indeed denies it this support; but if there be no internal broils, no anguish resulting from its own reflections—then not all the visible afflictions can render it perfectly miserable; its capacity of suffering is not put to its utmost stretch. This has been attested by the experience of multitudes who have suffered for righteousness' sake.

But oh, when we take a survey of INVISIBLE things—we find them all great and majestic, not only equal, but infinitely superior to the most enlarged powers of the human and even of the angelic nature. In His eternal worlds—the great Invisible dwells, and there He acts with His own direct hand. It is He who directly and personally communicates happiness through the heavenly regions. And it is His direct and personal breath that, like a stream of brimstone, kindles the flames of hell. Whereas, in the present world, He rarely communicates happiness, and inflicts punishment—but by the instrumentality of creatures; and it is impossible that the extremity of either happiness or misery—should be communicated through the instrumentality of creatures.

This the infinite God alone can do, and, though in the future worlds He will use His creatures to heighten the happiness or misery of each other—yet He will have a more direct and personal agency in them Himself. He will communicate happiness directly andpersonally from Himself, the infinite fountain of it—into the vessels of mercy! And He will directly and personally show His wrath, and make His power known upon the vessels of wrath.

I may add, that those BEINGS, angels and devils, which will be the instruments of happiness or misery to the human soul in the invisible world—are incomparably more powerful than any in this present world—and consequently capable of contributing more to our pleasure or pain.

And let me also observe, that all OBJECTS about which our faculties will be employed then—will be great and majestic; whereas, at present, we grovel among little sordid things. The objects of our contemplation, will then be either the unveiled glories of the divine nature, and the unveiled wonders of creation, providence, and redemption; OR the unveiled terrors of divine justice, the dreadful nature and aggravations of our sin, the horrors of everlasting punishment, etc.

And since this is the case, how little should we regard the things that are seen—in comparison of those which are unseen? But though visible things were adequate to our present capacities—yet they are not to be compared with the things that are unseen, because:

B. The soul is at present in a state of infancy, and incapable of such degrees of pleasure or pain—as it can bear in the future world. The enjoyments of this present life—are like the playthings of children; and none but childish souls would trifle with them, or fret and vex themselves or one another about them!

But the invisible realities awaiting us are manly and great, and such as an adult soul ought to concern itself with. The soul in the eternal world, can no more be happy or miserable from such earthly toys—than men can be happy or wretched in the possession or loss of the baubles of children! In the eternal world, the soul will then necessitate great things to give it pleasure or pain. The apostle illustrates this matter in this manner: "For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child—I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became aman—I put childish ways behind me." (1 Corinthians 13:9-11). How foolish is it then, to be chiefly governed by these childish earthly toys—while we neglect the great and manly concerns of eternity—which alone can make our souls perfectly happy or miserable, when their powers are come to perfection!

C. And lastly, All that pleasure and pain which we receive from things that are seen, are intermingled with some ingredients of a contrary nature. In this present world, our good and evil are blended. Our happiness has some bitter ingredients, and our miseries have some agreeable mitigations. But the pleasure and pain which we receive from things that are unseen, are pure andunmingled.

We are never so HAPPY in this world—as to have no uneasiness! In the greatest affluence—we languish for lack of some absent good, or grieve under some incumbent evil.

On the other hand, we are never so MISERABLE in this world—as to have no ingredient of happiness. When we labour under a thousand calamities, we may still see ourselves surrounded with, perhaps, an equal number of blessings. And where now is there a wretch so miserable—as to endure unmingled misery, without one comfortable ingredient?

But in the invisible world, there is an eternal separation made between good and evil, pleasure and pain; and they shall never more mingle. In heaven—the rivers of pleasure flow untroubled with a drop of sorrow. In hell, there is not a drop of water to mitigate the fury of the eternal flame! And who then would not prefer the things that are unseen—to those that are seen?

2. Now consider the infinite disparity between the invisible things and the visible things—as to DURATION. This is the difference particularly intended in the text: "For what is seen is temporary—but what is unseen is eternal."

The transitoriness of visible things, implies both that the things themselves are perishable—and they may soon leave us; and that our residence among them is temporary—and we must soon leave them!

And the eternity of invisible things implies quite the contrary: that the things themselves are of endless duration; and that we shall always exist to receive either happiness—or misery from them!

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