Looking at Unseen Things
To say the we can look at unseen things may sound strange to some. I need not to say it. It has been said long ago, and all I need to do is to repeat the words—“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.” (2 Corinthians 4:18) Oh, how prone man is to look on temporal things and fail to see the eternal! A woman came to Jesus as He sat at meat and poured upon His head a very precious ointment. On account of this the disciples said with indignation, “To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.” (Matthew 26:8-9) They saw only temporal things.
The Apostle Paul was troubled on every side; he was perplexed, persecuted, cast down, and bore about in his body the dying of the Lord Jesus; but he did not look upon those afflictions which were to be seen; he looked upon the eternal gain which these afflictions worked for him, but which could not be seen. He saw a mansion in glory, and these afflictions only served to separate him farther from earthly pleasures and gratifications; crucified him, as it were, to earthly things and gave him more of the Christ-life and a clear vision of heavenly things. Beloved, your capability to enjoy heaven depends upon the stretch your soul is making here. Seeing temporal things dims the eye so that we cannot see eternal things. Oh, how prone is man to look upon his trials and persecutions! The apostle did not see his troubles and persecutions; he saw only the eternal glory these things were gaining for him.
Trials, persecutions, temptations, and such things are needful. “If need be,” says Peter, “ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations.” (1 Peter 1:6) Why are those things needful? Because they are the trying of your faith, and your faith is increased by being tried.
I will ask the reader to open his Bible to 1 Peter 1: 6-8 and read, and I pray God to help your soul to see and to help me to describe to you the wondrous beauty my soul sees in these texts. We learn that “heaviness through many temptations” is a necessity in the Christian life. There is an established law between cause and effect. Certain causes produce certain effects. These effects may become causes to produce other effects. Now, trials and persecutions produce an increase of faith in our heart. This we learn from verse 7. This increase is more precious than gold. Ofttimes it is very difficult for Christians to see the worth of a trial. They can see the value of gold, but they cannot see the value of a trial. They look on things temporal, and not on things eternal. Trials increase your faith, and the result of having your faith increased is told us in verse 8. Jesus you have not seen, but now by faith you look upon that which is not seen, and you love Him; and by believing in Him whom you see not, or by an eye of faith making Him real unto you, “ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” (1 Peter 1:8)
To enable you to comprehend more fully the real worth of trials, I will give you an illustration. I do not wish you to become visionary, but allow me to ask you to imagine yourself, for a moment, to be in heaven. Before you stands a large pair of balances. In one end of the balances is a saint, who has come up from the earth and is now crowned in heaven. In the other end is a bright object, which we will call glory. Now, the heavier the glory in the one end, the higher will the saint in the other rise in joy, blessedness, and happiness. Every trial, persecution, and affliction that the saint had on earth added more weight to that object of “eternal glory,” (2 Timothy 2:10; 1 Peter 5:10) and he rises correspondingly higher in the felicity of his Savior.
This is the true effect of trials. But alas for the poor man who lives by sight, and not by faith; who looks upon things seen, and not upon things unseen. Get your eyes away from your trials, and looking above, see them working for you an exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Oh, how light a thing is a trial compared with the “weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17) that the trial effects for us! Never was there such an effect produced by so light a thing. To what can we compare it? All comparisons fall infinitely short of conveying to our mind the wonderful product of a “light affliction.” Think of a moment’s being expanded into an eternity, and you will have some conception of the true weight of the glory that is the result of a trial.
I must here tell you of a sister’s dream. This sister was in deep trial, and she was not bracing up under it as she should. She had almost cast away her confidence and was sinking into despair. One night she dreamed that a departed saint had returned from the glory-world and was talking with her. This heavenly visitor was telling the sister of the saints of their acquaintances who, having died, were in heaven. She named them one after one. Then she said she saw the crowns awaiting the saints that were yet on the earth. She noticed that whenever a saint on earth was in deep trial and he did not cast away his confidence, but passed through the trial triumphantly, a jewel was added to his crown, and it shone with a greater brightness, and the angels rejoiced. She noticed also that when a saint on earth did cast away his confidence and despaired in time of trial, a gem dropped out of his crown, the whole crown turned black, and the angels wept. This dream became a powerful stimulant to this sister in the hour of trial, and I trust, dear reader, it will be the same to you.
Look not upon temporal or temporary things, but upon things eternal. Look more upon your mansion in heaven than you do upon your home on earth. By faith make heaven real. If some loved one dies in Christ, do not see them in the grave, but see them in heaven, and sorrow not. Do not look upon death, but see the glory that lies beyond. It is far better to depart and be with Christ than to live in this world. Those who think it better to stay here than to depart and be with Christ do not see enough of heaven. Their eyes are too dim. Their souls are not full of love for Jesus. What would we think of a man that lived in a small, decaying, ill-convenient house, when just over the river he possessed a good, large, comfortable home, with all modern conveniences, where he would be far happier? If he would prefer to live in his old, rickety home, you would conclude that he did not comprehend what great comfort and happiness he would have in his new home. Those who would rather stay here merely for their own pleasure do not see eternal things as they should, Christ is too dim to them. He is not real enough.
The flesh and earthly things dim the eye to eternal things. Saints should not do penance as the Romanists do, but they should practice self-denial. They should “[crucify] the flesh, with its affections and lusts.” (Galations 5:24) They should keep their bodies under and bring them into subjection. After Moses had fasted forty days, his face shone with heaven’s glory. Fasting is practiced that we might get nearer God. Whatever God allows for the body can be indulged in to the spiritual development of the soul, but whatever is excessive is a lust of the flesh and clouds the windows of the soul.
The less we see of earth, the more we can see of heaven. Those who are too mindful of earthly things do not see the glory of heavenly things. Martha did not see Jesus as Mary saw Him. If you see your mansion in heaven as Paul saw his (2 Corinthians 5:2) and as you should see yours, you will labor far more zealously to lay up treasures there than you will to lay them up on earth. Your mind will be much more upon heavenly things than upon earthly things. Learn to look upon things not seen. Look at earthly things but little. The more you enjoy of heaven here, the more you will enjoy over there. Then let your soul out to embrace all you can of God. Look not on the pleasures of earth; look not on the trials of life; but turn the vision of your soul heavenward and contemplate its glories by day and night. Do these things and that upper, bright world will grow dearer to your heart as you draw nearer to it.