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SEAM.
IX.l
THE HIDDEN LIFE
OF
A
CHRISTIAN.
165
at
present,
we
may draw
these
two
or three inferences
from
it.
L
Inference. How necessary
is
it for a
christian
to
keep faith awake
and
lively,
that
he may
maintain
his
acquaintance
with
the
spiritual and
unseen world
!
It
is
faith
that
converses
with invisibles
:
Faith
is
the sub-
stance
of
things
hoped
for,
and the evidence
of
things
not
seen.
Heb.
xi.
1.
It
is
faith
that
deals in
hidden
traffic,
and
grows
rich
in
treasures
that
are
out of
sight.
It
is by
faith
in the
Son
of
God,
we live this
spiritual
life, by
faith
in
an
absent
Saviour
;
Gal.
ii.
20.
Whom
having
not
seen,
we
love; and though
we
see him
not,
yet
believing,
we
rejoice;
1
Pet.
i.
8.
Let
the christian,
therefore, maintain
a
holy
jealousy,
lest
too much converse
with
the things
of
sense,
dull the
eye
of
his
faith,
or
weaken the
hand
of
it.
Let
him
put
his faith into
perpetual
exercise,
that
he may live
within
the
view
of
those glories
that are
hidden
from
sense;
that
he may
keep
his
hold
of
eternal life; that
he may
support
his
hopes,
and secure
his
joys.
Until
we
can
live by sight,
let
us walk by faith,
2
Cor.
v.
7,
Though
the
life
of
heaven
be
hidden,
yet
so
much
of
it
is
revealed
as to give
faith leave to
lay
hold
of
it;
and
yet not
so
much,
as
to make
the hand
of
faith needless.
It
is
brought
down
by
our Lord Jesus Christ
in
the gos-
peI,
within the
view
of
faith,
that
we
might
live in
expec-
tation
of
it,
and
be
animated
to
the glorious
pursuit;
but it
is
not brought
within the
reach
of
sense,
for
we
are
now
in
a
state
of
trial
;
and this
is
not
the
proper
time
nor
place for sight and enjoyment,
II.
Inference.
How
little
is
death
to be
dreaded
by
a
believer, since it
will
bring
the soul to
the
full
posses-
sion
of
its
hidden
life in
heaven
!
It
is
a dark valley
that
divides between this world
and
the
next; but it
is
all
a
region
of
light and
blessedness beyond
it.
We
are
now
borderers
on
the eternal
world,
and
we
know
but
little
of that
invisible
country. Approaching death opens
the
gates
to
us,
and
begins to
give
our
holy
curiosity
some
secret satisfaction
;
and yet
how
we
shrink back-
ward
when
that
glorious unknown
city
is
opening upon
us
!
and are ready
to
-beg
and pray
that
the gates might be
closed
again:
" O
!
for
a
little more
time,
a little longer
m
3