Section 1152
The Saints Desire After Heaven And A Future State Of Happiness[5395]
Occasioned By The Death Of Mrs. Elizabeth Gill. Preached Oct. 21, 1764
But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly; wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city—Hebrews 11:16.
THE apostle begins this chapter, with a definition of faith, which he describes, as the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen: and illustrates this definition, by instances and examples, in the patriarchs, both before and after the flood; and he first instances in Abel, the immediate offspring of the first man, who by faith offered up a more excellent sacrifice, than his brother Cain: he then proceeds to Enoch, who by faith, was translated, that he should not see death; and received a testimony from God, that he pleased him by his faith, he next goes on to Noah, the heir and preacher of the righteousness of faith: who being warned of God, of unseen things, by faith prepared an ark, for the saving of himself and family, from a flood threatened to drown the whole world. Abraham and his posterity are next taken notice of, on which instance, the apostle enlarges, and observes, that God called this good man from his native country, to go to another, he was afterwards to potters; and that he by faith obeyed and went forth, not knowing whither he went; and that he, with Isaac and Jacob, dwelt in tabernacles in it, and confessed themselves pilgrims and strangers; and though they had an opportunity of returning to the country from whence they came, were unmindful of it. Abraham never returned to it; and when he lent his servant to take from thence a wife for his son Isaac, he charged him not to lay himself under any obligation to bring his son thither, for both he and they had another and better country in view; but now they desire a better country, etc., which refers, not to the time of the apostle’s writing; for then they were in heaven, in this better country, but to the time when they dwelt in tabernacles in a strange land; when they confessed themselves strangers and pilgrims there, and shewed no regard to the country they came out of, their hearts being intent upon another and better country.
All this may be applied to any and every believer, in any and every period of time; they, as Abraham, are called from their native country, out of the world, and from the men of it, among whom they were born, and had their conversation in time pace, and are bid to be separate from them, and have no fellowship with them; are exhorted and encouraged to forsake their own people, and their father’s house; and under the influence of divine grace, do leave all, and follow Christ, as the apostles did. And as the patriarchs dwelt in tabernacles on earth, so they dwell in bodies, called houses of clay, which have their foundation in the dust; earthly houses of this tabernacle; which are easily unpinned, and soon taken down and dissolved. The apostle Peter makes use of this metaphor, with respect to his own body: I think it meet, says he, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up, by putting you in remembrance; knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle; (2 Peter 1:13, 14) and as the patriarchs confessed themselves strangers and pilgrims on earth, so do those who are effectually called by the grace of God. They own themselves to be strangers and sojourners here as all their fathers were; that their state on earth is a state of pilgrimage, and their time in it, a time of sojourning, which they pass in fear: and hence the apostle Peter addresses such, and exhorts them, as pilgrims and strangers, to abstain from fleshly lusts (1 Peter 2:11). And these, though hey have an opportunity of returning to their former state and manner of life; nor are temptations to it wanting from their carnal and unbelieving hearts; like the Israelites, who in a fit of unbelief, were for making themselves a captain, and returning to Egypt, and their carnal appetites, hankering after the provisions there; and from Satan, who endeavors to draw them back, by the snares and allurements of the world; yet notwithstanding such are the impressions and influences of divine grace upon them, that they mind and favor spiritual and heavenly things, and are unmindful of their former country, and earthly things; and such is the power of divine grace, by which they are kept, that they are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the foul, (Hebrews 10:39), but they desire, seek after, and look for, a better, even an heavenly country this world is not their home, their place of reef; here they have no continuing city, but they seek one to come, their citizenship is in heaven, and their hearts are there.
What I shall further do with these words, will be to observe the following things.