Vol 01 - Chapter 06 - Of Hope.

Chapter 06 - Of Hope
1. As faith is nothing but a steady assurance, by which the Christian depends perfectly and entirely on the favor and mercy of GOD, promised in CHRIST Jesus; (Hebrews 11:1,) so hope is a constant and patient waiting for the accomplishment of that promise.
2. And this is that hope which maketh not ashamed; being, as well as faith, founded upon a firm, immovable basis. This is no other than God himself, who never faileth those that wait for him. And for the same reason, his peace, his joy, his rest, his glory, and his confidence, are eternal. On this foundation he stands fixt and secure, amidst all the crosses and calamities of life; and though the rains descend, the floods come, and the boisterous winds blow upon him, he is fearless and unmoved, knowing that his " house is built upon a rock," Matthew 7:25.
3. And as hope is built upon an immovable foundation, and the things of this world are fleeting and uncertain; therefore its rest, its entire dependence is on God alone, despising the pleasures and glories of the world. " They that trust in the Lord shall be even as the Mount Sion; that shall not be removed, but standeth fast for ever. As the hills stand about Jerusalem, even so standeth the Lord round about his people." On the other hand, they, whose hopes are founded on the riches, honors, or pleasures of this world, are perpetually exposed to fears, cares, and calamities; he at the mercy of every blast of unconstant fortune, by which they are tossed to and fro, and depend upon the world for every quiet moment they enjoy.
4. True hope is best learnt under the discipline of the cross. This discovers the inmost recesses of the soul, and shows us whether the hope that is in us be trueoff false. By this touchstone, we often find, that our hopes have not been so much fist upon God as upon the favors and blessings he bestows; that we have built upon the sand, and idolized the creature. For so great is the blindness of our nature, that we often rest in the creatures, instead of raising our minds from them to the Creator, as he designed. For to this intent only, does God bestow on man so many and great blessings; that by the gifts he may be drawn to the Giver, and learn to know, love, fear, and trust in God alone. But, so great is our corruption! We are not for serving God for nought; not for his own sake, but for what he bestows.
5. Nay, we sometimes proceed so far as to trust in ourselves, and depend on our own power, strength, and abilities, Then it is that God in mere mercy interposes, and breaks us in pieces; humbles, and confounds us, and so empties us of ourselves, that we may be filled with all the fullness of God. Which we cannot be, without being first emptied of that arrogance and self-conceit which stand in perfect opposition to the grace of God. Hence it appears that hope is a militant virtue, fighting against all that confidence in ourselves; all that self-exaltation upon the score of our own gifts, merits, righteousness, prosperity, honors, and riches, in which the natural man reposes all his confidence. The business of hope is to oppose and conquer all these delusions of the devil, and to seek its rest in the sanctuary of God.
6. It follows, that hope, as well as faith and charity, has only God for its object. And whosoever aims at any other mark, or places his hope in any other being, is destitute of the hope of a Christian. So then, these three virtues, faith, hope, and charity, are in the highest sense spiritual; admitting no earthly mixtures, but fixed entirely on GOD, who is their author and finisher; their eternal and invisible basis. To this refers that passage of St. Paul, " Hope that is seen, is not hope; for what a man sees, why does he yet hope for Romans 8:24, Whosoever, therefore, places his hope upon any thing that is visible, has not the invisible God for his foundation or support; but rests upon a shadow. And when the visible world shall sink into nothing, by consequence his hope must perish.
7. Consider this, O man, and suffer thyself to be led into a firm and lasting peace. Eternity is unchangeable, ever constant, always the same; but time is nothing but change and revolution. The brightest day declines, and sets in darkness, Weeks are swallowed up in months, and months in years; and the most delicious springs, the most fruitful summers, languish and sink, by degrees, into desolate and uncomfortable winters. And not only this, but even all the elementary bodies, are in a state of change and uncertainty; always shifting forms, and revolving from one appearance to another; not to mention the continual, never-ceasing motion of the heavens: so that this world cannot be the region of rest. For whatsoever is subject to time, is continually passing, wearing, and vanishing. In a word, “All is vanity," Ecclesiastes 1:1-18 : And we shall never rest but in eternity. And though all men, both good and bad, are eagerly engaged in the pursuit of peace and tranquility, yet they, and they only, shall find it, who have learned to lose and resign themselves in CHRIST, the eternal rest of souls.
8. When affliction has taken every thing else from us, God alone cannot be taken from us. Yea, affliction is so far from separating us from GOD, that it rather brings us to GOD, and him to us, It is hope therefore that preserves us in calamities, that we are not consumed. But as the soul came naked out from GOD, so must she return thither again naked, and void of all love of the creatures, And when a man passes out of himself, and all the creatures, whither can he go, or where can he rest, but in the hands of his GOD, who comprehends and upholdeth the world, and all that is therein Isaiah 40:12. Whosoever therefore bids farewell to the world, and is void of all love of the creatures, having his heart fixed on no earthly thing, but is perfectly free and at liberty; resigning himself and all his concerns into the hands of GOD, and being content under every dispensation of providence, he may be truly said to rest in God. But as many as are entangled in the love of the creatures, being slaves to their own wills, and resting in them, they are doubtless in the high road to destruction; and in the end shall he down in sorrow.