always conversant about holy and heavenly objects, as
hope is no natural affection in men. Men are not born with true hope in their hearts, as they are born with tongues in their mouths. Hope is nobly descended, it is from above, it is a heavenly babe which is formed in the soul of man by the power of the Holy Spirit. And as hope is no natural affection, so hope is no moral virtue, which men may attain by their frequent notions; but hope is the gracious virtue which none can give but God.
(2.) I say it is a grace of God, whereby we expect good to come; I say good, not evil, for evil is rather feared than hoped for by any. The OBJECT of this hope has four qualities:
1. It must be bonum—good.
2. It must be Futurum—future.
3. It must be Possibile—possible.
4. It must be Arduum—hard or difficult to obtain.
(3.) I say hope is a grace of God, whereby we expect good to come, patiently waiting until it comes. Hope makes the soul quiet and patient until it comes to possess the good desired and hoped for: Rom 8:25, "But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." The Hebrew word, which is often translated hope, signifies a very vehement intention, both of body and mind, a stretching forth of the spirit or mind, in waiting for a desired good.
2. Secondly, That hope which accompanies salvation is always conversant about holy and heavenly objects, as about God and Christ. 2 Cor 4:18, "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." Hope fares well; it is nourished at a prince's table; it lives upon honey and milk, oil and wine; it lives upon the sweetmeats, the delicacies of heaven—as God, Christ, and glory, Psalm 31:24; Psalm 33:22; Psalm 38:15; Psalm 42:5; Psalm 43:5; Psalm 39:7; Psalm 71:5, and Psalm 15:5.
1 Tim 1:1, "Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior, and Lord Jesus Christ, who is our hope." In these words, Christ is set forth as the chief object of our hope, because by his merits and mercy, we hope to obtain the remission of our sins, and the eternal salvation of our souls. Sometimes hope is exercised about the righteousness of Christ: Gal 5:5, "For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith."
Sometimes hope is exercised about God the Father: 1 Pet 1:21, "Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God." Jer 14:8, "Oh the hope of Israel, the Savior thereof in the time of trouble." Jer 17:13, "O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be ashamed." Jer 17:17, "You are my hope in the day of evil."
Sometimes hope is exercised and busied about the word and promises: Psalm 119:49, "Remember your word unto your servant, upon which you have caused me to hope." Psalm 119:81, "My soul faints for your salvation; but I hope in your word." Psalm 119:114, "You are my hiding-place, and my shield. I hope in your word." Psalm 130:5, I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in his word do I hope." Psalm 119:74, "I have hoped in your word." Psalm 119:147, "I hoped in your word."
Hope in the promises will keep the head from aching, and the heart from breaking; it will keep both head and heart from sinking and drowning. Hope exercised upon the promises, brings heaven down to the heart. Ah! what abundance of comfort and sweetness may hope find, yes, does hope find is the promises. The promises are the ladder by which hope gets up to heaven. Hope in the promise will not only keep life and soul together—but will also keep the soul and glory together; hope in the promise will support distressed souls; hope in the promise will settle perplexed souls; hope in the promise will comfort dejected souls; hope in the promise will recover wandering souls; hope in the promise will confirm staggering souls; hope in the promise will save undone souls.
Psalm 42:5, "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and in God." Psalm 119:49-50, "Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life."
The promise is the same to hope, that hope is to the soul; the promise is the anchor of hope, as hope is the anchor of the soul. Look! what the breasts are to the child, and oil is to the lamp—that are the promises to hope. "For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." Romans 8:24-25 The promises are hope's rich storehouse. Hope lives and thrives, as it feeds upon the promises, as it embraces the promises. The promises are the sweetmeats of heaven, upon which hope lives. Every degree of hope brings a degree of joy into the soul, which makes it cry out, 'Heaven, heaven!' Heb 11:13; Psalm 16:11; Titus 3:7.
Again, hope is exercised about the glory and felicity, the happiness and blessedness that is at God's right hand. Titus 2:13, "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ." Hope makes a man stretch out his neck and put forth his hand, and look as earnestly for the glorious appearing of Christ, as Sisera's mother did for the happy return of her son. The hoping soul is often a-sighing it out, 'Why are his chariot wheels so long a-coming?'
Col 1:5, "For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven." Hope in this place, is put for the things hoped for, namely, all that glory and felicity, that blessedness and happiness, which is laid up for us in heaven. [So in Rom 8:24-25; Col 1:27; Rom 5:2, etc.] So in Heb 6:18, "Who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us." Hope here is put for the object of hope, namely, heaven and happiness. Hope lays such fast hold, as the Greek word here signifies, upon heaven and happiness, that none shall ever be able to take