upon the firmest foundations, namely: the promises of God,
those precious things out of hope's hand. So hope is put for the glorious things hoped for, Eph 1:18. And thus you see those precious and glorious objects, about which that hope which accompanies salvation is exercised.
3. Thirdly, That hope which accompanies salvation, is grounded upon the firmest foundations, namely: the promises of God, Prov 10:28, as has been fully showed before; and it is built upon the free grace of God, 1 Pet 1:13. It is built upon the infinite and glorious power of God, Rom 4:21. It is built upon the truth and faithfulness of God, 2 Tim 2:13. These four precious and glorious foundations bear up the hopes of the saints, as the pillars bore up the curtains in the tabernacle. A believer's hope is founded upon the love of Christ, the blood of Christ, the righteousness of Christ, the satisfaction of Christ, and the intercession of Christ, etc.
But the hopes of hypocrites and wicked men, are always built upon weak, slender, and sandy foundations. Sometimes they build their hopes upon their outward profession, upon their lamps, though they have no oil, Matt 25:3; and sometimes upon their duties and services, as the Jews, scribes, and Pharisees did, Isa 58:1-3; Matt 6:1-2, etc; and sometimes upon their outward privileges, crying out, "The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord;" and sometimes they build their hopes upon others' good opinion of them, and sometimes upon flashes of joy, and sometimes upon enlargements in duties, and sometimes upon the heat and vigor of their spirits in religious services, etc. Every false principle in religion is "a reed of Egypt," which will certainly deceive souls at last; therefore take heed of leaning upon any of those reeds! All these are but sandy foundations, and those who build their hope upon them will certainly fall—and great will be their fall.
The hopes of the saints are built upon the surest and the strongest foundations. It was a good saying of one of the ancients, "I consider," said he, "three things in which all my hope consists, namely: 1. God's love in my adoption; 2. the truth of his promise; 3. his power of