naked, or fick, or in Prifon, and did not minifter unto thee? Nothing could be more proper than this Reprefentation of the Behaviour of wicked Men at the last, to rouze us up to Diligence, and a strict Examination into the Grounds and Reasons of our Hope; Many, you fee, will perfevere in a falfe Confidence, even to the last. Let every one therefore that hopes, fear alfo that he is not of this Number.

Now abideth Faith, Hope and Charity. 'Tis the Business of Faith to produce Hope, and of Hope to beget in us Charity; The Hope which is not preceded by a rational and wellgrounded Faith, and follow'd by Charity, has no good Caufe, and can produce no good Effect. He that hath this Hope in him, says the Apostle, purifieth himself even as he is pure. The Hope that does not purify our Natures, and reform our Manners, is the

Hope

4

Hope of the Hypocrite, which fhall
fail; it is idle and trifling, and as much
the Work of a fond, a dreaming
Imagination, as any worldly Hope
can. But the Hope which has Faith
for its Cause, and Charity for its Ef-
fect, is an Anchor of the Soul, fure
and stedfast. We need not wonder
that we are faid even to be faved by
this Hope; for by it we lay hold of
the precious Promises of God, by it
we extract Motive and Efficacy from
them, and gain a Power from things
future and invifible, fuperior to the
immediate impreffions of things pre-
fent and fenfible. This Hope is as it
were, the active Spy, which
fend forth from the Wilderness of
this World to the heavenly Canaan,
which brings us back the good Re-
port of the Country, and gives us a
Taste of those Fruits with which it
overflows. It carries us thro' the Diffi-
culties and Dangers of the howling

We

Wilderness and emboldens the Armies of Ifrael under the greatest Terrors. Without this Hope we become the Sport of every Temptation: What fufficient Balance have we against the Pleasures and Evils of this Life? what Encouragement to persevere in Virtue perfecuted and afflicted? But where this Hope is at hand, it furmounts all Difficulties, and overcomes the World. Whofoever therefore finds this Hope thus efficacious upon all Occafions, that can apply it with Readiness and Dexterity when Temptations arise, that Man has laid his Foundation upon a Rock which can never be fhaken; but if we do not experience thefe Effects from it, we are in the Number of Hypocrites; we fight without our Armour, and have not as yet put on this Helmet of Salvation. Enough must have been faid to thofe, whofe Hope is laid up in Heaven, to induce them to examine ftrictly and seriously

VOL. II.

N

into

into the Grounds and Reasons of their Hope.

yet

There are a third Sort of Men behind, those I mean who have upon good grounds laid hold on the Hope fet before them in the Gofpel. How happy are these Men, under all, even the worst of Circumftances? They have a Joy fet before them, which enables them to endure the Crofs and defpife the Shame. The more unworthy things they fuffer, the greater still is their Affurance of Reward hereafter; thofe very things which are most grievous to other Men, nay, even Death it felf, the great King of Terrors, is a welcome Meffenger, a Meffenger of Joy and Happiness to these. These Men can fooner admit any Contradiction or Abfurdity whatsoever, than once fuppofe it poffible that God fhould fail them who seek him diligently in Faith and good Works, and place their whole Truft and Confidence in him.

Thefe

These Men however ought to be put in mind of the great Difficulty, if they fhould fall away, of their being renewed again unto Repen

tance.

Upon the whole, you fee the great use of Hope to us in this Life, that we must be always hoping for fomething or other; You fee how excellently the Gospel has provided for our Hope; you fee the Efficacy of this Hope, to carry us through the Pleasures and Mileries of this World; you fee the infallible Certainty of its Reward where it is real and wellgrounded; you fee the great Danger of admitting falfe Hopes, and building on deceitful Foundations; You fee the great Importance of these things both to our present and future Happiness: Let us therefore for the future cherish continually and improve this Hope. And may the God