(3.) At the very close of all it is grace : ' Hope unto the end, for the grace that is brought unto you at the revelation of Christ,' 1 Peter i. 13. Then there Avill be the fullest and largest manifestation of God's love and free grace. There is grace brought to us now, by the revelation of Jesus Christ in the gospel ; but when his person shall be revealed, grace shall be seen in all its graciousness. We see his grace in the pardon of sins, and that measure of sanctification which now we attain unto, that he is pleased to pass by our offences, and take us into his family, and give us right to his heavenly kingdom, and some taste of his love and remote service. But when pardon shall be pro- nounced by the judge's mouth, when he shall take us not only into his family, but into his palace and Father's house, and give us not right only, but possession, and we shall be admitted to the imme- diate vision and fruition of God, and be everlastingly employed in heavenly praising and delighting in him, then grace will be grace indeed.
[2.] His truth and mercy openeth the door for us. Truth keepeth it open ; mercy is the pipe ; truth is the conveyance. Now God bindeth himself by promise, and hath ever been tender of his word. We may see for the present that a covenant-interest is no fruitless thing. He hath confirmed this hope to the world by miracles ; to us within the church by the seal and earnest of his Spirit, or the impression of his image, preparing the hearts of the faithful for this blessed estate : Eph, iv. 30, ' Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption ;' 2 Cor. v. 5, ' Who hath given us the earnest of his Spirit.' He hath appointed ordinances to revive our hopes : 1 Cor. xi. 26, ' For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come.' By daily experience we see many of God's children have gone out of the world cheerfully profess- ing this hope ; we have the same Father, * of Avhom the whole iamily in heaven and earth is named,' Eph. iii. 15 ; are reconciled to him by the same Christ : Col. i. 20, ' Having made peace through the blood of the cross, by him to reconcile all things to himself ; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.' If he be so good to that part of the family that is now in heaven, he will be good to them also that are working out their salvation with fear and tremb- ling.
[3.] What an advantage it is to the spiritual life to have good hope wrought in us through grace.
(1.) It maketh us diligent and serious. Christianity implieth a serious application of our heart and mind to do what Christ requireth. that we may obtain what he liath offered ; to do it as our first work and chief business : Phil. ii. 12, ' Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;' Heb. iv. 1, ' Let us labour to enter into that
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rest ;' that is, employ our utmost care and diligence. Now all the exe- cutive powers are fortified and strengthened in their operation Ly hope.
(2.) To be patient and mortified, that we subdue our lucts, and bear the loss of our interests with an humble and quiet mind : Rom. xii. 12, 'Patient in tribulation, rejoicing in hope.' And for lusts: 1 John iii. 3, ' He that hath this hope, purifieth himself even as he is pure.'
(3.) To be heavenly and holy ; the one respects our end, the other our race. For it is not a few dead lifeless thoughts now and then, but the continual and delightful foresight of eternal bliss. What is tlie way to heaven but hope ? And who more pure and holy than they that look lor such things ? 2 Peter iii. 14, ' Wherefore, beloved, seeing ye look for such things, be diligent that ye be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.'
Use 2. Well, then, get this hope. But what must we do ? You will say. It is God's gift : yet you are bound to use the means.
1. Remove the impediments : 1 Peter i. 13, ' Be sober, and hope to the end.' Draw off the affections from carnal vanities, and the delights of the senses, and consider what God offereth to you in the gospel : there can be no certain and desirous expectation of better things, while the mind and heart is so occupied and thronged with vanity, and dead- ened by carnal satisfaction.
2. Wait on all the opportunities of profiting, and use the known means of grace more conscionably. Certain it is that the grace of hope is of God, not acquired, but infused ; but God will bless his own means. The propounding of the object, the offering of the solid grounds, maketh way for the infusing of the grace: Titus i. 1,2, Paul was the apostle to ' bring them to the acknowledgment of the truth, for the hope of eternal life.' And it is called, ' the hope of the gospel,' Col. i. 23, because it is wrought by the preaching of the gospel.