VeK. 166.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 219
cast away his hope in the deepest calamities ; but much more when the concernments of the world to come are of the greatest force with him, and his heart is wholly taken up about them : ' Looking for the blessed hope,' Titus ii. 13 ; there is the character of a Christian. Peace and freedom from trouble in the world is not the main thing that we should look after, but perfect conformity to God, and full fruition of him. God is the chief good, and the fruition of him as promised is the utmost happiness of the creature. A true Christian hath a greater indifferency to the things of this life ; all his business is to get an assurance of a better : he can look through the troubles of the world, and see sunshine behind the back of the storm : Ps. xlii. 11, ' Why art thou cast down, 0 my soul? why art thou disquieted within me ? Hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.' But chiefly his hope is laid up for him in heaven, Col. i. 5 ; his portion is laid up for him, and kept safe for his use in a sure place. Here he knoweth he must be exercised with temptations and crosses. In short, temporal things are desired for the sake of spiritual and eternal, but eternal for themselves ; a traveller desireth a horse not for himself, as for the conveniency of his journey ; so he expecteth temporal things as helps in his way and passage to heaven. Well, then, salvation is the object of this hope, temporal salvation in order to eternal, that we may have opportunities to glorify God here, and may not faint and be overwhelmed with inci- dent crosses. This sentence is borrowed from good old Jacob : Gen. xlix. 18, ' I have waited for thy salvation, 0 Lord.' It is notable Jacob speaketh this when prophetically blessing his children ; and when he cometh to Dan, the good old man seemed to be carried beside his purpose, breaking out thus of a sudden, but in spirit foreseeing the miseries and calamities with his posterity should fall into for their idolatry ; for Dan was the first tribe that made defection, therefore he opposeth his hopes to his fears. We are told in the general, Lam. iii. 26, 'It is good that a man should hope, and quietly wait for the salvation of God ;' that is, for deliverance out of troubles. It will be of great use to us in our troubles to look to the issue of them. The Lord cloth not wholly cast off his people ; when he seemeth to break down the hedge and fence of his providence, and leave them in their enemies' hands, he hath salvation for a hoping people. But mark, it is thy salvation ; it is good to come out of trouble upon God's terms, in God's way, and in God's time ; others break prison : Ps. lxii. 1, ' My soul hopeth in God, from him cometh my salvation.' Expect it from God, and him alone.
2. The act of grace, ' I have hoped.' Hope, in the general, is the expectation of some future good ; as it is a grace, it is some good thing promised by God : Ps. cxxx. 5, ' I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in thy word do I hope.' ' I am judged for the hope of the promise,' saith Paul, Acts xxvi. 6. So that hope is the expectation of good things promised. Faith and hope do both work upon the promise, but yet they are distinct graces ; they differ in their object. The object of faith is larger ; the whole word of God is the object of faith. We believe things past, present, and to come, but hope for things to come only. Among things to come, we believe both promises
220 sermons upon psalm cxix. [Ser. CLXXXI.
and thrcatcnings, but the object of hope is only things desirable. We believe the torments of hell, but do not hope for them. In the pro- mises, faith believeth the promise, and hope looketh for the thing promised. Faith looketh to the authority of the promiser, and hope to the goodness of the thing promised. Faith begets hope, and then hope strengthens faith. Faith holdeth the candle to the soul, whereby we see things invisible and to come, and hope maketh this light com- fortable and ravishing to us. We have comfort in believing, because hopes of enjoying. To believe eternal life, if we had not hopes to attain it, were a comfortless thing. Faith is before hope, and leadeth us to the object, and hope followeth as faith leadeth. Faith assents to and applieth the promise, and hope waiteth for the accomplishment. There are several sorts of hope.
[1.] There is a vain and groundless hope, the dream of a waking man ; as if a beggar should hope for the succession of a crown. So there are some that dream of peace and safety, ' and sudden destruc- tion cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child/ 1 Thcs. v. 3. This is an irrational thing.