5. The expectation is certain and desirous. It is certain ; for it goeth upon the promise of the eternal God ; it is desirous, because the thing promised is our chief happiness ; all the pomp and glory of the world is but a May-game to it. With respect to these two proper- ties different effects are ascribed to hope :
[1.] It is patient and earnest. Patient : 1 Thes. i. 3, ' Kemembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope ; ' and in the verse next the text : ' And if we hope for it, then do we with patience wait for it ; ' and earnest : ver. 19,' For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the^ sons of God.' The emblem in the resemblance of it is the earnest expectation of the creature ; and 2 Pet. iii. 12, ' Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the Lord.' It is patient, because it is sure ; it is earnest, because it is good. When the soul therefore is possessed with the truth and worth of these things which we hope for, it looketh and longeth, because they are such glorious blessings ; but tarrieth God's leisure, because his word is sure, though he doth delay our happiness, and how smart and heavy soever his hand be upon us for the present.
[2.] There is another pail-, rejoicing and groaning. Kejoicing: Eom. V. 2, 'Kejoicing in the hope of the glory of God;' and groaning: 2 Cor. v. 2, ' In this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven.' We groan because of present burdens, and our desire is delayed ; but we rejoice that our affection may be somewhat answerable to the greatness of the thing hoped for, which is the vision and fruition of the ever-blessed God. When we seriously consider what we shall have to do hereafter, how can a christian choose but rejoice? It must needs possess his mind with a delight. It is, questionless, a comfortable thing to him to think that he shall see the glory of God, and be filled with his love, and be exercised in loving, lauding, and praising him for evermore. Where this is soundly believed and earnestly hoped for, it will breed such a joy as supports us under all discouragements, fears, cares, and sorrows ;
200 SERMONS UPON ROMANS VIII. [SeR. XXXI.
and on the other side, weigheth down all the pleasures and riches of the world ; in short, sweeteneth our lives and maketh religion our chiefest delight.
Secondly, Eeasons to prove that hope is a necessary grace, I shall prove,
1. For the state of a believer in this world. We are not so saved by Christ as presently to be introduced into the heavenly inlieritance, but are kept a while here upon earth to be exercised and tried. Now while we want our blessedness, and there is such a distance between us and it, in the meantime we encounter witli many difhculties ; there is need of hope, sitice the believer's portion is not given him in hand ; he hath it only in hope ; things invisible and future cannot else be sought after. As our understandings are cleared by faith to see tilings to come, other- wise invisible, our wills are warmed by love, that we may be earnestly carried out after the supreme good ; so our resolutions and inclinations must be fortified by hope, that we may seek after it, and not be diverted either by the comfortable or troublesome things we meet with in the world. This is the difference between the children of God in theii- war- fare and in their triumph ; in their way and in their home ; they that are at home are rejoicing in what we expect and are in possession of that supreme good which we hope for, they are entered into the joy of their Lord, and have neither miseries to fear nor blessings to desire beyond what they do enjoy ; they see what they love and possess what they see ; but the time of our ailvancement to these is not yet come, and therefore we can only look and long for it ; the glorified are distinguished from us by fruition, and we are distinguished from all others by hope. We are distinguished from pagans who have no hope : Ejih. ii. 12, 'Having no hope and without God in the world ; ' 1 Thes. iv. 13, 'Sorrow not as others which have no hope.' We are distinguished from tem- jioraries: Heb. iii. 16, 'If we hold fast the confidence and I'ejoicing of hope firm to the end.' The temporary loseth his taste and comfort, and so either casteth off the profession of godliness or neglectetli the power and practice of it ; the other is diligent, serious, patient, morti- fied, heavenly, holy, because he keepeth the rejoicing of his hope ; the end sweeteneth his work.
2. From the new nature, which is not entire without liope. This is one of the constitutive graces which are essential to a christian : 1 Cor. xiii. 13, 'And now abideth faith, hope, and charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity ; ' he opposeth the abiding things, the necessary graces, to the arbitrary gifts, and among these he reckoneth hope. It is the immediate fruit of the new birth : 1 Pet. i. 3, ' Begotten to a lively hope.' The new nature presently discovereth itself by a tendency to its end and rest ; which is the fruition of God in heaven ; now the new creature cannot be maimed and imperfect because it is the immediate production of God.