4. You may discern it by this, the mind will often run upon your hopes. Where the thing is strongly expected, the end and aim of your expectation will still be present with you. Thoughts are the spies and messengers of the soul. Hope sends them out after the thing expected, and love after the thing beloved ; therefore it stands upon you to see how your thoughts and principal desires are fixed. Whei-e the thing is strongly expected thoughts are wont to spend themselves, and to be set a-work in creating images and suppositions of the happiness we shall have in the enjoyment ; and so the future condition will often run in your mind, and be present with you. For instance, if a poor man were adopted into the succession of a crown, he would please himself in the supposition of the honour and splendour of the royal and kingly state that is set up in his own thoughts. And did we believe we are heirs of the kingdom of heaven, co-heirs with Christ, we would often think of the happy time when we shall come to lieaven, and see Christ in the midst of his blessed ones ; when we shall see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, that are sat down at the feast of God. and see Paul with his crown of righteousness upon his head. But alas I it may be said of many, heaven is not in their thoughts, their hearts dwell in this world, because they do not expect a better : therefore they are always transported with admiring thoughts of worldly greatness ; always thinking what it is to enjoy thousands, and to have no complain- ing in their families ; thinking of pulling down barns, and raising greater, and advancing their posterity. AVe are thinking of our plea- sures, lusts, profits. These are the pleasing thoughts wherewith we feast our souls. We should still observe what it is we meditate upon most, which way the contrivances and deliberations of your souls do tend. Are your thoughts taken up with these carnal projects ? with those whose character it is, Phil. iii. 19, ' That they are enemies of the cross of Christ, who mind earthly things ? ' or 2 'Peter ii. 14, ' A heart exercised with covetous practices,' always running upon some worldly designs, plotting how to get the world into their net ? Christ describes the worldly person : Luke xii. 17, 18, ' He thought within himself,' &c. He created images and suppositions in his soul of barns, possessions, and heritages ; for that is the Holy Ghost's word of the carnal man, hteXoyi^ero, he dialogised and discoursed with himself. But on the other side heaven will be more in the eye and mind of a christian ; and these provisional thoughts are the spies sent out to wel- come our hopes. I will tell you what such an one is doing ; he is framing suppositions of the welcome he shall receive of Jesus Christ at his first coming to glory; he is thinking of the joy between him and his fellow- saints, when they shall meet in heaven ; there is a stage set up, and a sweet renresentation and acting over of heaven in their thoughts.
342 SERMONS UPON HE SKEWS XI. [SeR, II.
5. You may discern it, by your weanedness from tlie world. They that know heaven to be their home, reckon the workla strange country. There is a more excellent glory sealed up to them in Christ, and they do the less care for worldly advantages ; certainly they do not lay out their strength and their care upon them. Who would purchase a rattle with the same price that would buy a jewel ? or dig for iron with mattocks of gold ? They will not Avear out their affections on carnal things; faith aquainteth tliem with nobler objects. The woman, when she knew Christ, left her pitcher, John iv. 28, 29. When Christ told Zaccheus that ' salvation was come to his house,' then ' Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor,' &e. Luke xix. 8, 9. But now when men only relish and favour earthly things, and live as if their hopes were only in this world, they either have no right to heaven, or believe they have none.
6. There will not be such a floating and instability in their expecta- tion. You have already blessedness in the root, in the promises ; and though there be not assurance, there will be an affiance, and repose of the mind upon God : if there be not rest in your souls, yet there will bo a resting upon God, and a quiet expectation of the things hoped for. Faith is satisfied with the promise, and quietly hopes for the perfor- mance of it in God's due time : Lam. iii. 26, ' It is good that a man should both hope, and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.' Belief is often intermixed with doubtings, yet there will be the patience of hope, that is the least ; we should not entertain jealousies and sus- picions of God. There is a free promise, though not a certain evidence, and there will be longing, where there is not comfort.
Use 2. To exhort you to work up faith to such an effect, that it may be the substance of things hoped for.