172 SERMONS UPON TITUS 11. 11-14. [SeR. XII.
appear to be the greatest wisdom at length, and not to spend your lives in getting honours or pleasures, or screwing yourselves into the favour of great personages. It is commonly said of a man that hath gotten an estate, that he hath spent his time well ; but the apostle commands, Eph. V. 15, 16, ' See that 5^0 walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.' Those other are the Avorst fools, who make no provision for the future ; they part with jewels for trifles.
SEKMON XII.
LooMng for that blessed hope, dx. — Titus ii. 13.
I OBSERVED— (1.) The teacher, ' The grace of God ;' (2.) The lesson, the whole duty of our heavenly calling, ' To deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberl}^ righteously, and godly,' &c. ; (3.) I come to the third general branch, the encouragements to learning ; here are two — eternal life, and Christ's death. There are two great principles of obedience — gratitude and hope. Gratitude, or thankful- ness, because of the obligation that is left upon us from Christ's death ; and then hope, because of the glorious reward that is set before us. So that whether we look backward or forward, we meet with obligations to obedience. Backward, there is an excellent merit : ver. 14, ' Who gave himself for us, to redeem us from all iniquity,' &c. Forward, there is a glorious liope : ' Looking for that blessed hope,' &c. There is nothing lost by God's service. The Lord might deal with us out of sovereignty, and rule us with a rod of iron, but he is pleased to .' draw us with the cords of a man, and witli bands of love,' Hosea xi. 3 ; to indent with us and propound rewards, as if we were altogether free be- fore the conkact. Men do not use to covenant with their slaves ; we are bound to serve him whether there had been any reward or no ; but the Lord will not leave us without an encouragement. We are apt to have hard thoughts of God, and to think him harsh and austere, re- quiring work but not giving wages. But consider, we have the highest motives as well as the noblest work ; we are not only ' to live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present world,' but ' to look to the blessed hope.' Life and immortality is brought to light by the gospel. There , is no such encouragement to virtuous living anywhere as in the gospel. Lactantius saith of the heathens, Viriutis vim non sentiunf, cujus jprce mium ignorant — They do not feel the force and transforming power of virtue, because they are ignorant of the reward of virtue. The heathens had no such encouragement as immortality and eternal life, and the happy enjoyment of God and Christ for evermore.
But to handle tlic words a little more distinctly. We have here — (1.) The reward itself, called a 'blessed hope;' then (2.) The time when it shall be accomplished to the full, at the ' coming of the Lord.' Both these things you must look for. Christians, as often as jou think
VeR. 13.] SERMONS UPON TITUS II. 11-14. 173
of eternal life, you must also think of Christ's appearing. Before we enter into glory we must first give an account. Carnal men fancy a heaven without a day of j udgment ; they would be saved, hut they would not be called to an audit and reckoning with God. Many can brook sitting upon the throne with Christ, but not coming before his tribunal ; but they that would live holily must look for both the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of Christ. Many points may be ob- served out of this verse.
Doct. 1. That looking for the blessed hope couduceth much to the advancement of the spiritual life.
1. What this looking is.
2. What influence and power it hath to work us to the spiritual life. I. What this looking is. It implies patience, but chiefly hope.
1. Patience in waiting God's leisure. Patience is a grace very needful in our pilgrimage, where we are exercised with so many difficulties : Heb. x. 36, ' For ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.' You do not only need holiness, but patience. It is long before we can bring our hearts to do the will of God ; but after that is done, you have need of patience, that you may wait God's leisure for your reward ; for the reward is not given till there be time for labour and exercise, and troubles coming on make time seem very long. AYhatever grace we may spare, we cannot spare patience if we would persist in well- doing, for we are to wait for the blessed hope. The good ground
* bringeth forth fruit with patience,' Luke viii. 15. Look, as the ground endures the plough, the harrow, the cold, the frost, that in due time the seed may spring up, so we have need of patience that we may wait upon God for the blessed hope. And as patience is very needful in the present life, so it is inseparable from hope ; 1 Thes. i. 3, it is called