[2. J The respect to the object. It is a certain and earnest expec- tation.
(1.) It is certain, because our hopes are built upon the promises of God, which infer not only a possibility, or probability, but certainty of the things promised, if we be duly qualified. There is a twofold certainty — conditional and actual. Conditional : Kom. ii. 7, ' To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory, and honour, and immortality, eternal life ; ' that is, built on the covenant which promiseth to the penitent believer and mortified and diligent practiser a sure reward. Actual certainty is where the qualification is evident ; this is built on spiritual sense or experience : Kom. v. 4, 5, ' And patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us.' Our condition is made safe by the first, comfortable by the second; in both a certainty is required. The first is spoken of Heb. iii. 6, ' Whose house we are, if we hold fast the confidence, and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.' The second, Heb. vi. 11, ' And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence, to the full assurance of hope unto the end.'
(2.) It is an earnest expectation, called 'a lively hope,' from the effect, because it puts life into our endeavours: 1 Peter i. 3, 'Who hath begotten us again unto a lively hope.' The soul is weak when our expectation is cold and languid ; but serious and earnest thoughts of the world to come do warm our hearts, and enkindle our affections ; as mourning : 2 Cor. v. 2, ' For in this we groan earnestly, desiring to be clothed upon with our house, which is from heaven.' And joy : Kom. V. 2, * We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.'
II. Their mutual respect to one another. We know God in Christ by faith ; we are inclined to him as our felicity and happiness by love ; and we look for the eternal enjoyment of him by hope. As the object is diversified, so the grace conversant about it is called by several names ; as our supreme good is something invisible or unseen, we .apprehend it by faith ; as it is good and excellent, we embrace it by
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love ; as it is absent and future, we wait for it by hope. The under- standing is cleared by faith ; that is our spiritual eye-salve : Heb. xi. 1,' Faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen ; ' as things are invisible by reason of their nature or distance : Eph. i. 18, ' The eyes of your understandings being enlight- <ined, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.' By it we see things that cannot otherwise be seen, or in another manner than we saw them before. We see more amiableness in God, more odiousness in sin, more excellency in Christ, more beauty in holiness, more vanity in the world, more reality in blessedness to come, than we saw before. Our wills are warmed by love, or carried out after the supreme good, with an earnest and strong desire : Isa. xxvi. 9, ' With my soul have I desired thee in the night ; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early.' Where love is strong, desires after God are early and earnest, and we cannot be contented without him, or such enjoyment of him as may give us assurance of more. Our resolutions and inclin- ations are fortified by hope, that we may continue seeking after God, and not be diverted, either by the comfortable or troublesome things we meet with here in the world. Not by the comfortable things: 1 Peter i. 13, 'Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind; be sober, and hope to the end, for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.' Nor by the troublesome things of the world : Rom. viii. 39, ' Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.' Well, then, the supreme good, or fruition of the €ver-blessed God, is believed, sought after, waited for. We know it by faith, we seek it by love, we wait for the enjoyment of it by hope. Faith aflfordeth us light to discover it, and direct us to it ; love pos- fiesseth the soul with a desire to enjoy it ; and hope giveth us a confidence of obtaining it, through Jesus Christ our Lord. III. Their use in the spiritual conflict.
1. They impel us to do our duty with all diligence, whatever temp- tations we have to the contrary : 1 Thes. i. 3, ' Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope.' Whence you see work is ascribed to faith, labour to love, and patience to hope. Work to faith, because that grace is working, and ready to break out into obedience : 2 Thes. i. 11, ' And the work of faith with power.' Labour to love, because love puts men upon industry and diligence ; they that love God will be hard at work for him : Heb. vi. 10, ' For God is not unrighteous, to forget your work and labour of love.' . Patience to hope, because that grace produceth endurance and constancy : 2 Thes. iii. 5, ' The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.' And the good ground ' brought forth fruit with patience,' Luke viii. 19. In short, 3'ou see these graces are of an operative and vigorous nature. Faith is but a dead opinion unless it break out into practice ; love but a cold approbation of the ways of God unless we overcome our slothfulness ; hope but a few slight thoughts of heaven unless we persevere and hold out till the time of retribution cometh.