I know that charity is not sottish ; but yet it is willing to think the best. Where there is probability of good for the present, or where there is a tractableness, where there is a willingness to entertain communion, where there is any propension,f we must be of our blessed Saviour's disposition, ' who will not quench the smoking flax, nor break the bruised reed,' Mat. xii. 20. We must draw all, and drive none away. This is one special fruit and effect that hope hath in the pai'ty that doth hope toward another.
Now, as it is good for the speaker to be well conceited ; so it is a good preparative in the hearer. It hath a winning power in the party hoped of. It is a gi'eat attractive ; for we willingly hear those that conceit good of us. St Paul here works upon the natural disposition in all, which is, that they love to be well thought of; and natural dispositions are strong. It is the natural disposition for every man to love whei'e he is well thought of; and it is not sinful, unless it be in vainglory, to desire to have good place in the esteem of others. And there a man will labour to carry himself an- swerable to the good conceit had in him.
There is a conflict in the worst man. Where he is well conceited of, he labours to maintain it, except it be those that are mightily enthralled, as some wretches are, to blasphemy, and to a cursed life, that they care not. But else if they be well thought of, it will stir them up to maintain it. He is a dissolute man, he is not a man, so far as he is careless of this, he is brutish and senseless. St Paul, in saying ' our hope is stedfast concerning you,' he wins himself into their good opinion ; and so by that means he hoped to prevail with them for greater matters. So hope, it stirs up men to do good, and it makes the other willing to receive good. For it makes them willing to content them that hope well of them. St Paul was led with this heavenly wisdom, and that which made him so industrious, was hope of prevailing ; and that which made him prevail with others, was the good conceit he had of them. He w^ould gather upon every one. When he saw Agrippa come on a little, ' Agrippa, behevest thou the Scriptures ? ' Acts xxvi. 27. I know thou believest. ' Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian,' saith he, ver. 28 ; and so he comes in a little. It is good, as much as may be, to have hope of others.
But what is his degree of hope ? ' Our hope of you ' — is stedfast.
He had a stedfast hope, that if they were sufferers, they should be par- takers of the comfort.
* That is, ' wise.' — G. t That is, ' inclination.' — G.
2 COBINTHIANS CHAP, I. VER. 7. 113
The observation may be this, that
Doct. Divine truths arc such as we may build a stedfast hope on the per- fornlance of them.
Divine truths, divine comforts, they are of that nature, that though wc do not yet enjoy them, yet wo may buikl certainly upon them. 1 hope sted- fastly, that if you be partakers of the sufferings, you shall l)e partakers of the comforts. A man cannot say so of any thing else but divine truths. A man cannot say of any other, or of himself, I hope stedfastly to be rich, I hope stedftxstly to be great, or I hope stedfastly to live long. The nature of the thing is uncertain. The state of the world is vanity ; and life itself, and all things here, will not admit of a certain apprehension. For the cer- tainty in a man's understanding, it follows the certainty of the thing, or else there is no adequation.* When there is an evenness in the apprehen- sion to the thing, then it is true ; but if we apprehend anything that is here, that either riches or life, or favour will be thus, or thus long, it is no true apprehension. We cannot build a certain hope upon an uncertain ground. But of divine truths, we can say, if we see the one, undoubtedly the other will follow ; if we see the signs of grace in any man, that he is strong to endure any disgrace for religion, any discomfort, then we may say, certainly, as you partake of the afflictions of Christ, and of the afflic- tions and sufferings of his people, his body mystical ; so undoubtedly you shall be partakers of the comfort of God's people : heaven and earth shaU fail, but this shall never fail.
Is not this a comfort to a Christian, that when he is in the state of grace, he hath something that he may build on, when all things else fail ? In ail the changes and alterations of this life, he hath somewhat unalter- able,— the certainty of divine comforts, the certainty of his estate in grace, though he be in an afflicted estate. As verily as he is afflicted, so verily he shall be comforted. ' If we suffer with Christ, we shall be glorified with him,' Rom. viii. 17.