2. A warrant for his hope —
[The oracles which could declare nothing with certainty, could afford to their votaries no solid ground of hope. But the Christian who believes the oracles of God, has an " anchor for his soul so sure and steadfast," that not all the storms or tempests which either men or devils can raise, shall ever drive him from the station where he is moored. Suppose his dis- couragements to be as great as the most gloomy imagination can paint them ; he has reasons in plenty to assign for his hope. The sovereignty of God — the sufficiency of Christ — the freeness and extent of the promises — the immutability of Jehovah, who has confirmed his promises with an oath — these, and many other things which are revealed in the sacred volume, may enable the person who relies upon them to go to the very throne of God himself, and to plead for acceptance with him : and, in proportion as he relies upon them, he has within his own bosom a pledge, that he shall never be ashamed.
What an advantage is this to the man that is hoping for eternal happiness ! Surely " blessed are the eyes which see the things that we see, and hear the things which we hear."]
3. A rule for his conduct —
[The wise men of antiquity could not so much as devise what constituted the chief good of man ; much less could they invent rules which should be universally applicable for the direction of their followers: and the rules which they did prescribe, were in many respects subversive both of individual and public happiness. But the oracles of God are proper to direct us in every particular. We may indeed in some more intricate cases err in the application of them, (else we should be infallible ; which is not the lot of man upon earth ;) but in all important points the path we are to follow is made as clear to us as the racer's course : yea, the word is not only a general " light to our feet, but a lantern to our steps :" so that what was obscure at a distance, is discovered to us on our nearer approach, and a direction is given us, " This is the way; walk ye in it." The whole circle of moral and religious duty is thus accurately drawn. The poor man who is conversant with his