2. Of hope—
[This is a less comprehensive grace than faith : for faith has respect to every thing that is revealed, whether past, pre- sent, or future ; and to things evil, as well as good : whereas hope respects futurity only, and only that which is either really, or in its own conception, good. It is also a less honourable grace than faith : for its existence is derived from faith, and altogether dependent on it; and it has respect only to our own personal happiness, whilst faith rises above self, and seeks to advance the glory of God.
Still however it is a grace of vast importance ; and the entire absence of it is the most striking character of hell, where all are immersed in darkness and despair. This is the grace which encourages and supports the soul in all its conflicts with sin and Satan. In the panoply of God it holds a most con- spicuous place : it is the helmet that protects the head, and the breast-plate that defends the heart : so that, where hope is kept in exercise, Satan cannot inflict any deadly wound. True, he may raise storms and tempests around the soul, and menace it with instant destruction: but hope casts " its anchor within the vail ;" and, deriving thence " a sure and steadfast" support, defies the utmost efforts of our great adversary*^.
'' Matt, xi, 12. d Eph. iii. 17. « Eph. iii. 18, 10. f Heb. vi. 19.
How often would the strongest believer have failed, if he had not received succour from this grace ! "I should have fainted," says David, " unless I had beheved to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living"." It was no less by this grace, than by faith itself, that the saints of old were enabled to endure the great fight of afflictions which they were called to sustain''. On this account hope is said to save us, no less than faith' : for though faith brings us into the way of salva- tion, it is hope that enables us to endure unto the end'^.]
After such a view of faith and hope, it will almost be thought, that no higher commendation can be bestowed on any other grace : but there is abundant scope yet left for shewing,
II. The superior excellence of charity —
Of the three graces, the Apostle expressly asserts, that '' the greatest is charity." And its superiority will be found,
1. In its nature —
[Faith and hope, how excellent soever they be, derive all their value from the objects on which they terminate. If they had respect only to human testimony, and temporal objects, they would be of little worth : it is their connexion with God and with eternity, that so elevates them in the scale of Christian graces. But charity has an essential goodness in itself, irrespective of any objects toward whom it may be exercised. If we could suppose that the whole human race both in heaven and earth were swept away, so that we could never find a being towards whom the grace of charity could be exercised, still would the disposition itself be good. As God himself would have been good, even though no creature had ever existed towards whom his goodness should be dis- played ; so would the grace of charity be good, though there never should be found any scope for its exercise. It is the image of God upon the soul. God himself has no higher cha- racter than love : and, if in this character we resemble him, we have the highest excellence of which our nature is capable.
Only let us consider what the existence of charity in the soul supposes. It supposes the subjugation of all the evils that are opposed to love ; as pride, envy, hatred, wrath, selfishness; and the presence of all the virtues which were in Christ Jesus. They were all comprehended in this single word, love ; and