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CHAPTER IV.

SOME SPECIAL PURPOSES FOR WHICH THE SCRIPTURES ARE OF STANDING USE.

SECTION I.

THE SCRIPTURES CONDUCIVE TO HOPE.

"WHATSOEVER things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have HOPE." In these words the apostle does not propose to give a full account of the extensive design of the Scriptures, but only specifies one of their principal ends, which is "Hope," and two subservient ends, namely, "Patience and Comfort," to assist that Hope.

I shall begin with the principal end, as mentioned by the apostle. It will be proper to give some account of this hope, and then to consider how the Scriptures are of use to make us partakers of it.

I. I am to give some account of the Hope here intended; or, for which the Scriptures were written, that we might have

it.

This hope is in general, a good hope of eternal life; or, a pleasing expectation of eternal life on such grounds as will not deceive us. Let us draw out this short description of it in the three following particulars.

1. The object of this hope is eternal life.

This is the only hope that the apostle speaks of throughout his epistle to the Romans. He calls it "a hope of the glory of God;" that is, of the "glory which shall be revealed in us," as he afterwards expresses it. And with respect unto this, he speaks in the next verses of the "earnest expectation of the creature, which waits for the manifestation of the Sons of God,

in hope that it shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God," as it might be rendered with advantage, to clear the sense of the place. And he adds, that "not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." This unseen, immortal glory, realized by faith, was the great object of their hope, as he still farther intimates, saying, "If we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it."

Nothing short of this glorious state of immortality can thoroughly satisfy any rational man, much less any true believer. And all his hopes as a Christian look toward this, and centre in this. "For if," says this apostle, "in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most miserable." But our hope stretcheth to things beyond this uncertain, perishing life, beyond the gloomy regions of death and the grave, and beyond all the confines of time, to the immortal glory, and perfect undecaying blessedness on high. It springs forward to an endless fruition of the all-glorious God, as our chief good, and all-sufficient happiness. It reaches after, and lifts up itself to a most amiable state of light, love, and peace, where the perfection of beauty shines; a state free from all that is mean and miserable; free from all the darkness, mistakes, uncertainties, and doubts, we are at present subject to; free from all the slavery and torment of tyrannizing passions, and free from all the jars and discords that fling confusion and ruin all around this sinful and disordered world! A state all over glorious and triumphant, as bright and magnificent, as refined and social, and as entirely complete in all sublime surrounding felicities, as we either can desire, or even can be capable of! Such is the exalted object of this hope. Hence the apostle speaks of the "hope of eternal life," and of the "hope of God's calling," or to which he calls us by the gospel, namely, "the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints." And when the apostle Peter mentions the believers being "begotten again to a lively hope," he describes the object of that hope as "an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for them who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.'

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2. The action of the soul toward this object is a pleasing expectation of it.

All hope is an expectation; but all expectation is not hope.

There is an expectation of future misery, or of the loss of future happiness, which is attended with terror in proportion to the strength of the expectation, and the apprehended greatness of the expected evil. And this is all the expectation that Christless, unrenewed sinners, can justly have, if they continue to reject Christ, and go on in their sins.

There re

mains no more, or other sacrifice for sins, besides that which they despise, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries." This sort of expectation is indeed the reverse of hope.

But as the object of hope is something that we apprehend to be good, the expectation of it cannot but be attended with pleasure and delight, in proportion to our thoughts of its excellence, and to the firmness with which we expect to enjoy it. Accordingly the Christian's hope is called "the rejoicing of hope," and a "rejoicing in hope of the glory of God:" it is a "looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ ;" and a "looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life." And O, who can conceive the pleasure of such expectations! With what composure may a man pass through this world, and with what satisfaction may he die and leave it, when he has such exalted views as these before him! There is something so peculiar in the pleasure of this hope; something so suitable to the nature of our souls; so guiltless and sublime; so sweetly serene at some times, and so transporting at others, that words are wanting to say what it is. Aside all other pleasures, contemptible the best; and all sorrows too, not worthy to be named, while these masterly joys enthrone themselves within us!

3. This pleasing expectation of eternal life is formed upon such grounds as will not deceive us.

To be mistaken in our hopes of eternal life, and to find them disappointed at last, is the most terrible and irretrievable ruin that can befal us. What can be more shocking, or fill with greater dismay, than to meet with a disappointment in an affair of such vast and eternal consequence! Or, what can add a more pungent sting to the loss of heaven, and the terrors of hell, than that they should befal one, contrary to his own flattering expectations! Methinks there is something peculiarly moving in Christ's account of the horror of those, whose sanguine hopes shall be defeated, and their case be past remedy. "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when he shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the

Prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.'

But all Scriptural hope, or the hope that the Scriptures were written to raise the believer up into, is sure and certain, such as never will be disappointed. The God who has promised them eternal life, is a God that cannot lie. The Scripture in which he has promised it, is the Scripture of truth: his words are words of truth; they are the true sayings of God; they "are not cunningly devised fables," but "the sure word of prophecy," proved to be of divine authority by all the ways that can reasonably be desired, or that the nature of the thing requires, without a continuation of miracles, which at first confirmed them, and are therefore needless now. And this Scripture has said, with repeated assurances, that "whoever believeth on Christ shall not be ashamed or confounded." Hence the apostle calls the hope of true believers "good hope through grace," and "a hope that maketh not ashamed." Accordingly, we have frequent exhortations and encouragements in Scripture to such, not to cast away their confidence, which has great recompense of reward," and "not to be moved away from the hope of the gospel;" but to "shew all diligence to the full assurance of hope to the end;" to "hold fast the confidence, and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end;" and to "be sober, and hope to the end."

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These, and several other passages to this purpose, are as plain assurances from the inspired writers, as words can express, that the hope which the Scriptures are written to promote in us, stands upon such principles as never can deceive us. If our hope is but Scriptural, we have the utmost securities that it is warrantable, and shall have the happiest issues. For the hope of the righteous shall be gladness, but the expectation of the wicked shall perish." The grand interesting point with us is, that we be indeed partakers of this hope. And this leads us to the next part of my design, which is to consider

II. How the Scriptures are of use to make us partakers of this hope.

The apostle says they were written that "we might have hope." He doth not hereby insinuate, as if our barely having the Scriptures were sufficient to give us this hope; nor, as if we had sufficient skill or power in ourselves to make such use of them, as should render them effectual to raise a wellgrounded hope of eternal life within us. For the great design

of the Scripture is to lead us off from all self-sufficiency, to show us our weakness and corruption, as well as our guilt and danger, and to fix all our dependencies on God in Christ for the supplies of his Spirit to make his word effectual to us. And our apostle, chap. xv. 13, particularly speaks of God, as the "God of hope," and desires for the Romans, that it might prevail in them abundantly by the power of his Spirit. "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."

It is

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He is the author, as well as the object of this hope. by the power of his Spirit that we abound in it. He works it in us here, as well as crowns it with the enjoyment of himself hereafter. He "begets us to a lively hope, according to his abundant mercy." He "gives us everlasting consolation, and good hope through grace." And we, " through the Spirit,' or through the influence of the Holy Ghost upon our hearts, "wait for the hope of righteousness by faith." "The hope of righteousness" respects that blessedness and glory, that belongs to such as are made righteous by the righteousness of faith: And we wait with hope for this glory," through the Spirit," as he by his enlightening, quickening, comforting, sanctifying, and confirming work, "witnesseth with our spirits that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ." Accordingly he is said to be "the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession." And believers are said to be "sealed by him unto the day of redemption," that they may live in the joyful and assured expectation of it.

But, as the Holy Spirit works us up unto this hope in such a manner, and by such means, as are suitable to our rational nature; as he "draws with cords of a man, with bands of love;" so the Scriptures show us that manner, and furnish us with those means, which he hath appointed, and by which he works, to raise this hope of eternal life. He realises them to us in their divine authority, truth, goodness, suitableness, and importance, to give them a prevailing influence upon us. He sets them with the strongest light, and most persuasive evidence, before our minds; and impresses them with the most agreeable and powerful efficacy on our hearts, on our wills, affections, and consciences, that they may have proper effects upon us; and he thereby works this hope in us.

The Scriptures therefore are to be considered in the place of means, or as containing the only proper means, which God

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